# Chapter 2 — Vowel Identification Exercise

**Topic:** Hebrew Vowels — Identification and Classification

---

**Instructions:** For each Hebrew form shown, identify: (1) Vowel Name, (2) Vowel Class (A / E / I / O / U / Reduced), (3) Quantity (Long / Short / Reduced), (4) Notes (e.g., mater lectionis present, composite sheva, dagesh forte).

The letter מ (mem) serves as the carrier consonant for most items.

---

## Exercise Table

| # | Form | Vowel Name | Class | Quantity | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | מָ | | | | |
| 2 | מֵ | | | | |
| 3 | מִ | | | | |
| 4 | מֹ | | | | |
| 5 | מֻ | | | | |
| 6 | מְ (word-initial) | | | | |
| 7 | מַ | | | | |
| 8 | מֶ | | | | |
| 9 | מִי | | | | |
| 10 | מוֹ | | | | |
| 11 | מוּ | | | | |
| 12 | מְ (word-final) | | | | |
| 13 | מָ (in closed, unaccented syllable) | | | | |
| 14 | מֵי | | | | |
| 15 | כִּי | | | | |
| 16 | מָ (= Qamets Hatuf) | | | | |
| 17 | מֲ | | | | |
| 18 | מֱ | | | | |
| 19 | מֳ | | | | |
| 20 | הֲ | | | | |
| 21 | הֱ | | | | |
| 22 | הֳ | | | | |
| 23 | דָּבָר | | | | |
| 24 | בֵּן | | | | |
| 25 | מַּ (mem with dagesh forte + patah) | | | | |

---

## Answer Key

| # | Form | Vowel Name | Class | Quantity | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | מָ | Qamets | A | Long | Standard long A; T-bar shape below consonant |
| 2 | מֵ | Tsere | E | Long | Standard long E; two dots horizontally below consonant |
| 3 | מִ | Hireq | I | Short | Standard short I; single dot below consonant |
| 4 | מֹ | Holem | O | Long | Long O; single dot above the letter to the upper left |
| 5 | מֻ | Qibbuts | U | Short | Short U; three diagonal dots below consonant |
| 6 | מְ (word-initial) | Vocal Sheva | Reduced | Reduced | Vocal — every word must begin with a vowel sound; pronounced as a short murmur /ə/ |
| 7 | מַ | Patah | A | Short | Standard short A; horizontal bar below consonant |
| 8 | מֶ | Seghol | E | Short | Standard short E; three dots (inverted triangle) below consonant |
| 9 | מִי | Hireq Yod | I | Long | Hireq with yod mater lectionis; yod is quiescent; long I |
| 10 | מוֹ | Holem Vav | O | Long | Holem with vav mater lectionis; vav is quiescent |
| 11 | מוּ | Shureq | U | Long | Long U; vav with a dot in its center; vav is the mater lectionis |
| 12 | מְ (word-final) | Silent Sheva | — | — | Silent — marks the close of the final syllable; no vowel sound |
| 13 | מָ (closed, unaccented) | Qamets Hatuf | O | Short | Same shape as Qamets; O-class in closed unaccented syllable — context determines identity |
| 14 | מֵי | Tsere Yod | E | Long | Tsere with yod mater lectionis; yod is quiescent |
| 15 | כִּי | Hireq Yod | I | Long | Long I with yod mater; dagesh lene in kaph (begadkephat, word-initial); word = because/that/when |
| 16 | מָ (= Qamets Hatuf) | Qamets Hatuf | O | Short | O-class, short; same glyph as Qamets; identified by closed unaccented syllable and/or Metheg absence |
| 17 | מֲ | Hatef Patah | A | Reduced | Composite sheva; A-class; used under gutturals (א ה ח ע) instead of vocal sheva; most common hatef |
| 18 | מֱ | Hatef Seghol | E | Reduced | Composite sheva; E-class; used under gutturals; less common than Hatef Patah |
| 19 | מֳ | Hatef Qamets | O | Reduced | Composite sheva; O-class; least common hatef sheva; used under gutturals |
| 20 | הֲ | Hatef Patah | A | Reduced | Composite sheva; most common hatef; typically under א and ע as well |
| 21 | הֱ | Hatef Seghol | E | Reduced | Composite sheva; E-class; less common than Hatef Patah |
| 22 | הֳ | Hatef Qamets | O | Reduced | Composite sheva; O-class; least common of the three hatef shevas |
| 23 | דָּבָר | Qamets × 2 | A | Long | Both vowels are Qamets (long A); Dagesh Forte in dalet doubles it |
| 24 | בֵּן | Tsere | E | Long | Long E under bet; Dagesh Lene in bet (begadkephat, word-initial); word = son |
| 25 | מַּ | Patah | A | Short | Patah (short A) under mem; the dot inside mem is a Dagesh Forte — mem is doubled |

---

## Reflection Questions

1. **Qamets or Qamets Hatuf?** You encounter the form מָ in an unaccented, closed syllable with no Metheg. How do you determine whether this is a long A (Qamets) or a short O (Qamets Hatuf)? What two pieces of information are most diagnostic?

2. **Sheva identification:** The word יִקְטְלוּ contains two shevas — one after the qoph and one after the tet. Without looking ahead to Chapter 3, use the rules from Section 4 to determine which of these shevas is silent and which (if either) is vocal.

3. **Mater lectionis vs. consonant:** In the word בֵּית ("house"), the yod (י) appears between two consonants with a tsere under the bet. Is the yod functioning as a consonant or as a mater lectionis? What feature of its pointing (or lack thereof) tells you which role it is playing?
