View source for Shva

{{Short description|Hebrew niqqud vowel sign}}
{{other uses|Shva (disambiguation)}}
{{See also|Schwa (disambiguation)}}
{| align="right" class="wikitable"
| colspan="2" |{{center|'''Shva'''}}
|-
| colspan="2" align="center" style="background:white;height:100px"|<span style="font-size: 400%; line-height: normal">{{Script|Hebr|&#x5B0;}}</span>
|-
|rowspan=2| [[Help:IPA/Hebrew|IPA]]
| style="background:white" |[[Modern Hebrew]]: /e/ ({{IPAblink|e̞}}), [[Zero (linguistics)|Ø]]
|-
|[[Biblical Hebrew#mobile shwa|Biblical Hebrew]]: {{IPA|/a/}}, {{IPA|/i/}}
|-
| [[Romanization of Hebrew|Transliteration]]
| style="background:white" |e, <big>'</big> {{small|''([[apostrophe]])''}}, {{small|''nothing''}}
|-
| English example
| style="background:white" |m'''e'''n, m'''e'''norah
|-
| colspan="2" |{{center|Example}}
|-
| colspan="2" align="center" style="background:white;height:50px"|[[File:Sheva.png|60px]]
|-
| colspan="2" style="width:250px;background:white" | {{center|The word shva in [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]]. The first vowel (under [[Shin (letter)|Shin]], marked with red) is itself a shva.}}
|-
| colspan="2" |{{center|Other [[Niqqud]]}}
|-
| colspan="2" style="width:250px;background:white"|{{center|Shva{{·}}[[Hiriq]]{{·}}[[Tzere]]{{·}}[[Segol]]{{·}}[[Patach]]{{·}}[[Kamatz]]{{·}}[[Holam]]{{·}}[[Dagesh]]{{·}}[[Mappiq]]{{·}}[[Shuruk]]{{·}}[[Kubutz]]{{·}}[[Rafe]]{{·}}[[Shin dot|Sin/Shin Dot]]}}
|}
{{IPA notice}}
'''Shva''' or, in [[Biblical Hebrew]], '''shĕwa''' ({{langx|he|<big>שְׁוָא</big>}}) is a [[Hebrew alphabet|Hebrew]] [[niqqud]] [[vowel]] sign written as two vertical dots ({{nbsp|thin}}{{Script|Hebr|ְ}}{{nbsp|thin}}) beneath a letter. It indicates either the [[phoneme]] {{IPA|/ə/}} {{Citation needed|date=June 2025}}('''shva na'''', mobile shva) or the complete absence of a vowel (/[[Zero (linguistics)|Ø]]/) ('''shva naḥ''', resting shva).

It is transliterated as {{angbr|e}}, {{angbr|ĕ}}, {{angbr|ə}}, {{angbr|<big>'</big>}} ([[apostrophe]]), or nothing. Note that use of {{angbr|ə}} for shva is questionable: transliterating [[Modern Hebrew]] shva naḥ with {{angbr|ə}} is misleading, since it is never actually pronounced {{IPA|[ə]}} – a [[mid central vowel]] (IPA {{IPA|[ə]|cat=no}}) does not exist in Modern Hebrew. The vowel {{IPA|[ə]}} was pronounced as a full vowel in earlier Hebrew varieties such as [[Tiberian vocalization]], where it was phonetically usually identical to [[vowel length|short]] [a], in [[Palestinian vocalization]] appears as short [e] or [i], and in [[Babylonian vocalization]] as [a]. In early Greek and Latin transliterations of Hebrew such as the [[Hexapla]], it appears as [ε] and [e], respectively.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Khan |first1=Geoffrey |title=The Tiberian Pronunciation Tradition of Biblical Hebrew, Volume 1 |date=2020 |publisher=Open Book Publishers |location=Cambridge, England |isbn=978-1-78374-677-4 |pages=305–7 |url=https://www.openbookpublishers.com/books/10.11647/obp.0163 |language=en}}</ref>

A shva sign in combination with the [[Hebrew diacritics|vowel diacritics]] [[patah|patáḥ]], [[segol|segól]], and [[qamatz]] produces a {{Transliteration|he|ḥatáf}}: a diacritic for a {{Transliteration|he|tnuʿá ḥatufá}} (a 'reduced vowel' – lit. 'abducted vowel'). In Tiberian Hebrew, these were pronounced identical to the short vowels [a], [ɛ], and [ɔ].<ref>{{cite book |last1=Khan |first1=Geoffrey |title=The Tiberian Pronunciation Tradition of Biblical Hebrew, Volume 1 |date=2020 |publisher=Open Book Publishers |location=Cambridge, England |isbn=978-1-78374-677-4 |page=313 |url=https://www.openbookpublishers.com/books/10.11647/obp.0163 |language=en}}</ref>

== Pronunciation in Modern Hebrew ==
In Modern Hebrew, shva is either pronounced {{IPA|/e/}} or is mute ([[Zero (linguistics)|Ø]]), regardless of its traditional classification as ''shva nach'' ({{lang|he|שְׁוָא נָח}}) or ''shva na'' ({{lang|he|שְׁוָא נָע}}), see following table for examples. The Israeli standard for its transliteration<ref name=academy/> is {{angbr|e}} only for a pronounced shva na (i.e., one which is pronounced {{IPA|/e/}}), and no representation in transliteration if the shva is mute.

In Modern Hebrew, a shva is pronounced {{IPA|/e/}} under the following conditions:<ref>"Characterization and Evaluation of Speech-Reading Support Systems for Hard-of-Hearing Students in the Class" by Becky Schocken; Faculty of Management, Tel-Aviv University, Department of Management and Economics, The Open University of Israel</ref>
{|class=wikitable style="white-space:nowrap" border=1 cellpadding=4
|-style="white-space:normal"
!rowspan=2|Condition for {{IPA|/e/}} pronunciation of shva in Israeli Hebrew
!colspan=3|Examples
!colspan=3|Examples for silent shva (since condition does not apply)
|-
!{{small|In&nbsp;Hebrew}}!!{{small|[[Help:IPA/Hebrew|IPA]]}}!!{{small|translation}}!!{{small|In&nbsp;Hebrew}}!!{{small|[[Help:IPA/Hebrew|IPA]]}}!!{{small|translation}}
|-
|colspan=7 style="height:2px;overflow:hidden"| 
|-
|rowspan=2 style="white-space:normal"|1. When under the first of two letters, both representing the same [[consonant]] or consonants with identical [[place of articulation|place]] and [[manner of articulation]]:
|{{lang|he|שָׁכְחוּ}}||{{IPA|/ʃaχ'''e'''ˈχu/}}||they forgot
|{{lang|he|מָכְרוּ}}||{{IPA|/maχˈru/}}||they sold
|-
|{{lang|he|שָׁדַדְתְּ}}||{{IPA|/ʃaˈdad'''e'''t/}}||style="white-space:normal"|you (f.) robbed
|{{lang|he|שָׁלַלְתְּ}}||{{IPA|/ʃaˈlalt/}}||style="white-space:normal"|you (feminine) negated
|-
|colspan=7 style="height:2px;overflow:hidden"| 
|-
|rowspan=2 style="white-space:normal"|2. When under the first letter of a word, if this letter is a [[sonorant]] in modern pronunciation, i.e. {{Script/Hebr|[[י]]}} ({{IPA|/j/}}), {{Script/Hebr|[[ל]]}} ({{IPA|/l/}}), {{Script/Hebr|[[מ]]}} ({{IPA|/m/}}), {{Script/Hebr|[[נ]]}} ({{IPA|/n/}}) or {{Script/Hebr|[[ר]]}} ({{IPA|/r/}}){{ref label|exception01|*|}}:
|{{lang|he|נְמָלִים}}||{{IPA|/n'''e'''maˈlim/}}||[[ant]]s
|{{lang|he|גְּמָלִים}}||{{IPA|/ɡmaˈlim/}}||[[camel]]s
|-
|{{lang|he|מְנִיָּה}}||{{IPA|/m'''e'''niˈja/}}||counting
|{{lang|he|בְּנִיָּה}}||{{IPA|/bniˈja/}}||building
|-
|colspan=7 style="height:2px;overflow:hidden"| 
|-
|rowspan=2 style="white-space:normal"|3. When under the first letter of a word, if the second letter is a [[glottal consonant]], i.e. {{Script|Hebr|[[א]]}} ({{IPA|/ʔ/}}), {{Script|Hebr|[[ה]]}} ({{IPA|/h/}}) or {{Script|Hebr|[[ע]]}} ({{IPA|/ʕ/}} or {{IPA|/ʔ/}}):
|rowspan=2|{{lang|he|תְּאָרִים}}
|rowspan=2|{{IPA|/t'''e'''aˈrim/}}
|rowspan=2|titles
|{{lang|he|מִתְאָרִים}}||{{IPA|/mitʔaˈrim/}}||outlines
|-
|{{lang|he|תְּמָרִים}}||{{IPA|/tmaˈrim/}}||[[Phoenix dactylifera#Dates|dates]]
|-
|colspan=7 style="height:2px;overflow:hidden"| 
|-
|rowspan=6 style="white-space:normal"|4. When under the first letter of a word, if this letter represents one of the [[prefix]]-[[morpheme]]s
# {{lang|he|[[ב]]}} ({{IPA|/be/}}) = amongst others "in",
# {{lang|he|[[ו]]}} ({{IPA|/ve/}}) = "and",
# {{lang|he|[[כ]]}} ({{IPA|/ke/}}) = amongst others "as" or "approximately",
# {{lang|he|[[ל]]}} ({{IPA|/le/}}) = amongst others "to", [[dative]] marker and verb prefix in [[infinitive]],
# {{lang|he|[[ת]]}} ({{IPA|/te/}}) as [[future tense]] verb prefix:
|{{lang|he|בְּרֵיחָהּ}}||{{IPA|/b'''e'''rejˈχa/}}||in her scent||{{lang|he|בְּרֵיכָה}}||{{IPA|/brejˈχa/}}||pool
|-
|{{lang|he|בְּחִישָׁה}}||{{IPA|/b'''e'''χiˈʃa/}}||in sensing||{{lang|he|בְּחִישָׁה}}||{{IPA|/bχiˈʃa/}}||stirring
|-
|{{lang|he|וְרוֹדִים}}||{{IPA|/v'''e'''roˈdim/}}||style="white-space:normal"|and (they) tyrannize||{{lang|he|וְרוּדִים}}||{{IPA|/vruˈdim/}}||pink (m.p.)
|-
|{{lang|he|כְּרָזָה}}||{{IPA|/k'''e'''raˈza/}}||as a thin person||{{lang|he|כְּרָזָה}}||{{IPA|/kraˈza/}}||poster
|-
|{{lang|he|לְפָּרִיז}}||{{IPA|/l'''e'''paˈriz/}}||to Paris
|colspan=3| 
|-
|{{lang|he|תְּבַלּוּ}}||{{IPA|/t'''e'''vaˈlu/}}||style="white-space:normal"|you (m. p.) will have a good time||{{lang|he|תְּבַלּוּל}}||{{IPA|/tvaˈlul/}}||cataract
|-
|colspan=7 style="height:2px;overflow:hidden"| 
|-
|rowspan=8 style="white-space:normal"|5. (In [[Standard language|non standard]] language usage) if one of the [[morpheme]]s mentioned above ({{Script/Hebr|[[ב]]}} {{IPA|/be/}}, {{Script/Hebr|[[ו]]}} {{IPA|/ve/}}, {{Script/Hebr|[[כ]]}} {{IPA|/ke/}}, {{Script/Hebr|[[ל]]}} {{IPA|/le/}} or {{Script/Hebr|[[ת]]}} {{IPA|/te/}}) or one of the morphemes {{Script/Hebr|[[מ]]}} {{IPA|/mi/}} ("from") or {{Script/Hebr|[[ש]]}} {{IPA|/ʃe/}} ("that") is added as a prefix to a word, which without this prefix begins with a letter marked with a shva pronounced {{IPA|/e/}} under the above conditions, this shva will retain its {{IPA|/e/}}-pronunciation also with the prefix:
|rowspan=2 valign=top|{{lang|he|מִצְּעָדִים}}
|rowspan=2 valign=top|{{IPA|/mits'''e'''aˈdim/}}
|rowspan=2 valign=top|from steps||{{lang|he|מִצְּמָדִים}}||{{IPA|/mitsmaˈdim/}}||from pairs
|-
|{{lang|he|מִצְעָדִים}}||{{IPA|/mitsʔaˈdim/}}||parades
|-
|{{lang|he|מִרְוָחִים}}||{{IPA|/mir'''e'''vaˈχim/}}||from [[Space (punctuation)|blanks]]
|rowspan=2 valign=top|{{lang|he|מִרְוָחִים}}
|rowspan=2 valign=top|{{IPA|/mirvaˈχim/}}
|rowspan=2 valign=top|intervals 
|-
|colspan=3|{{small|standard:}} {{lang|he|מֵרְוָחִים}} –{{IPA|/mer'''e'''vaˈχim/}}
|-
|{{lang|he|rtl=yes|לַאֲרָיוֹת וְלְנְמֵרִים יֵשׁ פַּרְוָה}}||{{IPA|/learaˈjot v'''e'''l'''e'''n'''e'''merim…/}}||style="white-space:normal"|Lions and tigers have fur
|colspan=3|
|-
|colspan=3|{{small|standard:}} {{lang|he|וְלִנְמֵרִים}} {{IPA|/…velinmeˈrim…/}}
|colspan=3|
|-
|{{lang|he|rtl=yes|וְכְּיְלָדִים שִׂחַקְנוּ בַּחוּץ}}||{{IPA|/v'''e'''k'''e'''j'''e'''laˈdim…/}}||style="white-space:normal"|And as children we played outside
|colspan=3|
|-
|colspan=3|{{small|standard:}} {{lang|he|וְכִילָדִים}} – {{IPA|/veχilaˈdim…/}}
|colspan=3|
|-
|colspan=7 style="height:2px;overflow:hidden"| 
|-
|style="white-space:normal"|6. (Usually – see [[#Counterexamples|counterexamples]]{{ref label|exception02|**|}}) when under a medial letter, before whose pronunciation a consonant was pronounced:
|valign=top|{{lang|he|אִשְׁפְּזוּ}}
|valign=top|{{IPA|/iʃp'''e'''ˈzu/}}
|valign=top|they hospitalized
|{{lang|he|אִישׁ פְּזוּר דַּעַת}}||{{IPA|/iʃ pzur ˈda.at/}}||style="white-space:normal"|an absentminded man
|}

=== Counterexamples ===

{{note|exception01}}One exception to rule 2 seems to be {{lang|he|מְלַאי}} {{IPA|/mlaj/}} 'inventory' (although according to the ''New User-Friendly Hebrew-English Dictionary'' (Arie Comey, Naomi Tsur; Achiasaf, 2006), the word is instead pronounced {{IPA|/meˈlai/}}); the absence of a vowel after the {{Script|Hebr|מ}} ({{IPA|/m/}}) might be attributable to the high [[sonority hierarchy|sonority]] of the subsequent [[Liquid consonant|liquid]] {{Script|Hebr|ל}} ({{IPA|/l/}}), compare with {{lang|he|מְלִית}} ({{IPA|/m'''e'''ˈlit/}}, not {{IPA|/*mlit/}}) 'filling' (in cuisine).

{{note|exception02}} Exceptions to rule 6 include {{lang|he|פְּסַנְתְּרָן}} ({{IPA|/psantˈran/}}, not {{IPA|*/psant'''e'''ˈran/}} – 'pianist'), {{lang|he|אַנְגְּלִית}} ({{IPA|/aŋˈɡlit/}}, not {{IPA|*/aŋɡ'''e'''ˈlit/}} – 'English'), {{lang|he|נַשְׁפְּרִיץ}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://morfix.mako.co.il/default.aspx?q=%u05D4%u05E9%u05E4%u05E8%u05D9%u05E5 |title=מילון מורפיקס – Morfix Dictionary - השפריץ |access-date=2015-03-25 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721140932/http://morfix.mako.co.il/default.aspx?q=%u05D4%u05E9%u05E4%u05E8%u05D9%u05E5 |archive-date=2011-07-21 }}</ref> ({{IPA|/naʃˈprit͡s/}}, not {{IPA|*/naʃp'''e'''ˈrit͡s/}} – 'we will sprinkle'), several [[inflection]]s of [[Semitic root|quinqueliteral roots]] – e.g.: {{lang|he|סִנְכְּרֵן}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://morfix.mako.co.il/default.aspx?q=%u05E1%u05E0%u05DB%u05E8%u05DF |title=מילון מורפיקס – Morfix Dictionary - סנכרן |access-date=2015-03-25 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721140952/http://morfix.mako.co.il/default.aspx?q=%u05E1%u05E0%u05DB%u05E8%u05DF |archive-date=2011-07-21 }}</ref> ({{IPA|/sinˈkren/}}, not {{IPA|*/sink'''e'''ˈren/}} – 'he synchronized'); {{lang|he|חִנְטְרֵשׁ}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://morfix.mako.co.il/default.aspx?q=%u05D7%u05E0%u05D8%u05E8%u05E9 |title=מילון מורפיקס – Morfix Dictionary - חנטרש |access-date=2015-03-25 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721141024/http://morfix.mako.co.il/default.aspx?q=%u05D7%u05E0%u05D8%u05E8%u05E9 |archive-date=2011-07-21 }}</ref> ({{IPA|/χinˈtreʃ/}}, not {{IPA|*/χint'''e'''ˈreʃ/}} – 'he did stupid things'); {{lang|he|הִתְפְלַרְטֵט}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://morfix.mako.co.il/default.aspx?q=%u05E4%u05B0%u05DC%u05B4%u05E8%u05B0%u05D8%u05B5%u05D8 |title=מילון מורפיקס – Morfix Dictionary - פלרטט |access-date=2015-03-25 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110721141034/http://morfix.mako.co.il/default.aspx?q=%u05E4%u05B0%u05DC%u05B4%u05E8%u05B0%u05D8%u05B5%u05D8 |archive-date=2011-07-21 }}</ref> ({{IPA|/hitflarˈtet/}}, not {{IPA|*/hitf'''e'''lartet/}} – 'he had a flirt') – as well as other, more recent [[loanword]]s, e.g. {{lang|he|מַנְטְרַה}} ({{IPA|/ˈmantra/}}, not {{IPA|*/mant'''e'''ra/}} – 'mantra').

In earlier forms of Hebrew, shva na and nach were phonologically and phonetically distinguishable, but the two variants resulting from Modern Hebrew phonology no longer conform to the traditional classification, e.g. while the (first) ''shva nach'' in the phrase {{lang|he|סִפְרֵי תורה}} ('books of the Law') is correctly pronounced in Modern Hebrew {{IPA|/''sifrei torah''/}} with the {{Script|Hebr|פ}} (or /f/ sound) being mute, the ''shva na'' in {{lang|he|זְמַן}} ('time') in Modern Hebrew is often pronounced as a mute ''Shva'' ({{IPA|/zman/}}). In religious contexts, however, scrupulous readers of the [[Jewish prayer|prayers]] and scriptures do still differentiate properly between ''Shva Nach'' and ''Shva Na'' (e.g. {{Transliteration|he|zĕman}}).

== Traditional classification ==

In traditional Hebrew grammar, a shva is categorized according to several attributes of its grammatical context. The three categories of shva relevant to the [[linguistic prescription|prescriptive grammar]] of Modern Hebrew are ''shva naʻ'' ({{lang|he|שווא נע}}), ''shva naḥ'' ({{lang|he|שווא נח}}) and the less common ''shva meraḥef'' ({{lang|he|שווא מרחף}}). When discussing Tiberian pronunciation, some shvas are classified as ''shva gaʻya'' ({{lang|he|שווא געיה}}). The following table summarizes four distinguishing attributes which determine these categories:

* Does the shva supersede a vowel or no vowel in the word's [[inflection|non-inflected]] form?
* Is the preceding letter [[niqqud|pointed]] with a "short" or a "long" niqqud variant?
* Is the following letter, when {{lang|he|[[Begadkefat|בג״ד כפ״ת]]}}, pointed with a [[Dagesh#Dagesh Kal|dagesh qal]] or not?
* Is the letter pointed with shva [[syllabification|assigned to the preceding or following syllable]]?

To help illustrate the first criterion (existence or non-existence of a vowel in the word's non [[Inflection|inflected]] form), the location of the shva (i.e., the place within the word where the lack of vowel is indicated by it) is marked within the [[phonemic transcription#Narrow versus broad transcription|phonemic transcription]] with an orange [[Zero (linguistics)|linguistic zero]]: <span style="color:orange; font-weight:bold;">Ø</span>; if existing, the corresponding vowel in the basic (non inflected) form of the example is also marked in orange.

{|class=wikitable style="text-align:center"
|-style="font-size:x-small"
!rowspan=2|type of shva
|rowspan=5| 
!colspan=3 rowspan=2|example
|rowspan=5| 
!colspan=3 rowspan=2|non [[Inflection|inflected]] form of example
|rowspan=5| 
!rowspan=2|[[Linguistic prescription|standard]] [[syllabification]] 
|rowspan=5| 
!colspan=4|attributes:
|-style="font-size:x-small; background-color:#f0f0f0; line-height:1em"
|supersedes in [[Inflection|non inflected]] form:
|preceding letter's [[niqqud]]:
|following letter with / without [[Dagesh#Dagesh Kal|dagesh qal]]:
|[[syllabification|assigned to syllable]]:
|-style="white-space:nowrap"
|naʻ||{{lang|he|עֵרְבוֹנוֹת}}||{{IPA|/er}}<span style="color:orange; font-weight:bold;">Ø</span>{{IPA|voˈnot/}}||(deposits)||{{lang|he|עֵרָבוֹן}}||{{IPA|/er}}<span style="color:orange; font-weight:bold;">{{IPA|a}}</span>{{IPA|ˈvon/}}||(deposit)||{{lang|he|עֵ—רְבוֹ—נוֹת}}
|style="font-size:x-small"|vowel
|style="font-size:x-small"|long
|style="font-size:x-small"|without
|style="font-size:x-small"|following
|-style="white-space:nowrap"
|naḥ||{{lang|he|עֶלְבּוֹנוֹת}}||{{IPA|/el}}<span style="color:orange; font-weight:bold;">Ø</span>{{IPA|boˈnot/}}||(insults)||{{lang|he|עֶלְבּוֹן}}||{{IPA|/el}}<span style="color:orange; font-weight:bold;">Ø</span>{{IPA|ˈbon/}}||(insult)||{{lang|he|עֶלְ—בּוֹ—נוֹת}}
|style="font-size:x-small"|no vowel
|style="font-size:x-small"|short
|style="font-size:x-small"|with
|style="font-size:x-small"|preceding
|-style="white-space:nowrap"
|meraḥef||{{lang|he|יֶאֶרְכוּ}}||{{IPA|/je.er}}<span style="color:orange; font-weight:bold;">Ø</span>{{IPA|ˈχu/}}||(they&nbsp;will&nbsp;last)||{{lang|he|יֶאֱרַךְ}}||{{IPA|/je.eˈr}}<span style="color:orange; font-weight:bold;">{{IPA|a}}</span>{{IPA|χ/}}||(it&nbsp;will&nbsp;last)||{{lang|he|יֶ—אֶרְ—כוּ}}
|style="font-size:x-small"|vowel
|style="font-size:x-small"|short
|style="font-size:x-small"|without
|style="font-size:x-small"|preceding
|}

=== Shva Naʻ ===
In most cases, traditional Hebrew grammar considers ''shva naʻ'' "mobile shva" to supersede a vowel that exists in the basic form of a word but was reduced due to [[inflection]] or [[declension]]. Additionally, any shva marked under an initial letter is classified shva naʻ.

Identifying a shva as shva naʻ is relevant to the application of [[niqqud]] in Tiberian Hebrew, e.g., a {{lang|he|בג״ד כפ״ת}} letter following a letter marked with a shva naʻ may not be marked with a [[Dagesh#Dagesh Kal|dagesh qal]]; the vowel preceding a letter marked with a shva naʻ must be represented by the "long" niqqud variant for that vowel: qamats and not pataḥ, [[tsere]] and not [[segol]], etc.{{ref label|long-short-variants|↑|}}. Furthermore, in the standard [[syllabification]], the letter under which a shva naʻ is marked is grouped with the following syllable.

The [[Academy of the Hebrew Language]]'s transliteration guidelines<ref name=academy>[https://web.archive.org/web/20140703210016/http://{{IPA|he|}}-academy.huji.ac.il/hahlatot/TheTranscription/Documents/taatiq2007.pdf Transliteration guidelines from 2006 (p. 4)]</ref> specify that shva naʻ should be transliterated only if pronounced in [[Modern Hebrew]], in which case {{angbr|e}} be used for general purposes and {{angbr|ĕ}} for precise transliteration. Shva naʻ is sometimes transliterated {{angbr|ə}}. However, this symbol is misleading since it is commonly used in linguistics to denote the vowel [[schwa]], which does not exist in Modern Hebrew.

A shva naʻ can be identified with the following criteria:
# When marked under the first letter of a word, as in {{lang|he|מְרַחֵף}}, {{lang|he|לְפָנָי}}, and {{lang|he|שְׁמַע}},
# When marked under the first of two identical letters,
# When it's the second of two shvas marked under two consecutive letters (except when marked under the last letter of a word), as in {{lang|he|רַעְמְסֵס}} ''ramʻ'''a'''sēs'' {{small|(Exo. 12:37)}} and {{lang|he|וישְׁמְעו}} ''wišm'''a'''ʻu'' {{small|(Gen. 3:8)}},
# When the letter before the one under which it is marked is marked with a "long" niqqud variant,{{ref label|long-short-variants|↑|}}, such as the long vowel of either ''yod'' or ''ḥiriq'', as in {{lang|he|יְחִֽידְֿךָ}} {{small|(Gen. 22:2)}} (''y'''i'''ḥiḏ'''a'''ḵā''), or the long vowel of ''wāw'' or ''ḥolam'', as in the words {{lang|he|הוֹלְכִֿים}}, {{lang|he|יוֹדְֿעִים}} and {{lang|he|מוֹכְֿרִים}} (''hol'''a'''ḵim'', ''yod'''a'''ʻim'' and ''moḵ'''a'''rim'') and {{lang|he|שֹׁפְטִים וְשֹׁטְרִים}} {{small|(Deut. 16:18)}}, ''"šof'''a'''ṭim wašoṭ'''a'''rim."''
# When marked under a letter with a [[Dagesh#Dagesh hazak|dagesh ḥazaq]] (historically an indicator of [[gemination]]), as {{lang|he|מִפְּנֵיכֶם}} {{small|(Lev. 18:24)}} and {{lang|he|מִקְּדָֿשׁ}} {{small|(Exo. 15:17)}}.<ref name="Maḥberet Kitrei Ha-Torah 1990">''Maḥberet Kitrei Ha-Torah'' (ed. Yoav Pinhas Halevi), chapter 5, Benei Barak 1990 (Hebrew)</ref>{{rp|31}}

For a more detailed account, see {{section link|Tiberian vocalization|Vowel diacritics}}

=== Shva Naḥ ===
{{anchor|Shva Nacḥ}}
Traditional Hebrew grammar defines shva naḥ, or shva quiescens, as indicating the absence of a vowel. In Modern Hebrew, some shvas classified as shva naḥ are nonetheless pronounced {{IPA|/e/}} (e.g. the shva under the second [[dalet]] in the word {{lang|he|שָׁדַדְתְּ}} – {{IPA|/ʃaˈdadet/}} – "you (f.) robbed"; see [[#Pronunciation in modern Hebrew|table above]]).

In a few cases, a shva not conforming to the criteria listed [[#Shva Na|above]] is classified as shva naḥ. This offers no conclusive indication as to its pronunciation in Modern Hebrew; it is, however, relevant to the application of standard [[niqqud]], e.g.: a {{lang|he|בג״ד כפ״ת}} letter following a letter marked with a shva nacḥ must be marked with a [[Dagesh#Dagesh Kal|dagesh qal]] (Modern Hebrew [[phonology]] sometimes disagrees with this [[linguistic prescription]], as in {{lang|he|לְפַסְפֵס}} – "to miss" – in which the second [[Pe (Semitic letter)|pe]] lacks a dagesh qal although preceded by a shva naḥ), or: the vowel prior to a letter marked with a shva naḥ must be represented by the "short" niqqud-variant for that vowel: [[patah|pataḥ and not]] [[Kamatz|qamats]], [[segol]] and not [[tsere]] etc.{{ref label|long-short-variants|↑|}}. Furthermore, in standard [[syllabification]], the letter under which a shva naḥ is marked is grouped with the preceding syllable.

The [[Academy of the Hebrew Language]]'s transliteration guidelines<ref name=academy/> specify that shva naḥ should not be represented in transliteration.

=== Shva Meraḥef ===
"Shva meraḥef" is the grammatical designation of a shva which does not comply with all criteria characterizing a shva naʻ (specifically, one marked under a letter following a letter marked with a "short", not a "long", niqqud-variant{{ref label|long-short-variants|↑|}}), but which does, like a shva na’, supersede a vowel (or a shva na’) that exists in the primary form of a word but not after this word underwent [[inflection]] or [[declension]].

The classification of a shva as ''shva meraḥef'' is relevant to the application of standard [[niqqud]], e.g.: a {{lang|he|בג״ד כפ״ת}} letter following a letter marked with a shva meraḥef should not be marked with a [[Dagesh#Dagesh Kal|dagesh qal]]. The vowel preceding this letter could be represented by the ''short'' niqqud-variant for that vowel.{{ref label|long-short-variants|↑|}} This sometimes, but not always, reflects pronunciation in Modern Hebrew; e.g. {{lang|he|מַלְכֵי}} ('kings of') is commonly pronounced in accordance with the standard form, {{IPA|/malˈχej/}} (with no dagesh qal in the letter [[Kaph|kaf]]), whereas {{lang|he|כַּלְבֵי}} ('dogs of'), whose standard pronunciation is {{IPA|/kalˈvej/}}, is commonly pronounced {{IPA|/kalˈbej/}} (as if there were a dagesh qal in the letter [[bet (letter)|bet]]). In standard [[syllabification]], the letter under which a shva meraḥef is marked is grouped with the preceding syllable.

=== Shva Gaʻya ===
[[File:Ga‘yá.png|thumb|The word /wanā'šuḇā/ in the ''[[Book of Lamentations]]'' (Lamentations) 5:21. According to some traditions, the gaʻya in the word (marked in red) renders the shva stressed. In the [[Spanish and Portuguese Jews|Sephardic tradition]], the pronunciation is ['vana'šuva].]]
''Shva gaʻya'' designates a shva marked under a letter that is also marked with the [[Hebrew cantillation|cantillation]] mark {{Transliteration|he|[[Meteg|gaʻya]]}} ({{lang|he|גַּעְיָה}} lit. 'bleating' or 'bellowing'),<ref name="Maḥberet Kitrei Ha-Torah 1990" />{{rp|22–23}} or {{Transliteration|he|meteg}}, e.g. the shva under the letter [[bet (letter)|bet]] in the word {{lang|he|בְּהוֹנוֹת}} "toes" would normally be classified a shva naʻ and be transliterated {{angbr|e}}: {{Transliteration|he|behonót}} (or according to the precise standard,<ref name=academy/> {{angbr|ĕ}}: {{Transliteration|he|bĕhonót}}). However, if marked with the gaʻya cantillation mark, [[File:Shwa-gaja.jpg|50px]], this shva is classified as shva gaʻya, and the transliteration believed to reflect its historical pronunciation would be {{Transliteration|he|bohonót}}. This [[Yemenite Hebrew#Strict application of Mobile Shewā|"strict application"]] is found in [[Yemenite Hebrew]].

== T'nua hatufa ==

Within [[niqqud]], vowel [[Hebrew diacritics|diacritics]] are sorted into three groups: ''big'', ''small'' and ''fleeting'' or ''furtive'' ({{Transliteration|he|t'nuot g'dolot}} {{lang|he|תנועות גדולות}}, {{Transliteration|he|t'nuot k'tanot}} {{lang|he|תנועות קטנות }} and {{Transliteration|he|t'nuot chatufot}} {{lang|he|תנועות חטופות}}), sometimes also referred to as ''long'', ''short'' and ''very short'' or ''ultrashort''. This grouping might have correlated to different [[vowel length]]s in earlier forms of Hebrew (see [[Tiberian vocalization#Vowels|Tiberian vocalization → Vowels]]; spoken Israeli Hebrew however does not distinguish between different vowel lengths, thus this orthographic differentiation is not manifest in speech).

The vowel diacritics classified as {{Transliteration|he|chatufot}} ('fleeting') all share the common feature of being a [[Digraph (orthography)|digraph]] of a ''small vowel'' diacritic ([[patah|Patach]], [[Segol]] or [[Kamatz Katan]]) plus a shva sign. Similarly, their names are derived from the respective ''small vowel'' diacritic's name plus the [[Noun adjunct|adjunct]] {{Transliteration|he|chataf}}: {{Transliteration|he|chataf patach}}, {{Transliteration|he|chataf segol}} and {{Transliteration|he|chataf kamatz}}.

As with a shva na, standard ([[Linguistic prescription|prescribed]]) [[syllabification]] determines that letters [[Niqqud|pointed]] with a ''fleeting vowel'' diacritic be considered part of the subsequent [[syllable]], even if in modern Hebrew pronunciation this diacritic represents a full-fledged syllable, thus e.g. the [[phonology|phonologically]] trisyllabic word {{lang|he|הֶעֱמִיד}} ('he placed upright'), pronounced {{IPA|he|/he.eˈmid/}}, should [[standard language|standardly]] be syllabified into only two syllables, {{lang|he|הֶ—עֱמִיד}} ({{Transliteration|he|he'emid}}).

{| class="wikitable"
|-
!! rowspan=2 | Name
!! rowspan=2 | Symbol
!! colspan=3 |[[Israeli Hebrew]]
|-
!! colspan=1 | [[Help:IPA chart for Hebrew|IPA]]
!! colspan=1 | [[Transliteration]]
!! colspan=1 | English<br />approximate
|-
| [[Reduced Segol]]<br>({{Transliteration|he|ẖatáf segól}})
| align="center" | [[File:Hataf Segol.svg|35px]]
| align="center" | {{IPAblink|e̞}}
| align="center" | e
| align="center" | m'''e'''n
|-
| [[Reduced Patach]]<br>("ẖatáf patáẖ")
| align="center" | [[File:Hataf Patah.svg|35px]]
| align="center" | {{IPAblink|ä}}
| align="center" | a
| align="center" | sp'''a'''
|-
| [[Reduced Kamatz]]<br>("ẖatáf kamáts")
| align="center" | [[File:3 Hataf Qamaz.PNG|35px]]
| align="center" | {{IPAblink|o̞}}
| align="center" | o
| align="center" | c'''o'''ne
|-
| Reduced Hiriq<br>("ẖatáf ẖiríq") – not in current use, appears rarely<ref>[[I Kings]] {{lang|he|[[s:he:מלכים א יז יא|17:11]]}} "{{lang|he|לקחי־נא}}"; [[Psalms]] {{lang|he|[[s:he:תהלים יד א|14:1]]}} "{{lang|he|השחיתו}}", "{{lang|he|התעיבו}}"; Psalms {{lang|he|[[s:he:תהלים נג ב|53:2]]}} "{{lang|he|השחיתו}}", "{{lang|he|והתעיבו}}"</ref> in the [[Aleppo Codex]]<ref>[http://www.hagigim.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=printview&t=14292&start=0 hagigim.com]</ref>
| align="center" | [[File:Hataf hiriq.png|35px]]
| align="center" | {{IPAblink|i}}
| align="center" | i
| align="center" | '''i'''t
|-
|}

=== Comparison table ===
{| class="wikitable"
|-
!! colspan=8 | Vowel comparison table
|- align=center
! colspan=3 | [[Vowel Length]]{{citation needed|date=January 2024}}<br />{{small|(phonetically not manifested in Israeli Hebrew)}}
! colspan=2 | [[Help:IPA chart for Hebrew|IPA]]
! rowspan=2 | [[Transliteration]]
! rowspan=2 | English<br>approximate
! rowspan=2 | Notes
|-
! Long
! Short
! Very Short
! {{small|phonemic}}
! {{small|phonetic}}
|- align=center
|style="font-size:26px; padding-bottom:12px"| {{Script|Hebr|סָ}}
|style="font-size:26px; padding-bottom:12px"| {{Script|Hebr|סַ}}
|style="font-size:26px; padding-bottom:12px"| {{Script|Hebr|סֲ}}
| {{IPA|/a/}} || {{IPAblink|ä}} || a || sp'''a''' || see [[open central unrounded vowel]]
|- align=center
|style="font-size:26px; padding-bottom:12px"| {{Script|Hebr|סֵ}}
|style="font-size:26px; padding-bottom:12px"| {{Script|Hebr|סֶ}}
|style="font-size:26px; padding-bottom:12px"| {{Script|Hebr|סֱ}}
| {{IPA|/e/}} || {{IPAblink|e̞}} || e || t'''e'''mp || see [[mid front unrounded vowel]]
|- align=center
|style="font-size:26px; padding-bottom:12px; padding-top:12px"| {{Script|Hebr|סוֹ}}
|style="font-size:26px; padding-bottom:12px"| {{Script|Hebr|סׇ}}
|style="font-size:26px; padding-bottom:12px"| {{Script|Hebr|סֳ}}
| {{IPA|/o/}} || {{IPAblink|o̞}} || o || c'''o'''ne || see [[mid back rounded vowel]]
|- align=center
|style="font-size:26px"| {{Script|Hebr|סוּ}}
|style="font-size:26px; padding-bottom:12px"| {{Script|Hebr|סֻ}}
| rowspan=2 align=center | ''n/a''
| {{IPA|/u/}} || {{IPAblink|u}} || u || d'''oo'''m ||
|- align=center
|style="font-size:26px; padding-bottom:12px"| {{Script|Hebr|סִי}}
|style="font-size:26px; padding-bottom:12px"| {{Script|Hebr|סִ}}
| {{IPA|/i/}} || {{IPAblink|i}} || i || sk'''i''' ||
|- align=center
! colspan=2 | '''Note I:'''
| colspan=7 | By adding two vertical dots (''shva'') {{Script|Hebr|2=<span style="font-size: 24pt;">ְ</span>}} the vowel is made very short.
|-
! colspan=2 | '''Note II:'''
| colspan=7 align=center | The short ''o'' is usually promoted to a long ''o'' in Israeli writing for the sake of disambiguation
|-
! colspan=2 | '''Note III:'''
| colspan=7 align=center | The short ''u'' is usually promoted to a long ''u'' in Israeli writing for the sake of disambiguation
|-
|}

== Unicode encoding ==
{| class="wikitable"
! Glyph
! Unicode
! Name
|-
|<div  style="text-align: center;font-size:200%;">{{Script|Hebr|  ְ}}</div>
| U+05B0
| HEBREW POINT SHEVA
|-
|<div  style="text-align: center;font-size:200%;">{{Script|Hebr|  ֱ}}</div>
| U+05B1
| HEBREW POINT HATAF SEGOL
|-
|<div  style="text-align: center;font-size:200%;">{{Script|Hebr|  ֲ}}</div>
| U+05B2
| HEBREW POINT HATAF PATAH
|-
|<div  style="text-align: center;font-size:200%;">{{Script|Hebr|  ֳ}}</div>
| U+05B3
| [[HATEF QAMATS|HEBREW POINT HATAF QAMATS]]
|-
|}
As of 2016, a separate Unicode symbol for the sheva na has been proposed but not implemented.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://scriptsource.org/cms/scripts/page.php?item_id=entry_detail&uid=qek84cbq5u|title = ScriptSource - Entry - Unicode Status (Hebrew)}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.unicode.org/L2/L2024/24274-hebrew-point-sheva-na.pdf|title = Proposal to encode HEBREW POINT SHEVA NA}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[Niqqud]]ot
* [[Mid central vowel]]
* [[Tiberian vocalization]]
* [[Arabic diacritics#Sukūn]]

== Notes ==
{{note label|long-short-variants|↑}}Long and short niqqud-variants represent identical spoken vowels in Modern Hebrew; the orthographic distinction is, however, still observed in standard spelling.

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== Bibliography ==
* {{Cite GHG|10}}

{{Hebrew language}}

[[Category:Niqqud]]