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Journal of Semitic Studies 2009 54(1):1-17; doi:10.1093/jss/fgn038
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Articles

Wechselwirkung Von Vokalen Und Gutturalen Im Semitischen Unter Dem Einfluss Anderer Sprachen: Die Beispiele Des Akkadischen Und Hebräischen

Jan Keetman

Istanbul

In this article it is argued that the sound shifts (*ai >) e > i and pharyngeal + a > e > e (both long and short) from Imperial Akkadian to Old Babylonian prove the existence of two vowel qualities of e in Imperial Akkadian. This may well be explained if we regard the second sound shift as the shift of the pressing of the pharynx from a consonant to a vowel, probably under Sumerian influence, resulting in a vowel near a, like German ä, which may have existed in Sumerian. While in Akkadian some consonants where lost but left an imprint on the vowels, in Hebrew auxiliary vowels evolved which sustained the pronunciation of nearly the same consonants. While Akkadian made a compromise, Hebrew resisted when its daily use faded or was even reconstructed in some communities in antiquity.


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