Table of Contents

Abbreviations


1 Introduction
 1.1 Exceptionless Sound Laws
 1.2 Biblical Hebrew
 1.3 Proto-Northwest-Semitic
 1.4 Some Previous Approaches to the Question
 1.5 Assumptions and Methodology
 1.6 Outline and Conventions


2 Proto-Northwest-Semitic Phonology and Morphology
 2.1 Phonology
 2.2 Morphology


3 The Canaanite Shift
 3.1 Introduction
 3.2 Previous Suggestions
 3.3 Data
 3.4 Analysis
 3.5 Conclusion


4 Stress, Tonic, Pretonic, and Pausal Lengthening
 4.1 Introduction
 4.2 Stress
 4.3 Tonic Lengthening
 4.4 Pretonic Lengthening
 4.5 Pausal Lengthening
 4.6 Summary


5 Diphthongs and Triphthongs
 5.1 Introduction
 5.2 Diphthongs
 5.3 Triphthongs
 5.4 Summary


6 Philippi’s Law and Other Cases of Stressed *i > *a
 6.1 Introduction
 6.2 Previous Suggestions
 6.3 Remaining Issues
 6.4 Conclusion


7 The Law of Attenuation and Other Cases of Unstressed *a > *i
 7.1 Introduction
 7.2 Previous Suggestions
 7.3 Remaining Issues
 7.4 Conclusion


8 Word-Final Vowels
 8.1 Introduction
 8.2 Previous Suggestions
 8.3 Word-Final Vowels on Pronominal Suffixes and Verbal Endings
 8.4 Conclusion


9 General Conclusion
 9.1 Combined Relative Chronology


Appendix: A Concise Historical Morphology of Biblical Hebrew
References
Index

About the Author

Benjamin Suchard, Ph.D. (2016), Leiden University, has worked as a lecturer and postdoc at that university since completing his doctorate. He has published various articles on Hebrew and other Semitic languages, most notably Biblical Aramaic. This is his first monograph.

Reviews

"Suchard's book is a welcome addition to the scholarly literature on the historical grammar of Biblical Hebrew. The book will serve as the status quaestionis on many issues for years to come."
-Gary A. Rendsburg, Rutgers University, in RBL 10/2020.