The article explores the historical and linguistic contexts behind the use of the term ‘naghma’ in medieval Judaeo-Arabic to signify ‘vowel’, a meaning distinct from its Classical Arabic usage denoting ‘melody’, ‘tone’, or ‘sound’. Focusing on Saʿadya Gaon’s work, particularly his al-Qawl fī al-Nagham (‘Discourse on Melody’), the study highlights how the concept of ‘tone’ or ‘note’ evolved in Jewish linguistic traditions. Saʿadya used naghma to describe the seven vowels of Tiberian Hebrew, connecting linguistic analysis with musicological concepts prevalent in Arabic and Jewish intellectual circles of the medieval period. By equating vowels with musical notes, he introduced a metaphysical layer to Hebrew grammar, suggesting that vocalisation carried both linguistic and spiritual significance. This innovative usage influenced subsequent Judaeo-Arabic and Masoretic texts, embedding the term in the medieval Jewish linguistic tradition. 

Read here: https://doi.org/10.11647/obp.0464.10

Cite this work: Posegay, Nick. 2025. “Some Notes on Melody: Saʿadya Gaon and Why ‘Naghma’ Means ‘Vowel’ in Judaeo-Arabic.” Interconnected Traditions: Semitic Languages, Literatures, Cultures—A Festschrift for Geoffrey Khan, Volume 2, eds. A. Hornkohl, N. Vidro, J.C.E. Watson, E. Coghill, M.M. Connolly, and B. Outhwaite. Cambridge Semitic Languages and Cultures, 35. Cambridge: Open Book Publishers, 311-340.