IMO, dvash, shtayim and the like appeared etymologically from the smihut reduction (zuf-dvash, something-shtayim). Originally, perhaps, it had been *zuf-davash. The reduction process could be this: *zuf- davash (1) - zufd-avash (2) - zufd-'vash (3) - zuf-dvash. The Masoretes used word-initial dagesh kal to prevent nos.2-3.
Vadim Cherny _______________________________________________ b-hebrew mailing list [email protected] http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/b-hebrew
