Spelling Cues in Nominal Inflection

Abstract

This chapter analyzes the contribution of the three inflectional notions associated with nominals – gender, number, and person – to spelling patterns. Much of Hebrew nominal morphology resides at the end of the stem. Gender and number marking occurs in word-final position, as do incorporating gender/number/person inflection on prepositions, possessive nouns, double compounds, and a myriad of function elements. The prevalence of inflectional vowels renders this specific word-final site privileged in marking inflectional gender/number/person roles. Three consonants – all homophonous due to historical neutralizations – emerge from the presentation of word-final inflectional morphology. The great frequency of inflectional suffixes is consistently reflected in the spelling, firmly establishing this set of function letters as a coherent category. Together, what emerges is the construal of word-final Hebrew morphology as denoted by specific letters, therefore serving as a powerful tool in overcoming homophony in spelling.