weird additional marks on my new JPS pocket tanakh

[bluemarkus]

hey gang...

so my new pocket JPS tanakh in parallel english hebrew has arrived.
but there are many weird additional marks around the hebrew words, which kinda make it for a beginner even harder to read all the vowelpoints.

i wanted to ask why that is, are those references for the words they are attached to ?


greetings

MB

http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/photo/2179815350101537759iCaGfC

 

[bluemarkus]

i hope you guys can open the attachment

 

[yonah_mishael]

The "additional marks" are called "taamei mikra," which are the "sense" or "meaning" of the Scripture. They are also called "trope," since they indicate what tunes to sing when you read the Scriptures. The trope divide verses into phrases, since each mark is either "conjunctive" (joining to the word that follows) or "disjunctive" (a stop). A beginner needs to know only two of the marks: the "etnachta" (or "atnach"), which is generally somewhere near the middle of a verse and looks like an inverted wishbone; and the "sof pasuk" (end of verse). Beyond that, you will have no use for the trope until you become proficient with Hebrew.

If you look at Genesis 1:1, the etnachta falls on the word "elohim" and the sof pasuk falls on the word "ha-arets." That should help you learn to identify them.

Regards,
Yonah

 

[ChavaK]

Yes, as YM explained they are trope and used when one is called to read the Torah.

 

[bluemarkus]

hello

thanks for telling me about those additional marks.

MB

 

[yonah_mishael]

Markus,

Are you using a Hebrew grammar book as you study? Any decent grammar should explain the trope in some (perhaps minor) detail. I know I was confused when I read the explanation a long time ago, but since then I've learned to sing the notes. It makes sense when you learn trope.

Yonah

 

[bluemarkus]

hmm, well i have got kinda used to the tropes now, i can read over them without them disturbing me. I dont plan to learn to sing torah, thats kindofa muslim thing to me to sing scripture, i´d rather read it. apart from the psalms of course hehe.

but i am glad they dont disturb me anymore, in the beginning they were kinda weird.
probably i will also get a larger print tanakh which is easier for the eyes.

greetings

MB