[Mesorah] Nikud on YKVK

[kennethgmiller at juno.com]

R' Zev Sero answered:
> A chataf is really just a jumped-up sheva; it's what a
> sheva na becomes when it appears on a guttural letter
> (alef, hei, chet, ayin, resh).

I figured the answer was something along these lines. I would have mentioned it in my post, except I don't know enough to have phrased it accurately. Thanks.

> So in the Shem Adnus, the sheva becomes a chataf-patach,
> because an alef can't have a sheva na; but transpose the
> same vowel to a yud and it remains a sheva.

While this answer may be technically accurate, I find it very unsatisfying.

We have NOT transposed this vowel to a yud, except on paper. This vowel will not be pronounced after a yud; it will be pronounced after an alef. This vowel will never be pronounced as a sheva; it will be pronounced as a chataf-patach.

As a mnemonic aid to pronunciation, a chataf-patach would have been useful to everyone. The sheva is useful only to dikduk geeks who will be reminded of the rule about sheva na and guttural letters, at a time when they should really be thinking about Hayah Hoveh and Yihyeh. (And it's also useful for tricking the J. Witnesses into a goofed-up pronunciation.)

Akiva Miller

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