The pronunciation tag has no wiki summary.
6
votes
2answers
125 views
How to pronounce the name of the sefer “Bnei Yso(s)cher”
How does one pronounce the name of the sefer בני יששכר ?
I've heard people pronounce both sins -- so it is Ysoscher. (There is also a common custom to pronounce the name יששכר with both sins the ...
4
votes
3answers
208 views
Hebrew Pronunciation- Sephardic Ashkenaz
I often hear Ashkenazim pronouncing (or at least trying) Hebrew words in Tefila/Keriat HaTorah like Sephardim. It probably isn't only Religious Zionists but it seems to be only them. Where did the ...
10
votes
38answers
1k views
words often mispronounced [closed]
What are some words commonly mispronounced? (Not by elision/reduction (like ה׳→אדְני) or assimilation (like תזכרו→תשׂכרו), but rather words that are pronounced wrong ...
6
votes
1answer
124 views
“Hayom yom X b'shabas” or “bashabas”?
A sidur I used this morning had the introductory line of the shir shel yom as "hayom yom sheni b'shabas". When I checked the two sidurim I trust the most for excatitude in these matters, one had ...
4
votes
3answers
95 views
Pronunciation of חשמונאי
A friend today told me that the word חשמונאי traditionally pronounced "Chashmonai" should really be pronounced "Chashmunai" with the vav being read as a shuruk vowel instead of a cholom.
Is this ...
12
votes
2answers
162 views
Why doesn't Chabad differentiate between Ches and Chaf, and Ayin and Aleph?
The Previous Lubavitcher Rebbe writes that the Shabbos before the great debate in Minsk, the Alter Rebbe served as the chazzan and baal koreh for his minyan. Furthermore, although the Alter Rebbe used ...
7
votes
2answers
165 views
Why do many (most?) people call the upcoming holiday “Peysach”?
In some Ashkenazic dialects, lots of words in which the first syllable is accented and the vowel is segol are pronounced as though they had a tzeirei. Examples include "meylech," "tzeydek," and ...
9
votes
3answers
279 views
Yisgadal or Yisgadel?
I've noticed that some people, when reciting kaddish, pronounce the first words as "yisgadal v'yiskadash" with a patach under the dalet of both words, while others say "yisgadel v'yisgadesh" with a ...
6
votes
3answers
180 views
רָקִיאַע or רָקִיַע
The מנחת שי at the beginning of בראשית (on "יהי רקיע") cites a מחלוקת whether the word 'רָקִיעַ' (and likewise for other words with a פתח גנובה) is pronounced as רָקִיאַע or as רָקִיַע, that is, with ...
12
votes
1answer
189 views
Kubutz and shuruk in Polish/Hungarian pronunciation
What is the origin or basis of the Polish and Hungarian prevalence for pronouncing "oo" vowels as "ee"? The variants of other vowels are easier to understand in the context of phonological shifting, ...
3
votes
1answer
114 views
Mappik pronunciation in Aramaic
Inspired by this question, I understand that mappik in Aramaic has a different meaning than in Hebrew.
I just wanted to be sure: is mappik in Aramaic pronounced the same way as in Hebrew?
4
votes
1answer
123 views
BinyOn or binyAn adai-ad in one of the sheva brochos?
At a chupah today, in the brocho of “asher yotzar es ho’odom betzalmo” a learned Rabbi said the word “binyOn” before “adai-ad” rather than the more usual “binyAn”. “binyOn” is the text in the Baer ...
2
votes
1answer
71 views
Is there a chart which details the major common pronunciations of Hebrew?
I learned how to pronounce Hebrew from the book "Teach Yourself to Read Hebrew" which describes pronunciation with Sephardic vocalization. For example, patach and kamatz, according to the book, are ...
8
votes
2answers
334 views
Relationship between Samekh and Sin
What is the relationship between the letters samekh and sin? Did they ever have distinct sounds? Why do they exist as separate letters?
8
votes
1answer
202 views
Why shin and sin?
Why does Hebrew use the same letter to represent two different sounds: shin and sin? As far as I know, with the exception of when using a dagesh kal, no other Hebrew letter has this property.
2
votes
2answers
121 views
Congregational official pronunciation scheme
Is it proper/preferred for a congregation to have an official Hebrew pronunciation scheme, such that they request or demand that people use it for public prayers?
Does this concept apply differently ...
6
votes
1answer
432 views
Why so many vocalized shvas in Siddur Tehillat Hashem?
I prayed using a Siddur Tehillat Hashem the other day, and I noticed that many more shvas were marked with an asterisk above, indicating that they should be vocalized, than I'd expect. In particular, ...
4
votes
4answers
526 views
Did Rav Moshe Feinstein pronounce his last name “Feinstain” or “Feinsteen”?
And, as a follow-up, does having the answer to this question dictate how we should say it?
4
votes
2answers
133 views
Is it “mechayei meisim UHTTuh” or “mechayeh meisim atTUH” (rav lehoshia) in shmoneh esrei?
I've seen both pronunciations (at the beginning of the second bracha in shmoneh esrei):
Aleph-patach, tav-kuhmuhtz, heh (implied stress on second syllable)
Aleph-kuhmuhtz-meseg, tav-kuhmuhtz, heh ...
5
votes
2answers
83 views
TOras chayim or ToRAS chayim in 19th b'racha?
In the final b'racha of sh'monah esrei the phrase "תורת חיים - (Toras chayim)" appears. In some sidurim [that denote that kind of thing] the accent is placed on the first syllable and in others on the ...
10
votes
3answers
367 views
Disparity between male and female pronunciation of Cholam
In many Yeshivish communities in the US, the male segment of the population vocalizes the cholam as "oi," while their female counterparts vocalize it as a long "o". How did this come about? Does the ...
7
votes
2answers
275 views
מרדכי = Mord'chi?
When learning with Jews of the Syrian community, I noticed that they pronounced מרדכי (the name of the halachic commentary on the g'mara) as "mord'chi", as if the final vowel were a chirik. Why is ...
6
votes
1answer
296 views
מֶה, מָה, מַה - Meh, Mah, Ma - What's the difference?
What causes the difference in vowelization of the Hebrew word for "what"? In some contexts it is מֶה, in others - מָה, and in yet others - מַה. The hypothesis that an acquaintance and I converged on ...
3
votes
2answers
69 views
L'chayim vs. Lachayim
During the עשרת ימי תשובה we make insertions into the שמונה עשרה, each of which contains the word לחיים, meaning "for life."
What is the source for insisting on pronouncing it "zachrenu l'chayim," ...
3
votes
1answer
97 views
How do you pronounce the הוי״ה in hataras nedarim (annulment of vows) before Rosh HaShanah?
In the siddurs I've seen, we ask for annulment for vows made "with the name הוי״ה ". That word is left unvowelized. How is it pronounced?
2
votes
1answer
112 views
Schwa+Heh Pronunciation
How should a heh with a schwa under it be pronounced in an intermediate position in a word? E.g. פדהאל, or נהדר
6
votes
1answer
479 views
Different traditions in Hebrew pronunciation
The theme of Hebrew pronunciation is one that facinates me and, as such, I want to get some feedback on some issues I've been thinking about for years. I have already discussed some of these issues ...
