YODH

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'Yodh' (also spelled 'Yud' or 'Yod') is the tenth letter of many Semitic alphabets, including Phoenician, Aramaic, Hebrew , Syriac and Arabic (in abjadi order, 28th in modern order). Its sound value is in all languages for which it is used; in many languages, it also serves as a long vowel, representing .
The Phoenician letter gave rise to the Greek Iota (Ι), Latin I, Cyrillic (Ukrainian and Belarusian) І, Coptic iauda () and Gothic eis ().

Contents
Origins
Arabic yāʼ
Hebrew Yodh
Pronunciation
Variations
Significance
In Judaism
External links

Origins


Yodh is thought to have originated with a pictograph of a hand (in Modern Hebrew and Modern Arabic, ''yad''). It may be related to the Egyptian hieroglyphic of an arm (''see Hieroglyphs'').
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Arabic yāʼ


The letter is named ''yāʼ'', and is written is several ways depending in its position in the word:
Yāʼ is pronounced in two ways. As a consonant, it is pronounced as a palatal approximant , typically at the beginnings of words. In the middle and end of words, the yāʼ usually (though not always) becomes a long close front unrounded vowel .
As a vowel, yāʼ can serve as the "seat" of the hamza: ئ.
Yāʼ serves several functions in the Arabic language. Yāʼ with a shadda is particularly used to turn a noun into an adjective, for instance مصر ''Miṣr'' (Egypt) → مصري ''Miṣriyy'' (Egyptian). The transformation can be more abstract; for instance, موضوع ''mawdū`'' (matter, object) → موضوعي ''mawdū`iyy'' (objective). Still other uses of this function can be a bit further from the root: شتراك ''ishtirāk'' (sharing) → إشتراكي ''ishtirākiyy'' (socialist); this is often used for creation of native terms for political philosophies: ''ḥurr'' (free) becomes ''ḥurriyy'' (liberal); ''muḥāfaẓa'' (guarding, preservation) becomes ''muḥāfaẓiyy'' (conservative).
A form similar to but distinguished from yāʼ is the ''ʾalif maqṣūra'' (broken alif), with the form ى. It indicates a final long open front unrounded vowel ; unlike standard alif, it ''can'' be part of a triliteral root.
Typically, Egyptians do not use dots under final yāʼ, both in handwriting and in print, resulting in substantial confusion with alif maqṣūra to those not accustomed to the practice
===Persian ''Ye''===
In the Persian alphabet "Yodh" is written and pronounced a bit different from Arabic and has a different code in Unicode. ''Yodh'' in Persian is called ''Ye''; in its final form, the letter does not have dots ('ی'), similar to but distinguished from the Arabic ''ʾalif maqṣūra''.

Hebrew Yodh


Pronunciation

In both Biblical and modern Hebrew, Yodh represents as a palatal approximant ().
Variations

Yodh is a mater lectionis, like Aleph, He, and Vav. At the end of words with a vowel, it represents the formation of a diphthong, such as , , or .
Significance

In gematria, Yodh represents the number ten.
As a prefix, it designates the third person singular (or plural, with a Vav as a suffix) in the future tense.
As a suffix, it indicates first person singular possessive; ''av'' (father) becomes ''avi'' (my father).
In Judaism

Two yodhs in a row designate the name of God Adonai and in pointed texts are written with the vowels of Adonai; this is done as well with the Tetragrammaton.
As Yodh is the smallest letter, much kabbalistic and mystical significance is attached to it. According to the Gospel of Matthew Jesus mentioned it during the Antithesis of the Law when he says: "One jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled." Jot, or iota, refers to the letter Yodh; it was often overlooked by scribes because of its size and position as a mater lectiones. In modern Hebrew, the phrase "tip of the Yodh" refers to a small and insignificant thing, and someone who "worries about the tip of a Yodh" is someone who is picky and meticulous about small details.
Much kabbalistic and mystical significance is also attached to it because of its gematria value as ten, which is an important number in Judaism, and its place in the name of God. See The Mystical Significance of the Hebrew Letters - Yodh

External links



The Mystical Significance of the Hebrew Letters: Yud

Background of Yod on Balashon

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