The Pronunciation of the Dagesh Lene in the Tiberian Hebrew Tradition

Abstract It is commonly assumed that the distinction between the dagesh forte (marking a geminated consonant) and the dagesh lene (marking a plosive, non-geminated pronunciation of the letters ‮בגדכפ“ת‬‎) can be traced to the original Tiberian reading tradition. The use of only one sign for both entities in the Tiberian vocalization, however, as well as several findings from Tiberian-related sources, lead to the conclusion that both types of degeshim were realized with gemination in the Tiberian tradition. In contrast, there are texts with Babylonian and Palestinian vocalization that differentiate between the two types, probably representing a distinction in their realization. These facts suggest that this distinction, an integral component of standard Hebrew grammar, maintained in many oral traditions, is not based on the Tiberian tradition and appears now in non-Tiberian traditions only.