View source for Rafe

{{Short description|Diacritical mark used in Hebrew}}
{{About|the Hebrew diacritic|people and fictional characters with the given name|Rafe (name)|the Syrian footballer|Raja Rafe}}
{| align="right" class="wikitable"
 | colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" |'''Rafe'''
  |-
 | colspan="2" align="center" style="background:white;height:100px"|<span style='font-size:325%; font-family: "SBL Hebrew", David, Narkisim, "Times New Roman", "New Peninim MT", "Noto Serif Hebrew", "Noto Sans Hebrew", Alef, FreeSerif, "Lucida Sans Unicode";' dir="rtl">ֿ</span>
|-
| Similar appearance
| style="background:white" | [[Macron (diacritic)|macron]]
|-
 | colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" |Example
 |-
 | colspan="2" align="center" style="background:white;height:50px"|<span style='font-size:325%; font-family: "SBL Hebrew", David, Narkisim, "Times New Roman", "New Peninim MT", "Noto Serif Hebrew", "Noto Sans Hebrew", Alef, FreeSerif, "Lucida Sans Unicode";' dir="rtl">פֿיש</span>
 |-
 | colspan="2" style="width:250px;background:white; text-align:center;" | The word for fish in [[Yiddish]], ''fish''. The first diacritic (the line over the [[Pe (Semitic letter)|pei]]) is a rafe.
|-
 | colspan="2" style="text-align:center;" |Other Niqqud
|-
 | colspan="2" style="width:250px;background:white; text-align:center;"| [[Shva]]{{·}}[[Hiriq]]{{·}}[[Zeire]]{{·}}[[Segol]]{{·}}[[Patach]]{{·}}[[Kamatz]]{{·}}[[Holam]]{{·}}[[Dagesh]]{{·}}[[Mappiq]]{{·}}[[Shuruk]]{{·}}[[Kubutz]]{{·}}Rafe{{·}}[[Shin dot|Sin/Shin Dot]]
 |}

[[File:Rafe-Contrast.png|thumb|265px|Typefaces of the word {{lang|he|rtl=yes|אחריך}} (''’aḥăreḵā,'', Songs {{bibleverse-nb|Song of Solomon|1:4a|HE}}) in the two Masoretic Codices and four Hebrew Bible print editions. The ''rafe'' diacritic is mostly omitted in print editions.]]

In [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] [[orthography]] the '''rafe''' or '''raphe''' ({{langx|he|רָפֶה}}, {{IPA|he|ʁaˈfe|pron}}, meaning "weak, limp") is a [[diacritic]] ({{angle bracket|<big>{{Script/Hebrew|◌ֿ}}</big>}}), a subtle horizontal overbar placed above certain letters to indicate that they are to be [[pronunciation|pronounced]] as [[fricative]]s.

It originated with the [[Tiberian Hebrew|Tiberian]] [[Masoretes]] as part of the extended system of ''[[niqqud]]'' (vowel points), and has the opposite meaning of ''[[dagesh]] qal'', showing that one of the letters {{Script|Hebr|[[Begadkefat|בגדכפת]]}} is to be pronounced as a [[fricative]] and not as a [[plosive]], or (sometimes) that a consonant is single and not double; or, as the opposite to a ''[[mappiq]]'', to show that the letters {{Script|Hebr|[[ה]]}} or {{Script|Hebr|[[א]]}} are silent (''[[mater lectionis]]'').

The rafe generally fell out of use for Hebrew with the coming of printing, although according to [[Wilhelm Gesenius|Gesenius]] (1813)  at that time it could still be found in a few places in printed [[Hebrew Bible]]s, where the absence of a ''dagesh'' or a ''mappiq'' was noticeable.<ref>{{Cite GHG|14}}</ref> (e.g. Exodus 20:13,14,15; Deuteronomy 5:13,17,18,19; 2 Samuel 11:1; Isaiah 22:10; Jeremiah 20:17; Psalm 119:99; Zechariah 5:11)

In some [[siddur]]s (e.g. those printed by [[ArtScroll]]) a diacritical symbol, typographically the same as the rafe, but utterly unrelated, is used to mark instances of "moving [[shva|sheva]]" (''Shva Na'').<ref>Rabbi Nosson Scherman, Rabbi Meir Zlotowitz, ''Siddur Kol Yaakov/The Complete ArtScroll Siddur—Nusach Ashkenaz'', 3rd Edition, Eighteenth Impression, Mesorah Publications Ltd., July 2003. {{ISBN|0-89906-650-X}}. Preface, p. IX.</ref>

The rafe is similar in function to the ''buailte'' (dot above, denoting [[lenition]]) in the old-style [[Irish orthography#Diacritics|Irish alphabet]].

==Yiddish==
In [[Yiddish orthography]], the rafe distinguishes {{script/Hebrew|פ}} {{IPAslink|p}} from {{script/Hebrew|פֿ}} {{IPAslink|f}} and in words of Semitic origin also {{script/Hebrew|ב}} {{IPAslink|b}} from {{script/Hebrew|בֿ}} ({{IPAslink|v}}.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!! colspan=1 | Name
!! colspan=1 | Symbol
!! colspan=1 | [[help:IPA|IPA]]
!! colspan=1 | [[Transliteration]]
!! colspan=1 | Example
|-
| Pey
| align=center | <span style="font-size:150%;">{{Script/Hebrew|פ}}</span>
| align="center" | {{IPAslink|p}}
| align="center" | p
| align="center" | '''p'''an
|-
| Fey
| align=center | <span style="font-size:150%;">{{Script/Hebrew|פֿ}}</span>
| align="center" | {{IPAslink|f}}
| align="center" | f
| align="center" | '''f'''an
|-
|}

==Ladino==
[[File:Salmo 138.1-2 en la lingua Sefaradit.png|thumb|320px|Text from a 19th-century printing of {{Bibleverse|Psalm|138|HE}} in [[Judaeo-Spanish|Ladino]] language, showing use of the curved “varrica” ''rafe'' atop letters written in [[Rashi script]] (titles/headings are in block print).]]
In Ladino the rafe, called a ''varrica'' (“little crossbar”), looks more like a breve-shaped diacritic (ﬞ ) on top of the letter (◌ﬞ). When written in the [[Square hebrew|square form]], or when unable to apply the varrica rafe diacritic to a letter, it is replaced by a [[geresh]] ({{Script|Hebr|׳}}) immediately after the letter as a substitute to effect the same change in pronunciation. For example, {{Script|Hebr|גﬞ}} is equivalent to {{Script|Hebr|ג׳}} in altering the sound from the [[voiced velar stop]] [g] to the [[voiced postalveolar affricate]] [d͡ʒ], known in English as "[[soft g]]".

In Ladino, as in [[Tiberian Hebrew]], the rafe changes {{Script|Hebr|ב}} [b] into {{Script|Hebr|בﬞ}} [v], {{Script|Hebr|ד}} [d] into {{Script|Hebr|דﬞ}} [ð], and {{Script|Hebr|פ}} [p] into {{Script|Hebr|פﬞ}} [f]. Unlike in Hebrew, the rafe also changes {{Script|Hebr|ג}} [g] into {{Script|Hebr|גﬞ}} ([d͡ʒ] or [t͡ʃ]), {{Script|Hebr|ז}} [z] into {{Script|Hebr|זﬞ}} [ʒ], and in words of Semitic origin also {{Script|Hebr|ש}} ([s] or [ʃ]) into {{Script|Hebr|שﬞ}} [ʃ]. In words of Romance origin, [s] is spelled as {{Script|Hebr|ס}}, freeing up {{Script|Hebr|ש}} for the [[voiceless postalveolar fricative]] [ʃ] without the need for a rafe to disambiguate.

Note Ladino orthography is far less standardized than Yiddish; original Ladino works may be written in [[Rashi script]] (using rafe), Hebrew block print (using geresh), or in the [[Latin alphabet]] (e.g. the 1553 [[Ferrara Bible]]).

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
! colspan="10" align=center | [[Judaeo-Spanish|Ladino]] letters formed using a 'varrica' ''rafe'' <ref>{{cite web
 |title       = Sefarađizo: Ladino: Alefbet: Tabla
 |url         = http://www.sefaradizo.org/ladino/alefbet/alefbet_ladino-tabla-es.html
 |date        = 2021-09-16
 |archiveurl  = https://archive.today/20210916192938/http://www.sefaradizo.org/ladino/alefbet/alefbet_ladino-tabla-es.html
 |archivedate = 2021-09-16
 |access-date = 2021-09-16
 |url-status  = live
}}</ref>
|-
!! colspan="4" | Without ''Rafe''
!! colspan="4" | With ''Rafe'' (equivalent with [[geresh]])
|-
! Symbol !! [[Transliteration of Hebrew|Translit.]] !! [[Help:IPA chart for Hebrew|IPA]] !!Example !! Symbol !! [[Transliteration of Hebrew|Translit.]] !! [[Help:IPA chart for Hebrew|IPA]]!!Example
|-
| align="center" style="font-size: 150%" |{{Script/Hebr|ב}}
| b
| {{IPAblink|b}}
| '''b'''oy
| align="center" style="font-size: 150%" |({{Script/Hebr|ב׳}}) {{Script/Hebr|בﬞ}}
| v
|  {{IPAblink|v}}<span style="font-size:100%;">~</span>{{IPAblink|β̞}}
|  '''v'''oyage
|-
| align="center" style="font-size: 150%" |{{Script/Hebr|ג}}
| g
| {{IPAblink|ɡ}}
| '''g'''ap
| align="center" style="font-size: 150%" |({{Script/Hebr|ג׳}}) {{Script/Hebr|גﬞ}} 
| dj, ǧ, <span style="font-size:50%;">or</span> ch, č
| {{IPAblink|d͡ʒ}}<span style="font-size:100%;">~</span>{{IPAblink|t͡ʃ}}
| '''J'''upiter, '''G'''eorge, '''ch'''ip
|-
| align="center" style="font-size: 150%" |{{Script/Hebr|ד}}
| d
| {{IPAblink|d̪}}
| '''d'''ay
| align="center" style="font-size: 150%" |({{Script/Hebr|ד׳}}) {{Script/Hebr|דﬞ}}
| dh, th, ḏ, đ
|  {{IPAblink|ð̞}}
|  '''th'''ey
|-
| align="center" style="font-size: 150%" |{{Script/Hebr|ז}} 
| z
|  {{IPAblink|z}}
| '''z'''oo
| align="center" style="font-size: 150%" |({{Script/Hebr|ז׳}}) {{Script/Hebr|זﬞ}}
| j, g, zh, ž
| {{IPAblink|ʒ}}
| '''J'''acques, bei'''g'''e, vi'''s'''ion
|-
| align="center" style="font-size: 150%" |{{Script/Hebr|ט}} 
| t
|  {{IPAblink|t̪}}
| '''t'''oy
| align="center" style="font-size: 150%" |({{Script/Hebr|ט׳}}) {{Script/Hebr|טﬞ}}
| th
| {{IPAblink|θ}}
| '''th'''irty
|-
| align="center" style="font-size: 150%" |{{Script/Hebr|כ}} 
| c, k
|  {{IPAblink|k}}
| '''c'''are, '''k'''ing
| align="center" style="font-size: 150%" |({{Script/Hebr|כ׳}}) {{Script/Hebr|כﬞ}}
| ch, kh, <u>k</u>
| {{IPAblink|x}}<span style="font-size:100%;">~</span>{{IPAblink|χ}}
| lo'''ch''', Ba'''ch'''  
|-
| align="center" style="font-size: 150%" |{{Script/Hebr|פ}} 
| p
|  {{IPAblink|p}}
| '''p'''ast
| align="center" style="font-size: 150%" |({{Script/Hebr|פ׳}}) {{Script/Hebr|פﬞ}}
| f
| {{IPAblink|f}}
| '''f'''ast
|-
| align="center" style="font-size: 150%" |{{Script/Hebr|ש}} 
| s, ç
|  {{IPAblink|s}}
| '''s'''in, '''c'''ent
| align="center" style="font-size: 150%" |({{Script/Hebr|ש׳}}) {{Script/Hebr|שﬞ}}
| sh, š
| {{IPAblink|ʃ}}
| '''sh'''in
|-
|}

==Unicode==
"Hebrew Point Rafe" is encoded in the Unicode standard as U+05BF.

== See also ==
* [[Dagesh]]
* [[Hebrew alphabet]]
* [[Hebrew phonology (disambiguation)|Hebrew phonology]]
* [[Macron (diacritic)|Macron]]
* [[Mappiq]]
* [[Yiddish orthography]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

{{Hebrew language}}

[[Category:Niqqud]]