Samson Ha-Nakdan ( Hebrew: סמסון הנקדאן; 1240) was a 13th-century German-Jewish writer and Hebrew grammarian.

Biography

Possibly born in Xanten, Germany, he studied Hebrew grammar in Germany, where he became aquatinted with the works of Jonah ibn Janah and Abraham ibn Ezra, and Elias Levita often references Rabbi Samson's works. Later in his life he adopted the surname "Ha-Nakdan" ("the grammarian"), which his descendants also adopted, such as his grandson Joseph ben Kalonymus ha-Nakdan who was also a Hebrew grammarian.

Works

* Mafte'aḥ ha-Dikduk - a work on the pronunciation and accents of

medieval hebrew Medieval Hebrew was a literary and liturgical language that existed between the 4th and 19th century. It was not commonly used as a spoken language, but mainly in written form by rabbis, scholars and poets. Medieval Hebrew had many features tha ...

. Some have identified it to be identical with Sefer Kelalei ha-Dikduk. * Ḥibbur ha-Konim (also called Sefer ha-Shimshoni) - a work on the which vowel-points and accents of medieval Hebrew.

References

13th-century German Jews Hebrew grammar German Ashkenazi Jews {{Linguist-stub