View source for Hebrew diacritics

{{Short description|System of marks added to Hebrew letters}}
{{expand Hebrew|topic=culture|ניקוד העברית בת ימינו|date=August 2012}}

[[Image:Example of biblical Hebrew trope.svg|thumb|350px|right|Gen. 1:9 And God said, "Let the waters be collected".<br>Letters in black, [[Niqqud|pointing]] in <span style="color:#CC0000;">red</span>, [[Hebrew cantillation|cantillation]] in <span style="color:#0000CC;">blue</span><ref>[[Hebrew cantillation|Cantillation]]</ref> ]]

[[Hebrew spelling|Hebrew orthography]] includes three types of [[diacritic]]s:
* ''[[Niqqud]]'' in Hebrew is the way to indicate [[vowel]]s, which are omitted in modern orthography, using a set of ancillary glyphs. Since the vowels can be understood from surrounding letters, context can help readers read the correct pronunciations of several letters of the [[Hebrew alphabet]] (the [[rafe (diacritic)|rafe]] sign and other rare glyphs are also listed as part of the ''niqqud'' system but are not in common use){{ref label|rafe|*|}};
* ''[[geresh]]'' and ''[[gershayim]],'' two diacritics that are not considered a part of ''niqqud'', each of which has several functions (e.g. to denote [[Hebrew numerals]]);
* and ''[[Hebrew cantillation|cantillation]],'' "accents" which are used exclusively to indicate how [[Hebrew Bible|Biblical]] passages should be chanted and may possess a punctuating function.

Several diacritical systems were developed in the [[Early Middle Ages]]. The most widespread system, and the only one still used to a significant degree today, was created by the [[Masoretes]] of [[Tiberias]] in the second half of the first millennium in the [[Land of Israel]] (see [[Masoretic Text]], [[Tiberian Hebrew]]).
The Niqqud signs and cantillation marks developed by the Masoretes are small in size compared to consonants, so they could be added to the consonantal texts without retranscribing them.

==Pointing ''(niqqud)''==
{{main article|Niqqud}}
In modern Israeli orthography, vowel and consonant pointing is seldom used, except in specialised texts such as dictionaries, poetry, or texts for children or for new immigrants. Israeli Hebrew has five vowel phonemes—{{IPAslink|i}}, {{IPAslink|e̞|e}}, {{IPAslink|ä|a}}, {{IPAslink|o̞|o}} and {{IPAslink|u}}—but many more written symbols for them. ''Niqqud'' distinguish the following vowels and consonants; for more detail, see the main article.

{| class="wikitable noresize"
|-
!! rowspan=2 | Name
!! rowspan=2 | Symbol
!! rowspan=2 | [[Unicode]]
!! colspan=3 | [[Israeli Hebrew]]
!! colspan=2 | [[Niqqud#Keyboard|Keyboard input]]
!! rowspan=2 | Hebrew
!! rowspan=2 | Alternate<br>Names
|-
!! colspan=1 | [[Help:IPA/Hebrew|IPA]]
!! colspan=1 | [[Transliteration]]
!! colspan=1 | English<br>Example
!! colspan=1 | Letter
!! colspan=1 | Key
|-
| '''[[Hiriq]]'''
| style="font-size:26px; padding-bottom:3px"| {{script/Hebr|אִ}}
| align="left"   | U+05B4
| align="center" | {{IPAblink|i}}
| align="center" | i
| align="center" | s'''ee'''k
| align="center" | 4
| align="center" | 
| align="center" | {{lang|he|חִירִיק}}
| align="center" rowspan=13 | ‒
|-
| '''[[Tzere]]'''
| style="font-size:26px; padding-bottom:3px"| {{script/Hebr|אֵ}}
| align="left"   | U+05B5
| align="center" | {{IPAblink|e̞}} and {{IPA|[ei̯]}}
| align="center" | e and ei
| align="center" | m'''e'''n
| align="center" | 5
| align="center" | 
| align="center" | {{lang|he|צֵירֵי}} or {{lang|he|צֵירֶה}}
|-
| '''[[Segol]]'''
| style="font-size:26px; padding-bottom:3px"| {{script/Hebr|אֶ}}
| align="left"   | U+05B6
| align="center" | {{IPAblink|e̞}}, <small>({{IPA|[ei̯]}} with<br>succeeding [[Yodh|yod]])</small>
| align="center" | e, <small>(ei with<br>succeeding yod)</small>
| align="center" | m'''e'''n
| align="center" | 6
| align="center" | 
| align="center" | {{lang|he|סֶגוֹל}}
|-
| '''[[Patach]]'''
| style="font-size:26px; padding-bottom:3px"| {{script/Hebr|אַ}}
| align="left"   | U+05B7
| align="center" | {{IPAblink|ä}}
| align="center" | a
| align="center" | f'''a'''r
| align="center" | 7
| align="center" | 
| align="center" | {{lang|he|פַּתָּח}}
|-
| '''[[Kamatz]]'''
| style="font-size:26px; padding-bottom:3px"| {{script/Hebr|אָ}}
| align="left"   | U+05B8
| align="center" | {{IPAblink|ä}}
| align="center" | a
| align="center" | f'''a'''r
| align="center" rowspan=2 | 8
| align="center" | 
| align="center" | {{lang|he|קָמָץ}}
|-
| '''[[Kamatz Katan]]'''
| style="font-size:26px; padding-bottom:3px"| {{script/Hebr|אׇ}}
| align="left"   | U+05C7
| align="center" | {{IPAblink|o̞}}
| align="center" | o
| align="center" | f'''o'''r
| align="center" | 
| align="center" | {{lang|he|קָמָץ}}
|-
| '''[[Shin (letter)|Sin dot]]''' (left)
| style="font-size:26px; padding-bottom:3px"| {{script/Hebr|שׂ}}
| align="left"   | U+05C2
| align="center" | {{IPAblink|s}}
| align="center" | s
| align="center" | '''s'''our
| align="center" | 9
| align="center" | 
| align="center" | {{lang|he|שִׂי״ן}}
|-
| '''[[Shin (letter)|Shin dot]]''' (right)
| style="font-size:26px; padding-bottom:3px"| {{script/Hebr|שׁ}}
| align="left"   | U+05C1
| align="center" | {{IPAblink|ʃ}}
| align="center" | sh
| align="center" | '''sh'''op
| align="center" | 0
| align="center" | 
| align="center" | {{lang|he|שִׁי״ן}}
|-
| '''[[Holam|Holam Haser]]'''
| style="font-size:26px; padding-bottom:3px"| {{script/Hebr|אֹ}}
| align="left" rowspan=2  | U+05B9
| align="center" rowspan=2 | {{IPAblink|o̞}} 
| align="center" rowspan=2 | o
| align="center" rowspan=2 | b'''o'''re
| align="center" rowspan=2 | -
| align="center" rowspan=2 | [[Image:minusKey.PNG|35px]]
| align="center" | {{lang|he|חוֹלָם חָסֵר}}
|-
| '''[[Holam|Holam Male]]''' <small>or '''Vav Haluma'''</small>
| style="font-size:26px; padding-bottom:3px"| {{script/Hebr|וֹ}}
| align="center" | {{lang|he|חוֹלָם מָלֵא}}
|-
|'''[[Dagesh]] or [[Mappiq]]'''
| style="font-size:26px; padding-bottom:3px"| {{script/Hebr|בּ}}
| align="left"  rowspan=2 | U+05BC
| align="center" | [[Dagesh|N/A]]
| align="center" | [[Dagesh|N/A]]
| align="center" | [[Dagesh|N/A]]
| rowspan = 2  align="center" | =
| rowspan = 2  align="center" | 
| align="center" | {{lang|he|דָּגֵשׁ}} or {{lang|he|מַפִּיק}}
|-
| '''[[Kubutz and shuruk|Shuruk]]'''
| style="font-size:26px; padding-bottom:3px"| {{script/Hebr|וּ}}
| align="center" rowspan=2 | {{IPAblink|u}}
| align="center" rowspan=2 | u
| align="center" rowspan=2 | c'''oo'''l
| align="center" | {{lang|he|שׁוּרוּק}}
|-
| '''[[Kubutz and shuruk|Kubutz]]'''
| style="font-size:26px; padding-bottom:3px"| {{script/Hebr|אֻ}}
| align="left"   | U+05BB
| align="center" | \
| align="center" | 
| align="center" | {{lang|he|קֻבּוּץ}}
|-
!! colspan=10 |''Below'': Two vertical dots underneath the letter (called ''[[sh'va]]'') make the vowel very short.
|-
| '''[[Shva]]'''
| style="font-size:26px; padding-bottom:3px"| {{script/Hebr|אְ}}
| align="left"   | U+05B0
| align="center" | {{IPAblink|e̞}} or {{IPA|[-]}} 
| align="center" | apostrophe, e,<br>or nothing
| align="center" | ''silent''
| align="center" | ~
| align="center" | [[Image:TildeKey.PNG|35px]]
| align="center" | {{lang|he|שְׁוָא}}
| align="center" | ‒
|-
| '''[[Segol|Reduced Segol]]'''
| style="font-size:26px; padding-bottom:3px"| {{script/Hebr|אֱ}}
| align="left"   | U+05B1
| align="center" | {{IPAblink|e̞}}
| align="center" | e
| align="center" | m'''e'''n
| align="center" | 1
| align="center" | 
| align="center" | {{lang|he|חֲטַף סֶגוֹל}}
| align="center" | ''Hataf Segol''
|-
| '''[[Patach|Reduced Patach]]'''
| style="font-size:26px; padding-bottom:3px"| {{script/Hebr|אֲ}}
| align="left"   | U+05B2
| align="center" | {{IPAblink|ä}}
| align="center" | a
| align="center" | f'''a'''r
| align="center" | 2
| align="center" | 
| align="center" | {{lang|he|חֲטַף פַּתָּח}}
| align="center" | ''Hataf Patakh''
|-
| '''[[Kamatz|Reduced Kamatz]]'''
| style="font-size:26px; padding-bottom:3px"| {{script/Hebr|אֳ}}
| align="left"   | U+05B3
| align="center" | {{IPAblink|o̞}}
| align="center" | o
| align="center" | b'''o'''re
| align="center" | 3
| align="center" | 
| align="center" | {{lang|he|חֲטַף קָמָץ}}
| align="center" | ''Hataf Kamatz''
|-
|}
<small>'''Note 1:''' The letters "'''<big>{{Script/Hebr|א}}</big>'''" or "'''<big>{{Script/Hebr|ב}}</big>'''"represent whatever Hebrew letter is used.<br>
'''Note 2:''' The letter "'''<big>{{Script/Hebr|[[ש]]}}</big>'''" is used since it can only be represented by that letter.<br>
'''Note 3:''' The ''[[dagesh]]'', ''[[mappiq]]'', and ''shuruk'' are different, however, they look the same and are inputted in the same manner. Also, they are represented by the same [[Unicode]] character.<br>
'''Note 4:''' The letter "'''<big>{{Script/Hebr|[[ו]]}}</big>'''" is used since it can only be represented by that letter.</small>

===Vowel comparison table===
{|class="wikitable noresize"
|-
!colspan="9"| Vowel Comparison Table
|-
!colspan="6" style="width:21em"| [[Vowel length]]<sup>[1]</sup>
!rowspan="2" style="width:7em"| [[Help:IPA/Hebrew|IPA]]
!rowspan="2" style="width:7em"| [[Transliteration]]
!rowspan="2" style="width:7em"| English<br />example
|-
!colspan="2" style="width:7em"| Long
!colspan="2" style="width:7em"| Short
!colspan="2" style="width:7em"| Very short
|-align="center"
|style="font-size:24px;line-height:1.3em;width:2em;border-right:hidden"| {{Script/Hebrew|1=<span style="font-size:110%;"> אָ</span>}} || <sup>[3]</sup>
|style="font-size:24px;line-height:1.3em;width:2em;border-right:hidden"| {{Script/Hebrew|1=<span style="font-size:110%;"> אַ</span>}} || &nbsp;
|style="font-size:24px;line-height:1.3em;width:2em;border-right:hidden"| {{Script/Hebrew|1=<span style="font-size:110%;"> אֲ</span>}} || <sup>[2]</sup>
| <span style="font-size:125%">{{IPAblink|ä}}</span> || a || f'''a'''r
|-align="center"
|style="font-size:24px;line-height:1.3em;width:2em;border-right:hidden"| {{Script/Hebrew|1=<span style="font-size:110%;"> וֹ</span>}} || <sup>[3]</sup>
|style="font-size:24px;line-height:1.3em;width:2em;border-right:hidden"| {{Script/Hebrew|1=<span style="font-size:110%;"> אׇ</span>}} || <sup>[3]</sup>
|style="font-size:24px;line-height:1.3em;width:2em;border-right:hidden"| {{Script/Hebrew|1=<span style="font-size:110%;"> אֳ</span>}} || <sup>[2]</sup>
| <span style="font-size:125%">{{IPAblink|o̞}}</span> || o || c'''o'''ld
|-align="center"
|style="font-size:24px;line-height:1.3em;width:2em;border-right:hidden"| {{Script/Hebrew|1=<span style="font-size:110%;"> וּ</span>}} || <sup>[4]</sup>
|style="font-size:24px;line-height:1.3em;width:2em;border-right:hidden"| {{Script/Hebrew|1=<span style="font-size:110%;"> אֻ</span>}} || <sup>[4]</sup>
|style="font-size:24px;line-height:1.3em;width:2em;border-right:hidden"| &nbsp; || <span style="direction:rtl>N/A</span>
| <span style="font-size:125%">{{IPAblink|u}}</span> || u || y'''ou'''
|-align="center"
|style="font-size:24px;line-height:1.3em;width:2em;border-right:hidden"| {{Script/Hebrew|1=<span style="font-size:110%;"> אִי</span>}} || &nbsp;
|style="font-size:24px;line-height:1.3em;width:2em;border-right:hidden"| {{Script/Hebrew|1=<span style="font-size:110%;"> אִ</span>}} || &nbsp;
|style="font-size:24px;line-height:1.3em;width:2em;border-right:hidden"| &nbsp; || <span style="direction:rtl>N/A</span>
| <span style="font-size:125%">{{IPAblink|i}}</span> || i || sk'''i'''
|-align="center"
|style="font-size:24px;line-height:1.3em;width:2em;border-right:hidden"| {{Script/Hebrew|1=<span style="font-size:110%;"> אֵ</span>}} || &nbsp;
|style="font-size:24px;line-height:1.3em;width:2em;border-right:hidden"| {{Script/Hebrew|1=<span style="font-size:110%;"> אֶ</span>}} || &nbsp;
|style="font-size:24px;line-height:1.3em;width:2em;border-right:hidden"| {{Script/Hebrew|1=<span style="font-size:110%;"> אֱ</span>}} || <sup>[2]</sup>
| <span style="font-size:125%">{{IPAblink|e̞}}</span> || e || l'''e'''t
|}
'''Notes:'''
* <sup>[1]</sup> : These vowels lengths are not manifested in Modern Hebrew.
* <sup>[2]</sup> : Adding two vertical dots ([[sh'va]]) to the "short-vowel" diacritic produces the diacritic for "very short vowel" ({{langx|he|חטף}} ''{{transliteration|he|ḥatáf}}''{{thin space}}).
* <sup>[3]</sup> : The short {{IPAslink|o̞|o}} is usually promoted to a long {{IPAslink|o̞|o}} ([[holam male]], vav with dot above) in Israeli writing for the sake of disambiguation.
* <sup>[4]</sup> : The short {{IPAslink|u}} is usually promoted to a long {{IPAslink|u}} ([[shuruk]], vav with middle dot) in Israeli writing for the sake of disambiguation.

==Meteg==
{{main article|Meteg}}
''Meteg'' is a vertical bar placed below a character next to the niqqud for various purposes, including marking vowel length and secondary stress. Its shape is identical to the cantillation mark ''sof pasuq''.

==Geresh==
{{main article|Geresh}}
''Geresh'' is a mark, {{angle bracket|{{Script/Hebrew|׳}}}} that may be used as a [[diacritic]], as a [[punctuation mark]] for [[initialism]]s, or as a marker of [[Hebrew numerals]]. It is also used in cantillation.

As a diacritic, the ''geresh'' is combined with the following consonants:

{| class=wikitable
!letter!!value!!with<br>''geresh''!!value
!English example!!usage
|- style="overflow:hidden; height:2px;"
| colspan="6" | 
|-
|align="center" style="font-size: 200%"|{{Script/Hebrew|ג}}||{{IPA|[ɡ]}} || align="center" style="font-size: 200%"|{{Script/Hebrew|ג׳}} ||{{IPA|[dʒ]}}
|a'''ge'''
|rowspan=6| [[slang]] and [[loanwords]]<br>(phonologically native<br>sounds)
|-
|align="center" style="font-size: 200%"|{{Script/Hebrew|ז}} ||{{IPA|[z]}} || align="center" style="font-size: 200%"|{{Script/Hebrew|ז׳}} ||{{IPA|[ʒ]}}
|vi'''si'''on
|-
|align="center" style="font-size: 200%"|{{Script/Hebrew|צ}} ||{{IPA|[ts]}} || align="center" style="font-size: 200%"|{{Script/Hebrew|צ׳}} ||{{IPA|[tʃ]}}
|'''ch'''ange
|-
| colspan="5" |
|-
| colspan="2" |
| colspan="3" |<small>(non&nbsp;standard<ref name="trans-into-heb">Vav with geresh, "{{Script/Hebrew|ו׳}}", is non standard and its usage is therefore inconsistent: {{cite web|url=http://hebrew-academy.huji.ac.il/PDF/taatiq2007.pdf|title=Transliteration Rules|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080228042853/http://hebrew-academy.huji.ac.il/PDF/taatiq2007.pdf|archivedate=2008-02-28|url-status=dead}} issued by the [[Academy of the Hebrew Language]] states that both {{IPAblink|v}} and {{IPAblink|w}} be indistinguishably represented in Hebrew using the letter Vav. To pronounce foreign words and [[loanword]]s containing the sound {{IPAblink|w}}, Hebrew readers must therefore rely on former knowledge and context, see also [[Waw (letter)#Pronunciation|pronunciation of Hebrew Vav]].</ref>)</small>
|- style="line-height:2em;"
|align="center" style="font-size: 200%"|{{Script/Hebrew|ו}} ||{{IPA|[v]}} || align="center" style="font-size: 200%"|{{Script/Hebrew|ו׳}}<span style="text-direction:ltr; font-size:small;"><ref name="trans-into-heb"/></span>
||{{IPA|[w]}}
|q'''u'''iet
|- style="overflow:hidden; height:2px;"
| colspan="6" | 
|-
|align="center" style="font-size: 200%"|{{Script/Hebrew|ד}} ||{{IPA|[d]}} || align="center" style="font-size: 200%"|{{Script/Hebrew|ד׳}} ||{{IPA|[ð]}}
|'''th'''ere
|rowspan=6| For transliteration of<br>sounds in foreign<br>languages (non-native<br>sounds, i.e. sounds<br>foreign to [[Modern Hebrew phonology|Hebrew<br>phonology]]).<ref name="x">The sound {{IPA|[χ]}} represented by {{Script/Hebrew|ח׳}} ''is'' a native sound in Hebrew; the geresh is however used only to distinguish [[Arabic]] "[[خ]]" from "[[Heth#Arabic ḥāʾ|ح]]" when transcribing Arabic (in which context just {{Script/Hebrew|ח}}—without geresh—represents "[[Heth#Arabic ḥāʾ|ح]]" / {{IPA|[ħ]}}), whereas in everyday usage {{Script/Hebrew|ח}} without geresh is pronounced {{IPA|[ħ]}} only [[dialect]]ically but {{IPA|[χ]}} commonly.</ref>
|-
|align="center" style="font-size: 200%"|{{Script/Hebrew|ח}} ||{{IPA|[ħ]}} || align="center" style="font-size: 200%"|{{Script/Hebrew|ח׳}} ||{{IPA|[χ]}}<ref name="x"/>
|lo'''ch'''
|-
|align="center" style="font-size: 200%"|{{Script/Hebrew|ס}} ||{{IPA|[s]}} || align="center" style="font-size: 200%"|{{Script/Hebrew|ס׳}} ||{{IPA|[sˤ]}}
|
|-
|align="center" style="font-size: 200%"|{{Script/Hebrew|ע}} ||{{IPA|[ʕ]}} || align="center" style="font-size: 200%"|{{Script/Hebrew|ע׳}} ||rowspan=2|{{IPA|[ɣ]}}
| rowspan="2" |
|-
|align="center" style="font-size: 200%"|{{Script/Hebrew|ר}} ||{{IPA|[r]}} || align="center" style="font-size: 200%"|{{Script/Hebrew|ר׳}}
|-
|align="center" style="font-size: 200%"|{{Script/Hebrew|ת}} ||{{IPA|[t]}} || align="center" style="font-size: 200%"|{{Script/Hebrew|ת׳}} ||{{IPA|[θ]}}
|'''th'''ink
|}

==Cantillation==
{{main article|Hebrew cantillation}}
Cantillation has a more limited use than vowel pointing, as it is only used for reciting the Tanakh, and is not found in children's books or dictionaries.

==Gershayim==
{{main article|Gershayim}}
''Gershayim'' between the penultimate and last letters (&nbsp;{{Script/Hebrew|״}}&nbsp; e.g. {{Script/Hebrew|פזצט״א}}) marks acronyms, alphabetic numerals, names of Hebrew letters, linguistic [[Semitic root|roots]] and, in older texts, transcriptions of foreign words. Placed above a letter ({{Script/Hebrew|◌֞}}&nbsp; e.g. {{Script/Hebrew|פְּרִ֞י}}) it is one of the cantillation marks.

==Disputes among Protestant Christians==
[[Protestantism|Protestant]] literalists who believe that the Hebrew text of the Old Testament is the inspired Word of God are divided on the question of whether or not the vowel points should be considered an inspired part of the Old Testament. In 1624, [[Louis Cappel]], a French [[Huguenot]] scholar at [[Saumur]], published a work in which he concluded that the vowel points were a later addition to the biblical text and that the vowel points were added not earlier than the fifth<!--first or fifth?--> century AD. This assertion was hotly contested by Swiss theologian [[Johannes Buxtorf II]] in 1648. [[Brian Walton (bishop)|Brian Walton]]'s 1657 polyglot bible followed Cappel in revising the vowel points. In 1675, the 2nd and 3rd canons of the so-called [[Helvetic Consensus]] of the [[Swiss Reformed Church]] confirmed Buxtorf's view as orthodox and affirmed that the vowel points were inspired.{{Citation needed|date=February 2018}}

Torah scrolls in Jewish synagogues do not have any diacritical marks whatsoever, only the letters themselves. It is expected of anyone reading out-loud to know the correct intonations.

==See also==
* [[Arabic diacritics]]
* [[Q're perpetuum]]
* [[Hebrew alphabet]]
* [[Hebrew spelling]]

==Notes==
:'''*'''{{note|rafe}} The [[rafe (diacritic)|rafe]] sign ({{Script/Hebrew|רפה}}, {{Script/Hebrew|&nbsp;&#1471;&nbsp;}} ) which is used to mark fricative consonants in the [[YIVO]] orthography of [[Yiddish]]; is no longer used in modern printed Hebrew. Rafe may appear in [[masoretic]] manuscripts as well as other older texts where the soft fricative consonants and sometimes [[matres lectionis]] are indicated by this sign.

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.hebrew4christians.com/Grammar/Unit_Two/unit_two.html A free online course to learn the Hebrew Vowel System]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090227051707/http://hebrew-academy.huji.ac.il/decision4.html ''Rules for Spelling without Niqqud''] - a simplified version of the Rules, published on the [[Academy of the Hebrew Language]] website.
*{{Cite GHG|5|m|nologo=1}} for usage of Geresh in abbreviations; {{Cite GHG|7|notitle=1}}, {{Cite GHG|8|notitle=1}}, {{Cite GHG|9|notitle=1}}, {{Cite GHG|10|notitle=1}} for vowel signs; {{Cite GHG|12|notitle=1}}, {{Cite GHG|13|notitle=1}}, {{Cite GHG|14|notitle=1}} for Dagesh, Mappiq and Rafe; {{Cite GHG|15|notitle=1}}, {{Cite GHG|16|notitle=1}} for the cantillation signs and Maqqeph.
*[http://www.edu-negev.gov.il/tapuz/motytp/xadash/nikud.htm Hebrew tutorial on how to use diacritics in Word] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111208220401/http://www.edu-negev.gov.il/tapuz/motytp/xadash/nikud.htm |date=2011-12-08 }}

{{Hebrew language}}
{{Navbox diacritical marks}}

[[Category:Hebrew diacritics| ]]