- Segolate
Segolates are words in the Hebrew language of the form CVCVC, where the
penultimate vowel receivessyllable stress . Such words are called "segolates" because the final unstressed vowel is typically (but not always) segol. These words evolved from older Canaanite and Semitic words that ended with two consonants; indeed, when a suffix (other than an absolute plural) is added to a segolate, the final vowel vanishes, and the penultimate vowel undergoescompensatory shortening .In Hebrew
*Ancient Tiberian Stem Meaning *ʼarṥ אֶרֶץ/אָרֶץ ʼéreṣ/ʼāreṣ אַרְצ- ʼarṣ- earth; land *ʼurn אֹרֶן ʼōren אָרְנ- ʼorn- pine tree *baʻl בַּעַל/בָּעַל báʻal/bāʻal בַּעֲל- baʻăl- husband *zarʻ זֶרַע/זָרַע zéraʻ/zāraʻ זַרְע- zarʻ- seed *yayn יַיִן/יָיִן yáyin/yāyin יֵינ- yên- wine *malḥ מֶלַח/מָלַח mélaḥ/mālaḥ מַלְח- malḥ- salt *malk מֶלֶך/מָלֶך méleḵ/māleḵ מַלְכּ- malk- king *kalb כֶּלֶב/כָּלֶב kéleḇ/kāleḇ כַּלְבּ- kalb- dog *laḥy לֶחִי/לָחִי léḥî/lāḥî לַחֲי- laḥăy- cheek; tool jaw *ʻIbr עֵבֶר ʻĒḇer עִבְר- ʻIḇr- Eber *ʻayn עַיִן/עָיִן ʻáyin/ʻāyin עֵינ- ʻên- eye *ṣadq צֶדֶק/צָדֶק ṣéḏeq/ṣāḏeq צַדְק- ṣaḏq- righteousness The ancient forms like "*CawC" (such as "šawr" "bull") almost universally evolved to non-segolate "CôC" (שׁוֹר šôr), though there are exceptions, such as the segolated proper name דָּוִד "Dāwiḏ" (
David ), which evolved from older "*dawd". The same ancient form evolved into the Hebrew word דּוֹד "dôḏ", which means "uncle" or (poetically) "beloved". The proper name also carries this meaning.In Levantine Arabic
The
Arabic language still permits words to end with two consonants, butLevantine Arabic does not. The Levantine dialects insert a final unstressed vowel in a similar manner as Hebrew segolates.Standard Levantine Meaning بئر السبع Biʼr as-Sabʻ Bíʼir as-Sábaʻ Beersheba دمشق Dimašq Dimášaʼ Damascus طول كرم Ṭūl Karm Ṭūl Kárem Tulkarm القدس al-Quds al-ʼÚdus Jerusalem
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