The Consolation of Consonants · The Andalus Method

The regular shift

Arabic still sounds letters that the Hebrew script folds together under one sign. Read by makhraj, the place where a letter is made, every correspondence passes through one of these seams. The last column counts the correspondences in tiers A–D that pass through each.

Grammarians’ term	What happens	Hebrew	Aramaic	Arabic	Witness in the tool	Pairs
ḥurūf al-ḥalq	Throat letters: Arabic keeps six, Hebrew writes four; ḥāʾ and khāʾ both stand behind ḥet	ח	ח	ح / خ	ח-מ-ר (ḥet–mem–resh) / ح–م–ر (ḥāʾ–mīm–rāʾ), red · ח-מ-שׁ (ḥet–mem–šin) / خ–م–س (khāʾ–mīm–sīn), five	201
ḥurūf al-ḥalq	ʿayn and ghayn both stand behind ʿayin	ע	ע	ع / غ	ע-י-נ (ʿayin–yod–nun) / ع–ي–ن (ʿayn–yāʾ–nūn), eye · ע-ר-ב (ʿayin–resh–bet) / غ–ر–ب (ghayn–rāʾ–bāʾ), evening, west	185
ḥurūf al-ʾiṭbāq	Three of the four covered letters gathered under ṣade; ṭāʾ keeps ṭet	צ	צ / ע, ק / ט	ص / ض / ظ	צ-ב-ע (ṣade–bet–ʿayin) / ص–ب–غ (ṣād–bāʾ–ghayn), dye · א-ר-צ (ʾalef–resh–ṣade) / ء–ر–ض (hamza–rāʾ–ḍād), earth · צ-ל-ל (ṣade–lamed–lamed) / ظ–ل–ل (ẓāʾ–lām–lām), shade	119
al-ḥurūf al-lithawiyya	Gum letters: Hebrew writes sibilants, Aramaic writes stops	שׁ / ז	ת / ד	ث / ذ	שׁ-ל-שׁ (šin–lamed–šin) / ث–ل–ث (thāʾ–lām–thāʾ), three · ת-ל-ת (taw–lamed–taw) / ث–ل–ث (thāʾ–lām–thāʾ), three (Aramaic) · ז-כ-ר (zayin–kaf–resh) / ذ–ك–ر (dhāl–kāf–rāʾ), remember	81
ḥurūf al-ṣafīr	Sīn answers šin or samek; shīn answers sin	שׁ, ס / שׂ	שׁ, ס / שׂ, ס	س / ش	שׁ-מ-ע (šin–mem–ʿayin) / س–م–ع (sīn–mīm–ʿayn), hear · ס-ג-ד (samek–gimel–dalet) / س–ج–د (sīn–jīm–dāl), bow down · ע-שׂ-ר (ʿayin–sin–resh) / ع–ش–ر (ʿayn–shīn–rāʾ), ten	220
mithāl	Weak fāʾ: initial wāw surfaces as yod	י-	י-	و-	י-ל-ד (yod–lamed–dalet) / و–ل–د (wāw–lām–dāl), bear, beget · י-ר-שׁ (yod–resh–šin) / و–ر–ث (wāw–rāʾ–thāʾ), inherit	43
ʾajwaf	Weak ʿayn: hollow middle wāw or yāʾ	-ו- / -י-	-ו- / -י-	-و- / -ي-	ק-ו-מ (qof–waw–mem) / ق–و–م (qāf–wāw–mīm), stand · מ-ו-ת (mem–waw–taw) / م–و–ت (mīm–wāw–tāʾ), die	144
nāqiṣ	Weak lām: final wāw or yāʾ written he (Aramaic also ʾalef)	-ה	-ה / -א	-و / -ي	ב-נ-ה (bet–nun–he) / ب–ن–ي (bāʾ–nūn–yāʾ), build · ח-י-ה (ḥet–yod–he) / ح–ي–ي (ḥāʾ–yāʾ–yāʾ), live	140
mahmūz	Hamza answers ʾalef	א	א	ء	א-כ-ל (ʾalef–kaf–lamed) / ء–ك–ل (hamza–kāf–lām), eat · ק-ר-א (qof–resh–ʾalef) / ق–ر–ء (qāf–rāʾ–hamza), call, recite	127
maḥdhūf al-lām	Arabic weighs the noun on three radicals; Hebrew writes two	two radicals	two radicals	three radicals	י-ד (yod–dalet) / ي–د–ي (yāʾ–dāl–yāʾ), hand · ד-מ (dalet–mem) / د–م–و (dāl–mīm–wāw), blood · שׁ-מ (šin–mem) / س–م–و (sīn–mīm–wāw), name	66
qalb al-ḥurūf	The turning of the letters: the same radicals in another order	turned	turned	fāʾ ʿayn lām	ע-ב-ר (ʿayin–bet–resh) / ع–ر–ب (ʿayn–rāʾ–bāʾ), ʿibri and ʿarab	30

Letter by letter

Each Arabic letter with the Hebrew letter that stands in its place. Seams are shaded; the Aramaic reflex follows where it differs.

ء→אhamza → ʾalef

ب→בbāʾ → bet

ت→תtāʾ → taw

ث→שׁthāʾ → šin · Aramaic ת

ج→גjīm → gimel

ح→חḥāʾ → ḥet

خ→חkhāʾ → ḥet

د→דdāl → dalet

ذ→זdhāl → zayin · Aramaic ד

ر→רrāʾ → resh

ز→זzāy → zayin

س→שׁ סsīn → šin, samek

ش→שׂshīn → sin · Aramaic שׂ, ס

ص→צṣād → ṣade

ض→צḍād → ṣade · Aramaic ע, ק

ط→טṭāʾ → ṭet

ظ→צẓāʾ → ṣade · Aramaic ט

ع→עʿayn → ʿayin

غ→עghayn → ʿayin

ف→פfāʾ → fe

ق→קqāf → qof

ك→כkāf → kaf

ل→לlām → lamed

م→מmīm → mem

ن→נnūn → nun

ه→הhāʾ → he

و→ו יwāw → waw, yod

ي→יyāʾ → yod