User:Crb11/HebrewTransliteration

Draft of a potential Hebrew transliteration system

Basics

The Hebrew language is written in a somewhat different script from the Latin script, but it's not too bad... three important principles:

* we're producing something which represents the symbols on the page, not how it's read (although broadly phonetic, so not too dissimilar)
* it's written from right-to-left, but the transcription goes left-to-right
* the "letters" are just the consonants. In many cases, this is all that's written - you're expected to know the vowels. Pointed Hebrew indicates the vowels, system of dots and lines around.

Consonants

Include list of letter, transcription, pronunciation.

Notes::

* five letters have a variant form when they appear at the end of the word. Denoted by a capital letter.
* sin and shin distinguished by a dot which sometimes appears, sometimes not, so separate transliteration S for the dot-less form.
* vav sometimes a vowel - see below.
* two letters silent, used for hanging vowels off.

ע	`	Ayin	[silent]
wilberr rr	wwwwww	spong

== Points and vowels

(all illustrated with a bet, so you can see where they go)

The non-vowels: mappiq and dagesh:

* mappiq is hyphen
* dagesh either hardens the consonant (bet, kaph, pe) or marks it as a double consonant. 

Rarely: partial pointing. Normally if you have pointing, every letter apart from the last has a vowel. Last may or may not.

Exceptions are:

* yod which may appear on its own, and lengthens previous vowel: e -> ey
* aleph may appear on its own, completely silent
* long U can appear at the start of a word without a consonant. No other vowel can.

Table of vowels goes here

Note:

* long A and short o look the same. Long A is much more common, so if you don't know Hebrew assume it's that.
* no pronunication difference between long and short vowels any more.