Shalom to all.
I am not sure how to pronounce the following word, which comes up in prayer (e.g. in Tehillim 130): שׁוֹמְרִים.
On one hand, I learned that Sheva after big vowels (Patach, Ṣere…) is independent. Based on this the pronunciation would be “shoMErim”.
On another hand, I’ve heard some people read this word as “shoMrim,” with a silent Sheva.
Which is correct? Please explain. Are there exceptions to the rule? Thank you.
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 (usually) isn’t 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 was case, we don’t follow that rule today, so it’s irrelevant; and if it were relevant, we'd have to be extra careful with vowel length distinctions).
It's a bit complicated because sometimes rules conflict, for example שַׁרְבִיט, there's one rule that shva followed by a בּ is silent and followed by a ב is vocal, but usually a shva that closed patach is silent so this case is complicated, or in a case like מַלְכֵי vs מַלְכִּי, or similarly in וַתְּכַבֵּד what is type of dagesh is the תּ? It cannot be תּ because the patach makes it a closed syllable and a closed syllable it has to be rapha, It cannot be ת because because it has to open the syllable to be a vocal shva, and the כ rapha demands a vocal shva before it. In your case probably is vocal because it's after a long vowel. In a shva after the qamets in שָׁ֫מְרוּ there seems to be an argument if silent or pronounced, if this qamets is considered long
