The Sixth Principle: On the elucidation of a preliminary rule concerning pronominal suffixes of nouns.

1. Here it is necessary for me to set before you a great rule concerning the law of sheva, for it is a principle and foundation in the use of pronominal suffixes, especially with complete roots. You already know that two shevas can never occur one after the other at the beginning of a word. And I have already informed you, in the Second Principle, Section Two, that qamats and tsere change to a sheva at the beginning of every noun.

2. The same rule sometimes applies in the middle of a word as well. Therefore, whenever a noun begins with a sheva, or when a sheva arises because of one of the four changes that I explained at the beginning of the Second Principle, and that sheva is followed by a qamats or a tsere, and then another cause occurs that requires the qamats or tsere to change into a sheva, so that two shevas would come to stand at the beginning of the word— which is impossible— the first sheva therefore changes into a ḥiriq. For example, from dvarim (“words”) and zqenim (“elders”): when they come into the construct state, the final mem drops, as will be explained in this treatise in Principle Eleven. It then becomes necessary to lighten the vowels and to change the qamats or tsere into a sheva, as is their rule. This would result in two shevas at the beginning of the word, which is impossible. Therefore the first sheva is changed to a ḥiriq, and one says divrei and ziqnei.

3. Likewise, with plural pronominal suffixes, all of the suffix forms are pronounced with a sheva at the beginning, such as devarav, ziqnav, devarekha, ziqnekha, except for those whose suffix ends with a mem or a nun. In those cases it is necessary to lighten the vowels and to change the qamats or tsere into a sheva; this would then result in two shevas, as in dvarhem, zqenhem—which is impossible. Therefore the first sheva is changed to a ḥiriq, and one says divreihem, ziqneihem, and the like.