Pause form

The term pause form is a term from linguistics and describes changes in a word at the end of a phrase, i.e. before a pause in speech. The following changes can occur, often in combination with one another: shift in emphasis, changed intonation (speech melody), change in vowel length and color, loss of sounds at the end of a word. A word that is not in pause form is called context form .

Pausal forms are formed almost involuntarily in oral languages and dialects and are often not perceived as such by the speakers. The Semitic languages Arabic and Hebrew occupy a special position . There are religious texts in both languages that are precisely defined down to the last detail, including for oral presentations, especially in worship: the Koran and the Tanakh , the Hebrew Bible of the Jews (the Old Testament of Christians).

Arabic

Arabic pausal forms are characterized by the omission of vowel endings of a word, i.e. especially the grammatical endings of verbs and nouns. The classic pronunciation of Standard Arabic requires that all of these endings be pronounced, with the exception of the last word of a sentence, part of a sentence or a section of meaning. These endings do not appear in the typeface, so every Arabic word is written as a pausal form, the endings are indicated by the corresponding vowel characters .

Some endings, for example the different forms of the verb ليس / laisa / 'not to be', however, are always spoken.

Special rules apply to some endings: The indeterminate accusative ending -an is pronounced as -ā . The -t is not spoken in the pausal form of the mostly female nouns and adjectives that end in Ta marbuta .

In addition to the classic pronunciation, a “modern” pronunciation variant has emerged which applies the pausal form to almost all words and thus largely dispenses with grammatical endings. The modern Arabic dialects usually do not differentiate between pausal and context forms or form pausal forms in any other way.

Hebrew

In classical (Biblical) Hebrew, numerous words at the end of a verse , sentence, or section of meaning experience a change that affects the vocalization and stress of the word, or both. The masoretic vocalization and accentuation indicate these changes, but many words remain unchanged; H. the pause and the context form are identical. Some words have two pausal forms, commonly referred to as "small" and "large" pausal form (or pause).

A pause form, i.e. H. marking the end of a unit, in some cases affects the understanding or interpretation of the text.

Changes of the word

The stressed vowel is marked in bold in the transcription.

Change of stressed vowels

Change from stressed ɛ ( segol ) to ā : in segolated nouns, e.g. B. גָּפֶן g ā fɛn (context: גֶּפֶן g ɛ fɛn ) 'grapevine'.
Lengthening of stressed a : in numerous verb and some noun forms, e.g. B. קָטָל qāṭ ā l (context: קָטַל qāṭ a l ), 3. msg. Perfect qal of the strong verb; קָטָלְתִּי qāṭ ā lti (context: קָטַלְתִּי qāṭ a lti ), 1. sg. Perfect qal of the strong verb; יִקְטָל yiqṭ ā l (context: יִקְטַל yiqṭ a l ), 3. msg. Past tense (stativ) qal of the strong verb; קְטָלָנִי qǝṭāl ā ni (context: קְטָלַנִי qǝṭāl a ni ), 3. msg. Perfect qal with suffix 1. sg .; לָיְלָה l ā ylāh (context: לַיְלָה l a ylāh ), noun 'night'; עֵינָיִם ʕēn ā yim (context: עֵינַיִם ʕēn a yim ), noun with dual ending ; עָלָי ʕāl ā y (context: עָלַי ʕāl a y ), plural suffix 1. sg.
Lengthening of the stressed a and changing the preceding vowel: only sporadically, e.g. B. אֶחָת ʔɛḥ ā ṯ (context: אַחַת ʔaḥ a ṯ ), cardinal number '1', feminine; כִּכָּרָיִם kikkār ā jim (context: כִּכְּרַיִם kikkǝr a jim ), dual of the noun 'talent'.
Change from stressed a to ē : especially with words in which the a has taken the place of an original i -owell, e.g. B. š šām ē ăʕ (context: שָׁמַע šām a ʕ ), 3. msg. Perfect qal of the verb 'hear'.
Change from stressed a to ō : only sporadically, e.g. B. in imperative forms with endings of the verb ארר ʔrr , 'curse'.
Change from stressed a to ɛ : only sporadically, e.g. B. עֶד ʕ ɛ ḏ (context: עַד ʕ a ḏ ), noun 'eternity'.
Change from stressed o to ā : only in the form שָׁכָלְתִּי šāḵ ā lti (context: שָׁכֹלְתִּי šāḵ o lti ), 1. sg. Perfect qal of the verb 'to become childless'.
Change from stressed ē to ā : only in the form רָשׁ r ā š (context: רֵשׁ r ē š ), imperative msg. qal of the verb 'take possession'.

Stress shift (without vowel change)
- Pause final stress, context stress on the penultimate syllable: only in the form וַיֹּאכַל wayyōḵ a l (context: wayy ō ḵal ), 3rd msg. Past tense with waw consecutivum ( wayyiqtol ) qal of the verb 'essen'.

Vowel change and stress shift
- Context stress on the penultimate syllable, pause final stress with a change in the stressed vowel: in some frequently occurring endingless verb forms in the past tense with waw consecutivum ( wayyiqtol ), e.g. B. וַיֹּאמַר wayyom a r (context: וַיֹּאמֶר wayy o mɛr ), 'he said'; וַיֵּלַךְ wayyēl a ḵ (context: וַיֵּלֶךְ wayy ē lɛḵ ), 'he went'; וַיָּמֹת wayyām o ṯ (context: וַיָּמָת wayy ā måṯ ), 'he died'.

Change of unstressed vowels

Change from schwa to unstressed o : only in the 2nd and 3rd mpl. Imperfect qal of the strong verb with paragogicum now , יִקְטֹלוּן yiqṭol ¾ n (Context: יִקְטְלוּן yiqṭǝl ū n ).
Change from schwa to unstressed ā : in some verb forms, e.g. B. יִקְטָלוּן yiqṭāl ū n (context: יִקְטְלוּן yiqṭǝl ū n ), 3. mpl. Past tense ( a vowel) of the strong verb with nun paragogicum ; נִמְצָאִים nimṣāʔ i m (context: נִמְצְאִים nimṣǝʔ i m ), participle mpl nifal of verbs III. א .
Change from schwa to unstressed ā and change to the preceding consonant: only sporadically, e.g. B. יֶחְפָּצוּן yɛḥpāṣ ū n (context: יַחְפְּצוּן yaḥpǝṣ ū n ), 3. mpl. Past tense ( a vowel) of a verb I. ח with now paragogicum .
Change from schwa to unstressed ē : in some verb forms, e.g. B. יִקָּטֵלוּן yiqqāṭēl ū n (context: יִקָּטְלוּן yiqqāṭǝl ū n ), 3. mpl. Imperfect nifal the strong verb with now paragogicum ; קֹטֵלָה qoṭēl ā h (context: קֹטְלָה qoṭǝl ā h ), participle fsg qal of the strong verb with an unsegoliated ending.

Small and large pause form

Context final stress, small pause stress on the penultimate syllable, large pause stress on the penultimate syllable and lengthening of the vowel: only in the following forms: 1. sg. and 2. msg. of perfect forms with waw consecutivum , context וְקָטַלְתִּי wǝqāṭalt i , small pause וְקָטַלְתִּי wǝqāṭ a lti , large pause: וְקָטָלְתִּי wǝqāṭ ā lti ; Personal pronoun 2. msg. 'You', context אַתָּה ʔatt ā , small pause אַתָּה ʔ a ttā , large pause אָתָּה ʔ ā ttā ; Adverb 'now', context עַתָּה ʕatt ā , small pause עַתָּה ʕ a ttā , large pause עָתָּה ʕ ā ttā .

Position of the pause forms

There are various theories on the question of where a pausal form occurs in the text.

In the grammars and textbooks, the pause forms are mostly seen as dependent on the masoretic accents ( teamim ). This is based on the observation that with some accents ( Sof pasuq , Atnah and Ole we-Jored ) there are almost always pausal forms. For the pausal forms that occur with other accents, various explanations are proposed that take into account the hierarchy of the accents, the syntax and the semantics.

Based on the fact that no accent always causes pausal forms, pausal forms are explained as being dependent on the syntax and partly also on the semantics.

Another theory tries to combine these two approaches: The dispatch and the middle of the verse, if it is marked with Atnah or Ole we-Jored , usually result in pausal forms. In the middle of the verse without these accents there is often, but not always, a pausal form. In the other places in the verse, the pausal forms are independent of the accents and justified by syntax or semantics.

Non-Biblical Hebrew

In the ancient Hebrew inscriptions and in the Hebrew manuscripts of the Dead Sea ( Qumran ) there are no recognizable pausal forms, since these texts are unvocalized. In Mishnah Hebrew (see Middle Hebrew ) some, but not all, of the biblical pausal forms are used. In modern Ivrit , such variations are only taken into account in very sophisticated, Bible-oriented language.

Aramaic

In Judeo- Aramaic languages there are pausal forms, the phenomenon goes back to Hebrew phonology . Examples in Biblical Aramaic are וְחָיִל wəḥāyil 'and strength' (Ezra 4:23) and בְּחָיִל bəḥāyil 'with strength' (Daniel 3: 4, see contextual form בְּחַיִל bəḥayil under Daniel 5: 7), קֳדָמָי qoḏāmāy 'before me' instead of the expected * קֳדָמַי qŏḏāmay (Daniel 2: 6), שָׁמְרָיִן šomrāyin ' Samaria ' (Ezra 4:10 instead of * שָׁמְרַיִן šomrayin ) and בְּשָֽׁמְרָיִן bəšomrāyin 'in Samaria' (Ezra 4:17) and עֲנָיִן ʕănāyin 4 'miserable 24) instead of * עֲנַיִן ʕănayin . Occasionally this also occurs in the Targumim (Bible translations into Aramaic): וּלְמַעַבָּד ūlmaʕabbāḏ 'and to do' ( דְּבָרִים Dəḇārīm / Deuteronomy 24: 8 after Targum Onkelos ; infinitive in Biblical Aramaic: לְמֶעְבַּד ləmɛʕbbāḏ ). Not to the Jewish languages counting Syrian turn has no special Pausalbetonung could at most the strain of a to ā (westsyrisch ō ) in ܐܵܒ݂ܝ ʔāḇ (westsyrisch ܐܳܒܝ ʔōḇ ), my father 'and ܐܵܚܝ ʔāḥ (westsyrisch ܐܳܚܝ ʔōḥ ), my brother' "To be an originally only pausal phenomenon, which was transferred to non-pausal forms".

Web links

Wiktionary: Pausal form - explanations of meanings, word origins, synonyms, translations

Individual evidence

↑ The list largely follows: Elisha Qimron: The Nature of Pausal Forms . In: Aharon Maman, Steven E. Fassberg, Yohanan Breuer (eds.): Sha'arei Lashon: Studies in Hebrew, Aramaic and Jewish Languages Presented to Moshe Bar-Asher . tape 1 . Bialik Institute, Jerusalem 2007, p. 92-106, 95-99 .
↑ z. B. Wilhelm Gesenius : Hebrew grammar . Completely reworked by E. Kautzsch . 7th reprint edition of the 28th, much improved and enlarged edition Leipzig 1909. Georg Olms, Hildesheim u. a. 1995, § 29.4, ISBN 3-487-00325-2 .
↑ So z. B. Israel Ben-David: Contextual and Pausal Forms in Biblical Hebrew . Magnes Press, Jerusalem 1995.
^ So EJ Revell, The Pausal System: Divisions in the Hebrew Biblical Text as Marked by Voweling and Stress Position , (Pericope: Scripture as Written and Read in Antiquity 10), Eds .: R. de Hoop, P. Sanders, Sheffield 2015 .
^ So G. Geiger, " The Pausalformen der Segolata and the middle of the Biblical verse ", Liber Annuus 55 (2005) 59-111.
^ M. Bar-Asher, "Contextual Forms and Pausal Forms in Mishnaic Hebrew According to Ms. Parma B", Language Studies 4 (1990) 51-100 (Hebrew).
↑ Steven E. Fassberg: Judeo-Aramaic . In: Lily Kahn, Aaron D. Rubin (Eds.): Handbook of Jewish Languages (= Brill's Handbooks in Linguistics ). tape 2 . Brill, Leiden 2015, ISBN 978-90-04-21733-1 , pp. 67 f . ( limited preview in Google Book Search [accessed December 29, 2015]).
↑ Steven E. Fassberg: Judeo-Aramaic . In: Lily Kahn, Aaron D. Rubin (Eds.): Handbook of Jewish Languages (= Brill's Handbooks in Linguistics ). tape 2 . Brill, Leiden 2015, ISBN 978-90-04-21733-1 , pp. 73 ( limited preview in Google Book Search [accessed December 29, 2015]).
↑ Arthur Ungnad : Syriac grammar with exercise book (= Clavis linguarum semiticarum . Volume VII ). CH Beck'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, Munich 1913, p. 24 ( archive.org [accessed December 29, 2015]).

[1] The list largely follows: Elisha Qimron: The Nature of Pausal Forms . In: Aharon Maman, Steven E. Fassberg, Yohanan Breuer (eds.): Sha'arei Lashon: Studies in Hebrew, Aramaic and Jewish Languages Presented to Moshe Bar-Asher . tape 1 . Bialik Institute, Jerusalem 2007, p. 92-106, 95-99 .

[2] z. B. Wilhelm Gesenius : Hebrew grammar . Completely reworked by E. Kautzsch . 7th reprint edition of the 28th, much improved and enlarged edition Leipzig 1909. Georg Olms, Hildesheim u. a. 1995, § 29.4, ISBN 3-487-00325-2 .

[3] So z. B. Israel Ben-David: Contextual and Pausal Forms in Biblical Hebrew . Magnes Press, Jerusalem 1995.

[4] So EJ Revell, The Pausal System: Divisions in the Hebrew Biblical Text as Marked by Voweling and Stress Position , (Pericope: Scripture as Written and Read in Antiquity 10), Eds .: R. de Hoop, P. Sanders, Sheffield 2015 .

[5] So G. Geiger, " The Pausalformen der Segolata and the middle of the Biblical verse ", Liber Annuus 55 (2005) 59-111.

[6] M. Bar-Asher, "Contextual Forms and Pausal Forms in Mishnaic Hebrew According to Ms. Parma B", Language Studies 4 (1990) 51-100 (Hebrew).

[7] Steven E. Fassberg: Judeo-Aramaic . In: Lily Kahn, Aaron D. Rubin (Eds.): Handbook of Jewish Languages (= Brill's Handbooks in Linguistics ). tape 2 . Brill, Leiden 2015, ISBN 978-90-04-21733-1 , pp. 67 f . ( limited preview in Google Book Search [accessed December 29, 2015]).

[8] Steven E. Fassberg: Judeo-Aramaic . In: Lily Kahn, Aaron D. Rubin (Eds.): Handbook of Jewish Languages (= Brill's Handbooks in Linguistics ). tape 2 . Brill, Leiden 2015, ISBN 978-90-04-21733-1 , pp. 73 ( limited preview in Google Book Search [accessed December 29, 2015]).

[9] Arthur Ungnad : Syriac grammar with exercise book (= Clavis linguarum semiticarum . Volume VII ). CH Beck'sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, Munich 1913, p. 24 ( archive.org [accessed December 29, 2015]).