FIRST BOOK

...primitive letters of words denote the root, such as [Chet, Teth, Samekh, Mem, Resh, Gimel, Zayin, Vav, Ayin, Tsadi, Dalet, Qof] original: "חטסמרגזועצדק". The accidental letters, however, which simultaneously indicate grammatical changes, inflections, and the formation of derivative words, are according to Rabbi Moshe Kimhi Moshe Kimhi was a 12th-century Hebrew grammarian from a famous family of scholars the following: [Aleph, Tav, Kaph, Nun, He, Mem, Shin, Lamed, Yod, Bet, Vav] original: "את כנחמשליבו". But Rabbi Moshe ben Gabirol An 11th-century Jewish philosopher and poet collects them in this way: [I, Solomon, write] original: "אני שלמה כותב" (Ani Shlomo Kotev). Among these accidental letters, some are usually prefixed only to the beginnings of words, such as [Aleph, Lamed, Bet, Tet] original: "אלבט". Others are found both at the beginning and at the end, such as [Tav, Bet, Nun, He, Yod, Vav, Mem] original: "תבנהיום".

Likewise, some of the consonants are accustomed to receiving a double mode of pronunciation: for they can be pronounced either softly or strongly. There are six such letters: [Bet, Gimel, Dalet, Kaph, Pe, Tav] original: "בגדכפרת" (Begadkepat). When they are uttered with a certain softness and light breath, a horizontal line called raphe is placed over their heads like this: [-] original: "raphe" - a mark used in medieval Hebrew manuscripts to show a letter is soft or fricative. Or, if it is not explicitly placed there, it is nevertheless understood to be present.

Thus, Bet is pronounced in place of the consonant v. Kaph is pronounced in place of the Greek letter chi, which sounds like our ch. Likewise, Pe stands in place of phi, which sounds like f or ph. Similarly, Tav stands in place of theta, which Latins pronounce as th. This letter causes a lisping tongue in Hebrew pronunciation. If you see the horizontal raphe line above Tav, you must place your tongue between your upper and lower teeth while hissing: you should emit a sound like geese do when they are moved to anger and seek revenge.

On the contrary, if the listed letters are marked with a dot placed in the center, which is called Dagesh original: "Dagges", then they are pronounced more strongly and somewhat harder, no longer flowing smoothly. The Dagesh dot is accustomed to strengthening the letters so much that often a single letter is treated as if it were doubled. There are two letters that receive neither Dagesh nor Raphe, namely Tet and Qof.

The second to last letter, Sin, is also pronounced in two ways. If a dot is placed on its left side, it expresses the sound of sigma or a sharp s hiss. But if the same dot is placed on the right side, it will emit the sound of violent water falling with force and foaming from high rocks. Because of this, for the sake of brevity, I will hereafter call it the "Right Sin" or the "Foaming S" to signify the sound of foaming water. We imitate this sound when we join the upper and lower teeth directly together and pull the tongue back from the teeth.

The Germans try to signify this sound with sch, the Italians with sci, and the French with x or ch. Hence, in Italy they write the letter Sin as scin, in Celtic Gaul as xin or chin, and in Swabia as schin. However you choose to write it, understand it as a thick, foaming, and broad sound.