Re: About Hebrew pronunciation

On May 31, 2004, at 7:12 PM, Frank George Valoczy wrote:
> A question, since I have started learning Hebrew (well, a while ago,
> but
> it's going *slowly*)...so I can with final validity (expression
> translated
> from Hungarian 'végérvényesen') which pronunciation to learn, common
> Israeli usage be damned...
> What was to be found in Hungary (specifically Banat/Vojvodina) in the
> 19th
> century? (Since this is how Hebrew applies to me). I would guess
> Ashkenazic? Though Sephardic speakers did go to the Sarajevo area at
> some
> point, I doubt they'd have gone to Hungary...
> ---Squelch
> (weinrotweiss)
> Minitropolis: http://www.geocities.com/malignusmini/
> Vorwärts immer, rückwärts nimmer!

All hail the "Pronunciations of Hebrew" article in the Encyclopedia
Judaica! :)

Unfortunately, i can't find either of those cities on maps on the
internet, although Vojvodina seems to be more associated with
Yugoslavia than Hungary, if it's the same one.

Anyway, according to the map in the encyclopedia, the southern third of
Hungary is outside of the Yiddish-zone, which may mean out of the whole
Ashkenazic zone also.  The rest of Hungary is in the "Central"
Ashkenazic zone, where they pronounced Hebrew like this:

alef = (silent)
bet = /b/ [b v]
gimel = always [g]
daled = always [d]
hei = sometimes /h/ sometimes silent
vav = /v/
zayin = /z/
hhet = /x/
tet = /t/
yud = /j/
kaf = /k/ [k x]
lamed = /l/
mem = /m/
nun = /n/
samekh = /s/
`ayin = (silent)
pei = /p/ [p f]
tzadi = /ts)/
quf = /k/
reish = mostly voiced velar fricative /G/ or continuant /R/, although
some pronounced it /4/ or /r/
shin = /S/
sin = /s/
tav = /t/ [t s]

Gemination is not pronounced.

shuruq/qubutz = mostly /i/, some /y/ or /u\/
hholam = /oj/
qomatz = /u/
patahh = /a/
tzeireh = /aj/
segol = /e/, sometimes /ej/ when stressed
hhiriq = /i/ (in my experience sometimes /I/)
shva-na` (schwa moblie) = /@/ or /e/
hhataf/ultrashort vowels pronounced as their full equivalents

Congratulations, you are now the proud speaker of a "Galitziyaner"
accent! ;)


-Stephen (Steg)
  "the sun will stand still between ‘aza and rafiahh
   the moon will glow white on the peak of hhermon
   flowers in the gunbarrels and girls on the towers
   multitudes of soldiers to the city will come home"
      ~ from 'perahhim baqanim' by subliminal

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