[§ 209]. In fat, the vowel is, according to common parlance, short; in fate, it is long. Here we have the introduction of two fresh terms. For the words long and short, I would fain substitute independent and dependent. If from the word fate I separate the final consonantal sound, the syllable, fa remains. In this syllable the a has precisely the sound that it had before. It remains unaltered. The removal of the consonant has in nowise modified its sound or power. It is not so with the vowel in the word fat. If from this I remove the consonant following, and so leave the a at the end of the syllable, instead of in the middle, I must do one of two things: I must sound it either as the a in fate, or else as the a in father. Its (so-called) short sound it cannot retain, unless it be supported by a consonant following. For this reason it is dependent. The same is the case with all the so-called short sounds, viz., the e in bed, i in fit, u in bull, o in not, u in but.
To the preceding remarks the following statements may be added.
1. That the words independent and dependent correspond with the terms perfect and imperfect of the Hebrew grammarians.
2. That the Hebrew grammars give us the truest notions respecting these particular properties of vowels.
The following sentences are copied from Lee's Hebrew Grammar, Art. 33, 34:—"By perfect vowels is meant, vowels which, being preceded by a consonant" (or without being so preceded), "will constitute a complete syllable, as
בָּ
bā. By imperfect vowels is meant those vowels which are not generally" (never) "found to constitute syllables without either the addition of a consonant or of an accent. Such syllables, therefore, must be either like
בּדַ
bad, or
בֲּ