HEBREW INSTITUTION

Furthermore, these five letters Caph ך, Mem ם, Nun ן, Phe ף, Zade ץ, when they come at the end of words, are written with different shapes, and are called final Caph, Mem, Nun, Phe, and Zade.

All letters of the alphabet can be called consonants, because they form a syllable when points referring to niqqud, the vowel points are added. However, these six letters Aleph א, He ה, Heth ח, Iod י, Ayin ע are considered vowels because they contribute nothing at all to the consonant sound when points are added, except that He ה has a soft aspiration, and Heth ח has a strong one. Otherwise, they freely allow the gap of the mouth with the vowel points placed next to them. Often, Vau and Iod are also consonants among the Hebrews, just as u and i are among the Latins. Vau is a consonant when it has a point placed beneath it, as in וָ and וַ. It is a vowel when it has a point in its center or only at its head, as in וּ and וֹ. Sometimes even when it is a consonant...