Påṯaḥ and Qåmeṣ: On the Etymology and Evolution of the Names of the Hebrew Vowels

Abstract

The פתח sign is well known, and for most of my life I have wondered at the fact that people read the t with a lenis pronunciation, when it ought to be fortis. Furthermore, most Jews read the word with the stress on the final syllable (oxytone), when it is really stressed on the penultimate syllable (paroxytone). That is how we German Jews read it, with a and stressed on the penultimate syllable. (from Introduction)