Part II
Many people reading Hebrew feel frustrated. They can zoom
through English, yet when they try to read Hebrew, they feel
clumsy and handicapped.
The first part explored simple words and complex words in
Hebrew; the "Information Content" of each word, which is
much greater in Hebrew; relationships of verb, subject and
object.
7. Relationship between consonants and vowels
a. Status on line
In the English language, consonants and vowels share the
same status in the alphabet. They also share the same status
on the sentence line. Therefore, to read an English language
sentence, the eye needs to scan along a straight, horizontal
line.
In the Hebrew language, vowels comprise symbols placed
above, below and in line with the consonants. Therefore,
when reading a line of Hebrew text, the eye needs to scan
both horizontally and vertically.
--- ED. following is an example to be typeset or scanned.
Will send to B.B.--
English style
When you go to the store, please buy me a loaf of bread
Hebrew style
b. Configuration of the vowel characters
In the English alphabet, consonants and vowels share the
same character-style status. They all comprise distinct
styles of letter.
The Hebrew language vowels comprise various combinations of
dots and dashes, many of which are similar and which occupy
various positions around the consonants. For example, a
single dot can represent one of several different vowels,
depending upon its position relative to the consonant.
c. The functions of consonants and vowels
In the English alphabet, the differences between consonants
and vowels are defined as depending on the relationship
between the tongue and the palate when the letter is being
said. There is no intrinsic physiological difference between
consonants and vowels.
In the Hebrew language, consonants define the way in which
the required sounds are to be produced inside the mouth.
Thus, traditionally, consonants are classified into five
major groups, depending upon the parts of the mouth used to
produce the sound:
I. letters of the throat
II. letters of the teeth
III. letters of the lips
IV. letters of the tongue
v. letters of the tongue and teeth
Vowels define the way in which the sound is to be modified
as the sound goes out from the mouth. Each vowel defines a
specific shape of the lips and/or opening of the mouth, as
is usually indicated by its name:
Kometz - gathered, described the shape of the lips
Koobutz - grouped, describing the shape of the
lips
Shooruk - whistle, describing the pursing of the
lips
Shvah - passive, describing the passive shape of the
lips
Chirik - skid, describing the close positioning of
the teeth
Patach - open, describing how the jaws should open
Tzairi - flood-burst, describing the expletive nature
of the way the air is to be emitted
The Hebrew word thus comprises a two-tier arrangement in
which the reader looks at the letter to see how to produce
the required sound and then he looks at the vowel to see how
to simultaneously shape his mouth and lips so as to modify
the sound as he emits it from his mouth.
8. Reading Accuracy
a. Letter recognition
An error of one letter when reading an English word does not
always change the meaning of the word significantly. When
reading Hebrew, every letter must be recognized
accurately. Reading Hebrew is like reading a chemical
formula -- any little mistake changes the meaning
drastically.
b. Errors in letter identification
In English, a mistake will usually change the word into a
"nonsense" word. This flags the reader to realize that he
has misread the word and he needs to look again to correct
it. Then he is able to guess the identity of the intended
word from the rest of the word or from the context.
Alternatively, if he reads the word globally, the reader
might not even realize that he has seen a mistake.
When reading Hebrew, a mistake usually converts the word
into another "sense" word. Therefore, the reader continues
reading, unaware that he has made a mistake, until he might,
or might not realize from the context that somewhere along
the line, an error has occurred.
He must then retrace his steps to look for the error.
Example:
To every puestion there is an auswer
--[and in Hebrew letters] lechol sheila (with an ayin) yesh
chshuva (with ches)
In English, the words puestion and auswer are
meaningless; the reader automatically understands that he
must correct himself, if he sees the mistake altogether.
The misread words of the Hebrew seem to make sense: "To all
who go up ([Heb. letters - shin, ayin, lamed, hey]), there
is importance ([Heb. letters - ches, shin, vov, beis, hey]).
Therefore, the reader will continue on, reading the text as
if he understands it. The reader might complete the text and
think that he understood it correctly. Or, he might reach a
point at which he will realize that something has gone
wrong. He will then need to retrace his steps and go back
through the text, looking for a mistake.
However, a highly intelligent reader might interpret the
rest of the text to fit in with the way he mistakenly
understood that phrase. In such a case, the reader might
never know that he misunderstood the text. If he is
argumentative, a major battle with him might be needed to
convince him that he made a mistake.
c. Errors in letter sequence
Incorrect sequencing of letters in a word is a common
dyslexic characteristic. As mentioned above, when reading
English, such a mistake will usually change the word into a
"nonsense" word. This flags the reader to realize that he
has misread the word and he needs to look again to correct
it. Then he is able to guess the identity of the intended
word from the rest of the word or from the context.
Alternatively, if he reads the word globally, the reader
might not even realize that he has seen a mistake.
When reading Hebrew, such a mistake usually converts the
word into another "sense" word. Therefore, the reader
continues reading, unaware that he has made a mistake, until
he might, or not, realize from the context that somewhere
along the line, an error has occurred.
He must then retrace his steps to look for the error.
9. Descriptiveness of Text
A reader of text needs to be able to become aware of the
reality of the information contained in the text. The reader
achieves this through building up a picture in his mind.
This ability to image acts as a translator, translating
information from the "word-processing" stage of
reading to "real-life" understanding.
Sophisticated English language text is usually replete with
descriptions and illustrations.
Sophisticated religious Hebrew language text is usually
terse and succinct to an extreme and without
illustrations.
10. The Role of Phonics
The pronunciation of letters of the English alphabet rarely
follows strict rules, to the extent that the phonetics of a
word is often a stronger indication of the identity of a
word than its spelling. Hence the success of reading systems
which depend on phonics.
Some Hebrew consonants sound similar to each other, but the
identity of the word always depends only on the way it is
spelled. The phonetic identity is never a stronger
indication of the meaning of a word than its visual
identity. Hence, if a reader learns Hebrew from its phonics,
without the aid of the context, he will not be able to
determine the identity of words.
