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Considering the emphasis we place on proper pronunciation, particularly for the purposes of b'rachos, declarations, and prayer, how should a heh with a schwa under it be pronounced in an intermediate position in a word to satisfy the requirements? E.g. פדהאל, or נהדר

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פדהצור is actually not such a good example, because it doesn't have a sheva under the ה; there's no question, then, that it would be silent (like the ה at the end of the words תורה, מצוה, etc.). Perhaps you're thinking of פדהאל (Num. 34:28).

As I understand it, there should be an audible puff of breath in these cases - i.e., "neh-dar" (not "ne-dar"), "p'-dah-el" (not "p'-da-el"), etc. The closest English analogue I can think of is the dismissive "aah" (as in "never mind").

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    I have the same mesorah from my father, from his father who taught dikduk in Yeshivah University. (He held a doctorate in Semitic Languages). The way my father taught me is that the first syllable in נהדר should end with an audible heh, i.e. neh-dar.
    – Yahu
    Commented Jun 1, 2010 at 20:10

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