The Second Principle: On elucidation of the causes for the change of vowel-points in nouns, which vowels are subject to change, and into which vowels they change.

1. Know that there are four causes that bring about changes in the vowel-points of nouns, and their mnemonic is SRNK: construct state, pluralization, femininity, and pronominal suffixes. The vowel-points that change in nouns are four: qamats, tsere, segol, and ḥolam, and the mnemonic for them is QTS–Ḥ. The sheva also changes in one of these cases, but it is not counted among them, since it is not considered a vowel, as will be explained in the chapter on prosody, in Song Six.

2. The fundamental change of a tsere and a qamats is into a sheva, especially when they occur in the first letter of the word. But when they occur in the second letter, they revert to a pataḥ, as in davar → dvar-Hashem (“the word of the LORD,” Jer. 1:2), and from zaqen → zaqan beto (“the elder of his house,” Gen. 24:2). Likewise, in some singular pronominal suffixes they remain unchanged, as in devarekha, devarakh; but they change to a sheva in some plural suffixes and in the construct state, as in devarai, devarakhem, devarakhen, as you will see later in Principle Seven.

3. The general rule is this: any noun from a complete root whose first vowel is a qamats will change to a sheva in all four of the changes mentioned above. The same rule applies when the first vowel is a tsere. The only difference between them is this: a qamats changes to a sheva in every noun, regardless of what the second vowel may be; but a tsere changes only when the second vowel is a qamats.

4. For example, when the first vowel is a qamats, as in davar (“word”), gadol (“great”), qaṣir (“harvest”), and zaqen (“elder”): in the singular construct state you say dvar, gdal, qṣir, zqan; with singular pronominal suffixes: dvaro, gdalo, qṣiro, zqano; in the plural: dvarim, gdolim, qṣirim, zqenim; and with plural pronominal suffixes: dvarav, gdolav, qṣirav, zqenav. But in the plural construct state they appear with a ḥiriq, as in dvare, gdale, qṣire, zqene. I will reveal the reason for this later in this treatise, in Principle Six.

And there are four roots on the pattern paʿal that, in the construct state, remain on the pattern paʿal. They are: yerekh (“thigh”), katef (“shoulder”), gader (“wall”), and gazel (“robbery”). For example: yerekh Yaʿaqov (“the thigh of Jacob,” Gen. 32:25), katef ha-mizbeaḥ (“the shoulder of the altar”), gader avnav (“the wall of its stones,” Prov. 24:31), and gazel aḥ (“the robbery of a brother,” Ezek. 18:18).

5. As for those nouns whose first vowel is a tsere and whose second vowel is a qamats, such as levav (“heart”), ʿenav (“grape”), and shaʿar (“gate”), and the like: the tsere changes to a sheva in all four of the changes, and the qamats changes to a pataḥ in the singular construct only. Thus: levav, ʿenav, shaʿar; levavo, ʿenavo, shaʿaro; levavot, ʿenavim, shaʿarot. But when the second vowel is not a qamats, the initial tsere does not change, as in ʾefod bad (“a linen ephod,” 2 Sam. 6:14) and ʾevus bar (“a manger of grain,” Prov. 14:4); ʾefodo, ʾevuso. Likewise, in all four of the changes, it does not change.

6. As for those nouns whose second vowel is a segol, such as sefer (“book”), ʿegel (“calf”), ʿesev (“grass”), and the like, they will be explained in the next principle. They are found with four vowel-points, that is, with two tseres, as in Helel ben Shaḥar (“O morning star, son of the dawn,” Isa. 14:12) and tevel ve-yoshveha (“the world and those who dwell in it,” Ps. 24:1), and they do not pluralize and do not take pronominal suffixes. But tevel hu (“it is a perversion,” Lev. 18:23), where tevel is used in the sense of abomination, is pointed with six vowel-points. And the mnemonic is: “Four things are small upon the earth” (Prov. 30:24), “Six things the LORD hates” (Prov. 6:16), and the discerning will understand. (Another sign is that every tevel meaning “earth” is accented on the final syllable.) A few nouns are found where the first vowel is qamats and the second is segol, such as ʾaven (“iniquity”), mavet (“death”), and ʿavel (“injustice”). In all of these the middle radical is vav, and therefore they should be counted among roots with a quiescent middle vav, as I will explain in the fourth treatise, Principle Four, Section Five.

7. Know that the second vowel never changes except when it is a qamats, tsere, or segol. Qamats and tsere change to a pataḥ in the singular construct, as I wrote above; and all three change to a sheva in the plural construct and in some plural pronominal suffixes, as I will explain in Principle Six. But in the other types of change they do not change at all, except for a segol, as I will explain in Principle Three.