[HANASHIR:5188] Re: Kol Hanshemah

[Daniel A. Singer <dasinger...>]

Hmmm....

Does this sum it up?

You say potayto, I say potahto,
You say tomayto, I say tomahto,
You say hanshamah, I say hanishamah,
Let's call the whole thing off....




At 12:34 AM 2/9/00 -0800, you wrote:
>SingingGr8 (at) aol(dot)com wrote:
>
>> I teach music three days a week and have been teaching both the more
>> traditional version (the one that was recently recorded on the last DF CD)
>> and a newer version  of Kol Ha-n'shamah.  The version that i most recently
>> taught starts with shiru and although i am not sure who wrote it the kids
>> love it (a friend taught it to me)
>>
>> Anyway, as I was teaching today I was corrected on my hebrew which suprised
>> me because i assumed it was kol hanishamah both because that was the way it
>> was taught to me and also because there is the slow version which says the
>> word "hanshamah" as "hanishamah" ....i looked it up and the person who
>> corrected me was right.
>>
>> I felt this need to tell everyone here about this because it is important
>> that we are teaching the hebrew right and this is something i always heard
>> wrong.  so the word should be pronounced as it is in the more trad song
>> "Hallelu" and not in the more modern song "kol Hanishamah"
>
>Would that it were that simple ("hal'vai!")  You have, perhaps unwittingly
and
>perhaps unwillingly, entered into one of the more arcane and esoteric (IMHO)
>areas of Hebrew grammar, the Sh'va na' ("moving sh'va") and Sh'va nach
>("resting sh'va).  (Some might even call it pilpulistic, but when has that
>ever stopped us?)  The sh'va nach is a true full stop (as in the first
>syllable of Yis-ra-el.)  The sh'va na' is pronounced, however.... a bit like
>"eh," a bit like "ih," and perhaps even a bit like "uh."  You see it at the
>beginning of words (b'chol, l'dor, v'ahavta) and various other places as
well.
>
>Technically, as Spiro points out (HAFTARAH CHANTING, at 87-88; this is the
>only reason I am as up on the subject as I am, having looked in it last night
>during the Haftara Qadma discussion).... a sh'va na' (and its accompanying
>consonant) is treated as a "semi-syllable" but it's simpler to regard it as a
>full syllable.
>
>Anyway, one of those "various other places" a sh'va na' appears is under a
>letter with a dagesh.... and letters that follow the definite article have a
>dagesh (at least I think it's a dagesh, rather than one of those other dots.)
>And so indeed, if you look at the last verse of Psalm 150, behold: the nun in
>Han'shama has a dagesh.
>
>The upshot: Han(i)shama is technically more correct, probably, than
Han-shama.
>
>At least, I'm *fairly* sure that's correct.  There are other shards deeply
>buried in the dark recesses of my memory about other rules that come into
play
>regarding the letter after the definite article, as well as funky things that
>sometimes happen with "weak" letters like Nun (which of course is the letter
>after the definite article in Han'shama.)  If they change things, I'm sure
>someone on the list will know.
>
>And then there's the sh'va m'rachef, which..... but we won't go there.
>
>
>> Any comments to why we have been singing it wrong or if maybe i am really
>> wrong now would be great.
>
>Well, that's probably more information than you bargained for, but it's my
>best shot.  Spiro is certainly not exhaustive on the subject (nor does he
>intend to be), rather he gives a quick practical 2-page summary.... but it
was
>the reference that was handy and probably OK for present purposes.
>
>btw, the Sh'va under the first Lamed in Hal'lu is also a sh'va na'.  So the
>word should be pronouned Hal'lu (or hal(i)lu or hal(eh)lu, however you
want to
>transliterate it.....) but certainly not ha-lay-lu, as some do.
>
>Remember, though: I'm not a grammarian ... I just play one on TV.
>
>Joel
>
>


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Daniel A. Singer        H: (734) 397-1950  W: (810) 238-1350 ext. 4253
1713 Glenshire Dr.      Flint Institute of Music, Temple Beth El
Canton, MI 48188        Bass Voice, Guitar
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"If I am not for myself, who will be for me?
         If I am for myself alone, who am I?
                           If not now, when?"
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