The Ammonite Phoneme /Ṯ
The presumed equation of bʿlyšʿ on a seventh century B. C. Ammonite seal with bʿlys in Jer 40:14 reopens the complex question of sibilants and interdentals in Canaanite dialects. This article proposes that Ammonite retained the phoneme /ṯ/, which was represented orthographically by š, but was articu...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
1988
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| In: |
Bulletin of ASOR
Year: 1988, Volume: 269, Pages: 73-79 |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (JSTOR) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | The presumed equation of bʿlyšʿ on a seventh century B. C. Ammonite seal with bʿlys in Jer 40:14 reopens the complex question of sibilants and interdentals in Canaanite dialects. This article proposes that Ammonite retained the phoneme /ṯ/, which was represented orthographically by š, but was articulated as [s] by Cisjordanian speakers who lacked this sound in their phonetic inventory. Two pieces of evidence bolster the conclusion that Ammonite retained /ṯ/. First, the adjacent dialect of Safaitic also possessed the phoneme /ṯ/. Second, the well-etablished contacts between Ammon and Arabia may have prevented the shift of /ṯ/ > /š/ attested in the other Canaanite dialects. This bʿlyšʿ ∼ bʿlys phenomenon is paralleled by the following interpretation of the shibboleth incident in Judg 12:6: the Gileadites also retained /ṯ/, spelled š, but it was realized as [s] by the Ephraimites. |
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| ISSN: | 2161-8062 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: American Schools of Oriental Research, Bulletin of ASOR
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.2307/1356953 |