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Friday 23 October 2020

By the sweat of your brow

If one wants to learn Hebrew late in life, it seems one has to invent ways to learn that are not what children would use. It's good solid hard work. And I have no guarantees of success.

So I now have in my test data over 75% of the Bible. I stumbled for a weekend, but I am back on track. I am working a book at a time, and I have streamlined the appending of the test data so I don't have so much wait time between tests. To load a book takes about 10 seconds. (But it may take an hour or more to prepare since the formatting is sometimes arbitrary.) To refresh the list of anomalies in one book takes maybe 5 seconds. When I correct the routine for a particular requirement, a compile takes 3 to 4 seconds.  Individual focus tests are instantaneous. But as you can see from my post on Sisyphus, there is plenty of room for confusion.

What should be my design for presentation of my results? I would like to exploit SimHebrew into a teachable set of patterns about the transformation of pointed Hebrew into full spelling without vowel points. The database can express this but some shrewdness is called for. You can see from this post how a single stem and all its examples could be produced. 

But this is clearly open to a more compact form. Each stem may or may not fall into some specific rules. Some stems will fall into generic rules. Many may fall through the code being transcribed character by character without any special rules at all.

Discovering which rules govern each particular stem is not that easy. I have to actually read the code! And for generic endings, I only know about exceptions. A few rules have some overlap. Two different rules may yield the same result. This is anomalous and may point to places where I could simplify things. The rules do not need to be there to show the results, but summarizing them at their simplest form may be useful for teaching word forms and pronunciation defaults.

Suggest a design? It can go much further than a concordance. I have left the accents in also. This increases the number of lines but shows the variety of settings of the same word.

So for instance below are all the forms in my test data for the word wcr, from the domain of Eating and Drinking and also from the domain of Economy, and also the name of a Person. Domains are useful. Some decisions as to which rule to apply may depend on the domain if a stem falls into two domains. I have referenced the domain 17 times so far in the 220,000 words. I don't know how many words are governed but the effect is rare. Generally speaking proper names can be exceptional. 

I have seen no completed set of domains from the scholars. What I have seen are some partial solutions and what seem like very large projects. I suspect the criteria for assigning domains are complex so the job can occupy hapless graduates for centuries. Mine are far from perfect, but what I have done is a useful complete draft.

wcr is שׂכר. In unpointed Hebrew the distinction between shin and sin is also lost but I have shown it here - because in this case there is a difference. When I switched from my earlier coding that distinguished shin ($) from sin (W), I didn't notice that the SimHebrew lowercase letter /w/ was used for both. How do we know when to put the tongue between the teeth! (This is one of many questions about pronunciation.) Yet in this list there is one example of how the sin is written as a shin. It sorts to the top of the break between Eating - in this case intoxication, and Economy. Have a look. I was going to use the lemma form of the glosses instead of my glosses themselves, but this loses information.

But what are the rules for this stem, wcr? The explicit rules are as follows: 

  • hireq becomes i when there is no affix, when there is a suffix, and when the prefix is c or l. These are exceptions to the default rule.
  • Generally, wcr is an exception to the rule that a qamats becomes 'o' in a closed syllable.
  • tsere is rendered as i following the w 
    • when there is no affix 
    • or the prefix is v and no suffix (v/!) and there is a qamats in the word.
    • when the prefix is vl or vb and there is no suffix (vl/!, vb/!).
  • qamats is rendered as 'o' when the word form is l/!\h.
Of the default rules, 
  • hireq in a closed syllable is suppressed (e.g. Na 3:11(3) below). 
  • holem is not suppressed.
  • there are no instances of qamats in a closed syllable without a pronoun suffix.
I don't find this rule summary very revealing but the table itself would be useful if you need to reference the usage of a specific stem in the text. (These are from the test data, 75% of the canon. 36  more instances outside the test data. So the rules I have used may change if other instances use them.)

So if you looked at these examples, what rules would you draw about this stem? How can one express such an abstraction?

Domain Word form SimHebrew Gloss Hebrew Word Occurs Here
Bk ch:vs(word)
Eat awcir awcir I will make drunk אַשְׁכִּ֤יר Dt 32:42(1)
awcrc awcrç to intoxicate you אֶשְׁכָּרֵֽךְ Ek 27:15(12)
cwcvr cwicor as if intoxicated כַּשִּׁכּ֑וֹר Ps 107:27(3)
כַּשִּׁכּֽוֹר Jb 12:25(6)
lwcrh -lwocrh intoxication ־לְשָׁכְרָ֔ה Hg 1:6(10)
לְשִׁכֹּרָֽה 1S 1:13(14)
lwcrvn lwicron to intoxication לְשִׁכָּר֑וֹן Ek 39:19(6)
mwcrt mwcrt intoxicating מְשַׁכֶּ֖רֶת Je 51:7(6)
twcri twcri drunken תִּשְׁכְּרִ֔י Na 3:11(3)
תִּשְׁכְּרִ֖י La 4:21(12)
twtcrin twtcrin will you be intoxicated תִּשְׁתַּכָּרִ֑ין 1S 1:14(6)
vbwcr ubwicr or for strong drink וּבַשֵּׁכָ֔ר Dt 14:26(10)
vhwcrti vhwcrti and I will make drunk וְ֠הִשְׁכַּרְתִּי Je 51:57(1)
vhwcrtim vhwcrtim and I will make them drunk וְהִשְׁכַּרְתִּים֙ Je 51:39(5)
viwcr viwcr and became intoxicated וַיִּשְׁכָּ֑ר Gn 9:21(4)
viwcrv viwcru and they were intoxicated וַֽיִּשְׁכְּר֖וּ Gn 43:34(14)
vlwcr vlwicr and strong drink וְלַשֵּׁכָ֑ר Mi 2:11(10)
vwcr vwicr and strong drink וְשֵׁכָ֞ר Lv 10:9(2)
וְשֵׁכָ֖ר 1S 1:15(11)
וְשֵׁכָ֗ר Jg 13:7(11)
וְשֵׁכָ֖ר Dt 29:5(5)
וְשֵׁכָ֑ר Jg 13:4(7)
וְשֵׁכָר֙ Jg 13:14(9)
וְשֵׁכָר֙ Nu 6:3(2)
vwcrv vwcru and be intoxicated וְשִׁכְר֖וּ Sn 5:1(20)
wcr wicor was intoxicated שִׁכֹּ֖ר 1S 25:36(16)
־שֵׁכָ֣ר Pr 31:6(2)
שֵׁכָֽר Pr 31:4(10)
שַׁכֵּ֑ר Hb 2:15(7)
שֵׁכָ֑ר Pr 20:1(4)
שֵׁכָ֖ר Nu 28:7(9), 6:3(7)
שֵׁכָֽר Ps 69:13(7)
wcrvn wicron drunkenness שִׁכָּר֥וֹן Ek 23:33(1)
wcvr wicor drunk שִׁכּ֜וֹר 1K 20:16(6)
שִׁכּ֔וֹר 1K 16:9(11)
־שִׁכּ֑וֹר Pr 26:9(4)
wcvrim wicorim boozers שִׁכּוֹרִים֙ Jl 1:5(2)
Economy awcr awcr with wages אֶשְׁכָּ֥ר Ps 72:10(9)
bwcrv bwcro with its wage בִּשְׂכָרֽוֹ Ex 22:14(10)
cwcir cwcir as a mercenary כְּשָׂכִ֥יר Lv 25:40(1)
כִּשְׂכִ֥יר Lv 25:53(1)
כְּשָׂכִ֥יר Jb 14:6(6)
lwcr lwcor to hire לִשְׂכֹּ֣ר 1C 19:6(15)
mwcrtc mwcurtç your wages מַשְׂכֻּרְתֵּ֜ךְ Ru 2:12(5)
־מַּשְׂכֻּרְתֶּֽךָ Gn 29:15(12)
mwcrti -mwcurti my wages ־מַשְׂכֻּרְתִּ֖י Gn 31:41(17), 31:7(6)
mwtcr mwtcr earns a wage מִשְׂתַּכֵּ֖ר Hg 1:6(16)
vcwcir ucwcir and like a mercenary וּ֝כְשָׂכִ֗יר Jb 7:2(4)
vhmwtcr vhmwtcr and the one who earns a wage וְהַ֨מִּשְׂתַּכֵּ֔ר Hg 1:6(15)
viwcr viwcor and contracted וַיִּשְׂכֹּ֨ר Jg 9:4(8)
וַיִּשְׂכֹּ֣ר 2C 25:6(1)
viwcrni viwcrni and he has hired me וַיִּשְׂכְּרֵ֕נִי Jg 18:4(8)
viwcrv viwcru and they hired וַיִּשְׂכְּר֣וּ 1C 19:7(1)
vlwcirc vlwcirç and to your wage-earner וְלִשְׂכִֽירְךָ֙ Lv 25:6(9)
vwcir vwcir or a mercenary וְשָׂכִ֖יר Lv 22:10(8)
וְשָׂכִ֖יר Ex 12:45(2)
vwcr vwcr but wage וְ֠שָׂכָר Ek 29:18(19)
וְשֹׂכֵ֥ר Pr 26:10(4), 26:10(6)
וּשְׂכַ֤ר 1K 5:20(12)
וּשְׂכַ֥ר Zc 8:10(9)
wcir -wcir the wage-earner ־שָׂ֠כִיר Ma 3:5(13)
שָׂכִ֔יר Dt 15:18(11)
שָׂכִ֛יר Lv 19:13(10)
שָׂכִ֖יר Lv 25:50(16)
שָׂכִ֖יר Dt 24:14(3)
־שָׂכִ֣יר Ex 22:14(7)
שָׂכִ֣יר Jb 7:1(7)
wcr wcr a wage שָׂכָ֖ר 2C 15:7(8)
שָׂכֹ֣ר Gn 30:16(13)
שָׂכָ֥ר Qo 4:9(8)
שְׂכַר Ma 3:5(12)
שְׂכַ֤ר Zc 8:10(5)
שְׂכַ֣ר Dt 15:18(10)
־שָׂכָ֥ר Nu 18:31(8)
שָׂכַ֨ר Dt 23:5(13)
שָׂכָ֖ר Ek 29:19(21)
שָׂכָ֔ר Qo 9:5(12)
שָֽׂכַר 2K 7:6(18)
שָׂ֝כָ֗ר Ps 127:3(5)
שֶׂ֣כֶר Pr 11:18(7)
wcrc wcrç your wage שְׂכָרְךָ֖ Gn 15:1(17)
שְׂכָרְךָ֛ Gn 30:28(3)
־שְׂכָרֵ֑ךְ Ex 2:9(14)
שְׂכָרֶ֔ךָ Gn 31:8(16), 31:8(6)
wcrh wcrh her fare שְׂכָרָ֜הּ Jh 1:3(14)
wcri wcri my wage שְׂכָרִֽי Gn 30:32(19)
שְׂכָרִ֖י Zc 11:12(7)
שְׂכָרִ֔י Gn 30:18(5)
־שְׂכָרִ֖י Gn 30:33(9)
־שְׂכָרִ֖י Zc 11:12(13)
wcrim wocrim hiring שֹׂכְרִים֙ 2C 24:12(11)
wcrtic wcrtiç I have hired you for שְׂכַרְתִּ֔יךָ Gn 30:16(14)
wcrv wcro his wages שְׂכָר֜וֹ Dt 24:15(3)
Person vwcr vwcr and Wage וְשָׂכָ֣ר 1C 26:4(10)
wcr -wcr Wage ־שָׂכָ֛ר 1C 11:35(3)

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