[Mesorah] sh'va na and nach

[Micha Berger]

On Sun, Dec 03, 2017 at 09:42:25AM -0500, Akiva Miller via Mesorah wrote:
: I know that there is a general rule that if the first letter of a word has
: a sh'va, then it is a sh'va na. I also know that various forms of the word
: "two" are exceptions to this rule, as the leading shin gets sh'va nach.

I know you asked about the exception of "shtei", but I wanted to try to
share an epiphany.

A sheva nach means that the letter closes a syllable. And so these rules
of sheva's are also viewable as rules of open (vowel-ending) vs closed
(consonant ending) syllables. "Syllabification", if I have the term
correctly.

Hebrew can only have a closed syllable at the end of a word or with a
sheva nach. (Or in the case of a khaf peshutah, both.)

Eg, we would rephrase the above rule as being but a subset of a more
general statement: Hebrew has no vowel-less syllables. So, if a first
letter has a sheva, it would perforce be given a vowel sound.

Shtei is a rarity, in that it is one syllable opening with a two-consonant
cluster.

: I realize that someone is going to respond along the lines of "There aren't
: any rules; it's just how people talk", but still, I'd like to know what
: patterns you know of.

If there weren't any rules, would the Mesoretic notes list their exceptions?

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             None of us will leave this place alive.
micha at aishdas.org        All that is left to us is
http://www.aishdas.org   to be as human as possible while we are here.
Fax: (270) 514-1507            - Anonymous MD, while a Nazi prisoner