Pausal Phenomena in Modern Pronunciation Traditions of Biblical Hebrew

Abstract

This article examines secondary pausal phenomena in modern oral recitation traditions of Biblical Hebrew, focusing on final nasalization and diphthongization. Its primary aim is to document and present the empirical basis for analysis, drawing on recordings from the Hebrew University Language Traditions Project. The data, spanning a wide geographic range from Libya to Uzbekistan, show that these phenomena occur across diverse traditions, supporting their linguistic significance. The study argues that these forms cannot be adequately explained as the result of influence from speakers’ vernacular languages, since comparable features are either absent or structurally different in those languages. Instead, analysis situates modern evidence within a broader historical and typological framework. It proposes two interpretative perspectives: first, typological parallels with nasalization in Rabbinic Hebrew; and second, a phonetic account of these forms as a sonoritydecreasing strategy that reinforces phrase-final vowels.