I have seen sources, for example the Artscroll transliterated siddur, that say that the Ashkenazi pronunciation of the kamatz vowel is "aw," as in the first syllable of "often," whereas other sources, for example the Artscroll Schottenstein Talmud, say that the pronunciation is "uh" as in the first syllable of "ago." Which is correct?
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1People pronounce English differently. Using IPA would be better for this kind of question.– Double AA ♦Sep 1, 2022 at 22:03
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It's pronounced [ɔ] in most Ashkenazi traditions.– ezraSep 2, 2022 at 2:06
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Welcome to MiYodeya and thanks for this first question. Great to have you learn with us!– mblochSep 2, 2022 at 4:46
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Answer varies among type of Ashkenazim. Chassidim pronounce differently than Litvaks.– N.T.Sep 2, 2022 at 9:57
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1 Answer
In Europe it was always pronounced as "uh". Listen to this clip of Rav Moshe Feinstein. Today, in America, "aw" is the more Americanized pronunciation, and "uh" is the more Yeshivish pronunciation.
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To my ear, most Israelis and Europeans who use ashkenazi pronunciation today will pronounce a kamatz the way the Brits pronounce the vowel in ‘hot’. I’m not an IPA expert but I believe that’s /ɒ/. I have no idea if that’s what you mean by an ‘uh’ sound.– Joel KSep 2, 2022 at 5:26
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OP, Rav Moshe was Russian and in my experience many Russian Jews pronounce komatz this way (such as Lubavitch). But most Ashkenazim use "o" as in "hot" as mentioned in the comment by @JoelK– ezraSep 2, 2022 at 5:35
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@ezra I haven’t got the most trained ear. I confess that I find the distinction between the open-mid back vowel (ɔ) and the open back vowel (ɒ) to be very subtle– Joel KSep 2, 2022 at 5:53