brakha: Evolution of Hebrew Dialects

	Modern Age	Medieval Age	Classical Age			Iron Age	Bronze Age
	2000s	800s	200s	−00s	−500s	−600s	−2000s
	Yisrelit	Tavranit	Glilit	Yhudait		Yhudit	Shmit
	ישְׂרֵאלִית	טַבְרָנִית	גְּלִילִית	יְהוּדָאִית		יְהוּדִית	שְׁמִית
	(Israeli) (Modern) (New)	(Tiberian) Masartit מָסָרְתִית (Masoretic)	(Galilean) Mishnait מִשְׁנָאִית (Mishnaic) (Early Rabbinic)	(Judean)	(Late Biblical)	(Judahite) Mikrait מִקְרָאִית (Biblical)	(Proto-Semitic)
		Vowel Points	Mishna	Dead Sea Scrolls		Tanakh
Plosive, Voiced
בּב	b,v	[b][v]	[b][v]	[b][β] ≈ [b]		[b]	[b]
דּד	d	[d][ð]		[d]		[d]	[d]
גּג	g	[g][ɣ]		[g]		[g]	[g]
Plosive, Unvoiced
פּפ	p, f	[p][f]		[pʰ]		[pʰ]	[pʰ]
תּת	t	[t][θ]		[tʰ]		[tʰ]	[tʰ]
כּכ	k, kh	[k][x]		[kʰ]		[kʰ]	[kʰ]
Plosive, Emphatic
ט	t	[t‛]		[t‛]		[t‛]	[t’]
ק	k	[q]		[q]	[q] ≈ [k‛]	[k‛]	[k’]
Coronal Fricative, Voiced
ז	z	[z]		[z]		[z]	[ð]
ז	z	[z]		[z]		[z]	[dz]
Coronal Fricative, Unvoiced
שׁ	sh	[ʃ]		[ʃ]		[ʃ]	[s]
שׁ	sh	[ʃ]		[ʃ]		[ʃ]	[θ]
שׂ	s	[s]	[s]	[s]	[s]	[s] ≈ [ɬ]	[ɬ]
ס	s	[s]	[s]	[s]		[s]	[ts]
Coronal Fricative, Emphatic
צ	ts	[s‛]		[s‛]		[ts’]	[θ’]
צ	ts	[s‛]		[s‛]		[ts’]	[tɬ’]
צ	ts	[s‛]		[s‛]		[ts’]	[ts’]
Nasal
מ	m	[m]		[m]		[m]	[m]
נ	n	[n]		[n]		[n]	[n]
Liquid
ר	r = [ʁ]	[ʁ][ʀ]		[ʁ] ≈ [ɾ]		[ɾ]	[ɾ]
ל	l	[l]		[l]		[l]	[l]
Approximant
ו	v	[w], [-]		[w], [-]		[w], [-]	[w]
י	y	[y], [-]		[y], [-]		[y], [-]	[y]
Guttural Fricative, Voiced
ע	−	[ˁ]		[ˁ] ≈ [ʁ]		[ʁ]	[ʁ]
ע	−	[ˁ]		[ˁ]		[ˁ]	[ˁ]
Guttural Fricative, Unvoiced
ח	kh = [χ]	[ħ]		[ħ] ≈ [χ]		[χ]	[χ]
ח	kh = [χ]	[ħ]		[ħ]		[ħ]	[ħ]
Glottal
א	−	[ˀ], [-]		[ˀ], [-]		[ˀ], [-]	[ˀ]
ה	h	[h], [-]		[h], [-]		[h], [-]	[h]

The above table represents a rough approximation of the Hebrew dialects in the land of Yisrael, across time and locale. It derives from various conflicting opinions. Especially perplexing are the origins of the various -s- sounds and the possibility of a uvular -r- sound as early as the Tavranit dialect (Masoretic Pointings), or even as early as the Yhudait dialect (Dead Sea Scrolls).

2011-03-18

Evolution of Hebrew Dialects