[Mesorah] Nikud on YKVK

[Michael Hamm]

On Sun, 24 Aug 2008, R'AM <kennethgmiller at juno.com> wrote, in part:
> > 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.

To put it differently, and forgive me if I'm putting words in your mouth, 
R'AM, the k'ri is YKVK and has no n'kudos; the k'siv is adnus and has a 
chataf-patach.  So a sh'va never comes into the picture at all.

A tangentially related question that someone brought to my attention 
recently:  The Minchas Shay on "hal-Hashem" (in Haazinu) seems to me to be 
citing two opinions: one, that it's pronounced with a sh'va nach under the 
lamed and a chataf patach under the aleph (how most baale k'ria pronounce 
it, I think), and, two, that it's pronounced with a sh'va nach under the 
lamed and a sh'va na (!) under the aleph.  Am I reading that opinion 
wrong?  Has anyone heard anyone actually read it that way?

Michael Hamm
AM, Math, Wash. U. St. Louis
msh210 at math.wustl.edu                Fine print:
http://www.math.wustl.edu/~msh210/ ... legal.html