Shalom to all. I am not sure how to pronounce the following word, when it comes up in prayer, (e.g. in Tehillim 130): שׁוֹמְרִים
On one hand I have learned that sheva after big vowels(patach, sere...) is independent. Based on this the pronunciation would be shoMErim.
On another hand I heard from some people reading this word as shoMrim. With silent sheva. Which is correct? Please explain. Is there exceptions to the rule? Ty
It’s a Shva na`.
Many people, especially in certain Ashkenazic communities, ignore the rules of Shva. Shva isn’t such an important vowel, so this isn’t really problematic, but it’s not accurate either.
(Note: There is a scholarly opinion that this kind of Shva was silent in the Tiberian Masoretic tradition. Even if that’s was case, we don’t follow that rule today, so it’s irrelevant).
It's a bit complicated because sometimes rules conflict, for example שַׁרְבִיט, theres one rule that shva followed by a בּ is vocal after ב is silant, but usually a shva that closed patach is silent so this case is complicated, or I'm a case like מַלְכֵי vs מַלְכִּי, or in וַתְּכַבֵּד is the תּ pronounced because it has a dagash (another rule is that shva with dagesh is vocal) or because the כ is raphe it should be silent. In your case probably is vocal because it's after a long vowel. In a shava after the qamets in שָׁ֫מְרוּ there seems to be an argument if silent or pronounced, if this qamets is considered long
