Monday, May 26, 2008

A New alef-bet song

Here is a challenge to the Hebraists out there.

Can you write a coherent sentence using all the letters of the alef-bet in sequence?

Can you write a sentence using a minimum of words that have all the letters of the alef-bet in sequence and would be memorable and singable by children?

Here are some starting points: words beginning with
alef-bet like אֲבָרְכֶךָּ
gimel-dalet like גְדֹלוֹת
he-vav הוֹלֵךְ
zayin stands alone,
chet-tet-yod חִטִּים
kaf-lamed-mem כְּלִמָּה
nun-samech נִסְתָּר
ayin-peh עָפָר
tsade stands alone,
qof-resh קָרָאתִי
resh-shin - it's hard to escape רְשָׁעִים
sin stands alone, tav stands alone

(When I say stands alone, it means there are no words I can find in the Psalms that combine that letter with the next in the alef-bet. You need not confine yourself to the Psalms.)

Friends - if such I may call you - try me a riddle please.
To the Better Bibles Blog - Peter, Suzanne and others...
To John Hobbins the incomparable poetry master
To Duane Smith of abnormal imagination
To Tim Bulkeley the traveller in far-away places
To Chris Heard - the creative interpreter of functions and structures
To Iyov - master of the Shakespearian and collector of innumerabilia
To DLC - the Hebrew Language Detective

The purpose is to have a mnemonic for order and meaning - it can include a dash of theology if it is good - Can you work in the Schema in a triple rhythm?

I promise to read your blogs - I do I do.

3 comments:

Iyov said...

I know that this is not exactly what you are looking for, but check out these videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiCzoTs1AdE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cT4btENpqOE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5uTls63p1vc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K7UEGjV2XHU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0HVwQwilMYI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHxaBfMkGnQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDbYytkjOzk

Bob MacDonald said...

Iyov
thank you - what a lovely collection - I am sure the children will be entranced by more than one of them when the time for this song comes due.

Blessings
Bob

Bob MacDonald said...

I have drafted my own answer to the challenge in the next two posts. It's a stretch.

here
and here