Gutturals in MS Cambridge of the Mishnah: A historical-linguistic study of Rabbinic Hebrew traditions

This article examines the phonological phenomenon of attenuation of gutturals in Rabbinic Hebrew, grounded primarily in findings from MS Cambridge Add. 470 of the Mishnah and with reference to other trustworthy manuscripts of the Mishnah specifically and Rabbinic Hebrew in general. It treats the heh-h{combining dot below}et, alef-ayin, alef-heh, and ayin-h{combining dot below}et alternations in detail, at the same time noting the significant representation of terms from realia in these exchanges. My close study of MS Cambridge shows that, unlike other sectors of Rabbinic Hebrew, Mishnaic Hebrew does not testify to a phenomenon of attenuation of gutturals. It also reveals features of MS Cambridge. Although a reliable witness of Mishnaic Hebrew, the phonology of MS Cambridge exhibits the influence of extra-mishnaic rabbinic language and even of foreign languages.