80:, vocalized and punctuated the biblical text. Most of the work of the Masoretes is generally anonymous, though we know several names of Masoretes. While their work essentially focused on establishing the correct text and not the principles of grammar, the Masoretes contributed to the future study of biblical language. Many future grammarians continued the efforts of the Masorah and gave it a “central place in their works.”
120:'s commentary attempted to explain the simple meaning of the biblical text. In many places in his commentary, Rashi explains a linguistic or grammatical rule, providing several examples of other places in which that rule applies. Many of his principles he derives from the work of Menahem and Dunash. Evidence shows that Rashi understood the difference between
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writes that his commentary is “bound by the cords of grammar.” The way to appreciating the text is to understand the simple meaning, and he opposed explanations of the text that do not explain the original intent. Generally, he limited applying predecessors’ laws to understanding the text and avoided
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outlandish explanations of exceptions. A specific opposition ibn Ezra had was to the explanation of “plene versus defective spelling.” The
Spanish commentator also wrote several grammatical works outside his biblical commentary.
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and Judah Leib Ben Ze’ev were major perpetrators of this movement of Hebrew, which may have led to modern Hebrew. Study of Hebrew grammar had been neglected for nearly two centuries until the arrival of Moses
Mendelssohn.
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product and developed independently. Scholars have continued to study grammar throughout the ages, until the present. Those mentioned in this article are a few of the most eminent grammarians.
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of the 12th century composed Sefer
Zikkaron, introducing a new understanding of vowels. His two sons, Moses and David, also were grammarians. The Kimhis were exegetes who relied most on
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and Saadia’s works but made many important contributions to understanding roots. Defenses of both sides by scholars such as Rabben Tam and ibn Ezra continued for centuries.
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and roots in his grammatical work. These contributions laid essential foundations for future grammarians. He also wrote about exceptions. His contemporary,
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abandoned the use of rabbinic Hebrew and returned to biblical Hebrew. They felt serious grammar was of major import for modernization.
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101:, elaborated upon the study of roots, and was also the first grammarian to write in Hebrew. A pupil of Saadia’s,
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and avoided homiletical interpretations, and especially for David,
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39:problems; grammar was a borrowed science from the
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337:Encyclopaedia Judaica, s.v. "Ibn Ezra, Abraham"
386:Encyclopaedia Judaica, s.v. "Hebrew Language"
23:at least partially related to the science of
372:Encyclopaedia Judaica, s.v. "Kimhi, David"
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19:were linguists whose understanding of the
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288:Encyclopaedia Judaica, s.v. "Masorah"
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140:In his introduction to the
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232:"Encyclopædia Britannica"
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93:Saadia Ga’on dealt with
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400:"Jewish Encyclopedia"
351:"Jewish Encyclopedia"
302:"Jewish Encyclopedia"
267:"Jewish Encyclopedia"
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190:Naphtali Herz Wessely
72:, who solidified the
84:Medieval grammarians
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130:Old French
41:Arab world
405:March 10,
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166:philology
70:Masoretes
64:Masoretes
29:Tannaitic
186:maskilim
179:maskilim
146:Ibn Ezra
33:exegesis
107:Menahem
76:of the
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53:Jewish
118:Rashi
113:Rashi
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