Questions for Abudar

[AramaicScribe]

Shlomy lokh oh keefa,

I've had a chance to start working through your pronunciation instructions, and I???m afraid you???ve lost me with your statement, ???We don't pronounce the SHwa.??? If you don???t pronounce the schwa, and you don???t use gemination, then how do you pronounce words with consonant clusters without a written vowel, that don't fit into one of the categories you listed under cluster mutation? I'll illustrate my confusion with the Peal verb conjugation for ktab. Where I have placed a question mark is where I would think a vowel sound is required to pronounce the word. How would you break the words into syllables, and pronounce them?

??? A = olaf
??? ' = the stressed syllable.

Past Singular:
3m. k?-tab'
3f. k??t-bat'
2m. k?-ta-b?t'
2f. k?-ta-b?t(y)'
1c. k??t-b??t'

Past Plural:
3m. k?-tab(w)' ??? k?-ta-bu(w)n'
3f. k?-tab(y)' ??? k?-ta-bi(y)n'
2m. k?-tab-tun'
2f. k?-tab-t??(y)n'
1c. k?-tab(n)' ??? k?-tab-nan'

Future Singular:
3m. n??k-tuwb'
3f. t??k-tuwb(y)'
2m. t??k-tuwb'
2f. t??k-t?-bi(y)n'
1c. A??k-tuwb'

Future Plural:
3m. n??k-t?-bu(w)n'
3f. n??k-t?-bon'
2m. t??k-t?-bu(w)n'
2f. t??k-t?-bon'
1c. n??k-tu(w)b'

John Marucci