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3.8  Hebrew Quiescent Letters

Hebrew Syllables -

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Understanding the Hebrew Quiescent Letters

The letters Aleph, Hey, Vav, and Yod can sometimes be "quiescent," that is, silent under certain circumstances:

AlephHeyYodVav

Quiescent Letters

Examples:

The Aleph in the word above is quiescent. This word would be transliterated as reishehon (the sheva is vocal since Tsere is long).

Again, the Aleph in the word above is also quiescent. This word would be transliterated as berosh or b'rosh.

The letter Yod in the word above is also quiescent. This word would be transliterated as elohav.

From a syllabification point of view, the quiescent letter becomes incorporated as part of the syllable of the preceding vowel.

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