Verse:Tdūrzů/Hebrew

The history of Hebrew and Judaism in Lõis is much like our own, except no revival of Hebrew has taken place. This page documents the various pronunciations of Hebrew used by the different Jewish communities in Lõis.

Corded Ware Hebrew

Vowels as in Sephardi Hebrew (except shva = all chatafs = [ə]), consonants are more varied depending on the individual Jewish community.

Readings similar to this are used all over Western Europe.

The enunciative vowel -ə is used when a word (1) in pausa (2) has ultimate stress and (3) has final C. The 2fs morpheme /-t/ is pronounced /-tə/ when following a consonant: כתבת [kaˈθavtə] 'you (2fs) wrote'.

ברוך אתה ה', א-לוהינו מלך העולם, אשר בחר בנו מכל העמים ונתן לנו את תורתו. ברוך אתה ה', נותן התורה.

/vaˈrux ʔatˈta ʔəðoˈnaj, ʔəloheˈnu ˈmelex haʁoˈlamə, ʔəˈʃer vaˈχar ˈvanu mikˈkol haʁaˈmimə, wənaˈθan ˈlanu ʔeθ toraˈθo. vaˈrux ʔaˈta ʔaðoˈnaj, noˈθen hatoˈra./

שהחינו וקיימנו והגיענו לזמן הזה

/ʃeheχəˈjanu wəkijəˈmanu wəhigiˈʁanu lazəˈman haˈze/

Sample (Genesis 1:1-5)

Typical Western or Central CW reading

בְּרֵאשִׁ֖ית בָּרָ֣א אֱלֹהִ֑ים אֵ֥ת הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם וְאֵ֥ת הָאָֽרֶץ׃

[vəreˈʃiθ vaˈra ʔəloˈhimə | ʔeθ haʃaˈmajim wəˈʔeθ haˈʔarets]

וְהָאָ֗רֶץ הָֽיְתָ֥ה תֹ֨הוּ֙ וָבֹ֔הוּ וְחֹ֖שֶׁךְ עַל־פְּנֵ֣י תְה֑וֹם וְר֣וּחַ אֱלֹהִ֔ים מְרַחֶ֖פֶת עַל־פְּנֵ֥י הַמָּֽיִם׃

[wəhaˈʔarets hajəˈθa ˈθohu waˈvohu wəˈχoʃex ʁal pəne θəˈhomə | wəˈɾuax ʔəloˈhim məraˈχefeθ ʁal pəne haˈmajim]

וַיֹּ֥אמֶר אֱלֹהִ֖ים יְהִ֣י א֑וֹר וַֽיְהִי־אֽוֹר׃

[waˈjomeɾ ʔəloˈhim jəhi ˈʔorə | wajəˈhi ˈʔorə]

וַיַּ֧רְא אֱלֹהִ֛ים אֶת־הָא֖וֹר כִּי־ט֑וֹב וַיַּבְדֵּ֣ל אֱלֹהִ֔ים בֵּ֥ין הָא֖וֹר וּבֵ֥ין הַחֹֽשֶׁךְ׃

[waˈjar ʔəloˈhim ʔeθ haˈʔoɾ kiˈtovə | wajavˈðel ʔəloˈhim ven haˈʔoɾ ʔuˈven haˈχoʃex]

וַיִּקְרָ֨א אֱלֹהִ֤ים ׀ לָאוֹר֙ י֔וֹם וְלַחֹ֖שֶׁךְ קָ֣רָא לָ֑יְלָה וַֽיְהִי־עֶ֥רֶב וַֽיְהִי־בֹ֖קֶר י֥וֹם אֶחָֽד׃

[wajiˈkra ʔəloˈhim laˈʔor ˈjom wəlaˈχoʃex ˈkara ˈlajla | wajəˈhi ˈʁerev wajəˈhi ˈvoker jom ʔeˈχaðə]

Qivattu Hebrew

Similar to Corded Ware Hebrew except it has geminates and no enunciative vowels

Readings similar to this are used in Western Europe.

ברוך אתה ה', א-לוהינו מלך העולם, אשר בחר בנו מכל העמים ונתן לנו את תורתו. ברוך אתה ה', נותן התורה.

/vaˈrux ʔatˈta ʔədoˈnaj, ʔəloheˈnu ˈmelex haʁoˈlam, ʔəˈʃer vaˈχar ˈvanu mikˈkol haʁamˈmim, wənaˈθan ˈlanu ʔeθ toraˈθo. vaˈrux ʔatˈta ʔadoˈnaj, noˈθen hattoˈra./

שהחינו וקיימנו והגיענו לזמן הזה

/ʃeheχəˈjanu wəkijjəˈmanu wəhiggiˈʁanu lazzəˈman hazˈze/

English Hebrew

TT-English Hebrew is one of the most conservative modern Lõisian reading traditions (i.e. closest to Tiberian Hebrew). It is mostly like our Ashkenazi Hebrew, except that all of the begadkefat consonants except /g/ preserve the lenition. The exact accent would depend on the speaker's native English accent; the given values are the L-Standard English values. Hebrew is often anglicized in an ad-hoc manner.

Jews started speaking English after English underwent the Great Vowel Shift and entered the Northern Levant Sprachbund, which was soon after Tiberian Hebrew niqqud was standardized around AD 900.

The colloquial use of penultimately stressed Hebrew words in L-Jewish English (as in our Yiddish) is the source of English words such as chutzpah (Lõisian orthography: ⟨khutspoh⟩) and Torah (Lõisian orthography: ⟨Tuoroh⟩; pronounced with the FORCE vowel in Lõis). (If you were wondering, oy vey comes from a not-specifically-Jewish source: from oh woe [øɪ vøɪ] in a Lõisian accent of English that yields an Ashkenazi Hebrew accent when Hebrew is read in it.)

Vowels

English Hebrew distinguishes between all of the Tiberian Hebrew vowels.

Like in Tiberian Hebrew, Standard English Hebrew has tense-lax alternation, depending on whether the syllable is stressed OR open or not. However, loss of gemination messed this up somewhat and unstressed patach and pretonic unstressed hiriq are always short. Speakers of some English accents such as the Ashkenazi Hebrew inspired accents of English, do not make any tense-lax distinctions, thus stressed syllables become long and pronouncing all unstressed syllables become short.

• patach = chataf patach = tense PALM /ɑː/ in stressed syllables / lax TRAP /a~æ/ in unstressed syllables. Usually transcribed a.
• segol = chataf segol = DRESS /ɛ/. Usually transcribed e.
• tzere = FACE /ɛɪ/. Usually transcribed â.
• qamatz = chataf qamatz = tense THOUGHT /ɔː/ in open OR stressed syllables / lax LOT /ɔ/ in closed unstressed syllables. Usually transcribed o, oh or au.
• cholam = GOAT /əʊ~əʏ/. Usually transcribed uo.
• chiriq = tense FLEECE /i:~ɪj/ in open syllables / lax KIT /ɪ/ in pretonic unstressed syllables. Usually transcribed i or ê. Some people use -ih for final unstressed /i/: אֲנִי אָמַרְתִּי בְחָפְזִי /ʔaˈniː ʔɔˈmaɾtiː bəχɔfˈziː/ anê ohmarrtih bkhofzê 'I said in my haste'.
• qubbutz / shuruq = tense GOOSE /ü:/ in stressed or open syllables / lax FOOT /ɵ~ʊ̈/ in unstressed closed syllables. Usually transcribed u or ô.
• Shva is usually not pronounced except, possibly, to resolve initial consonant clusters disallowed in English. When pronounced it is pronounced [ə]. It may be transcribed ă or e, or not be transcribed. It may be pronounced [i] before /j/ (e.g. תְדַמְּיוּנִי thăđamăyônih [θəˌðamiˈjüːnɪj~ˌθðamiˈjüːnɪj] 'you (pl) liken me').

Consonants

/ʔ b v g ɣ d ð h w z ħ tʼ j k x l m n s ʕ p f ts kʼ r ʃ t θ/ = /ʔ~∅ b v g g d ð h w z x t j k x l m n s ʔ~∅ p f ts k ɾ~ɹ~ʋ ʃ t θ/

As in Received Pronunciation, /l/ is clear [l] when before a vowel and dark [ɫ] otherwise. /ʊ̈ üː əʊ/ before dark L are backed to [ʊ uː ɔʊ].

Voiceless plosives are usually aspirated.

Some cantors who are careful readers may pronounce /ħ ʕ tʼ kʼ/ as [ħ ʕ t⁼ k⁼] and have clear aspiration in non-emphatic /t k/.

Gemination is not pronounced.

A schwa [ə] may be added before non-prevocalic r. Non-prevocalic R may even be vocalized to [ə]. (L-Standard English has variable rhoticity, so speakers are likely to perceive a diphthong ending in [ə] as a vowel plus R, even though no R sound is there.)

Voicing assimilation does NOT occur as in Israeli Hebrew, but follows English patterns.

Sample (Genesis 1:1-5)

Verse	Masoretic Text	L-Philadelphian	L-Standard	Quasi-Ashkenazi Hebrew
1:1	בְּרֵאשִׁ֖ית בָּרָ֣א אֱלֹהִ֑ים אֵ֥ת הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם וְאֵ֥ת הָאָֽרֶץ׃	[bəɹɪjˈʃiʝt̪ bɔˈɹoə ʔɛɫəʊˈhiʝm | ʔɪjt̪ hæʃɔˈmɑːjɪm wəˈʔɪjt̪ hɔˈʔoəɾɛts]	[bəɹɛɪˈʃɪjθ bɔːˈʋɔː ʔɛləʏˈhɪjm | ʔɛɪθ haʃɔːˈmɑːjɪm wəˈʔɛɪθ hɔːˈʔɔːʋɛts]	[bəʀeɪˈʃiːs̠ boˈʀoː ʔelɔɪˈhiːm | ʔeɪs̠ haʃoˈmaːjɪm vəˈʔeɪs̠ hoˈʔoːʀets]
1:2	וְהָאָ֗רֶץ הָֽיְתָ֥ה תֹ֨הוּ֙ וָבֹ֔הוּ וְחֹ֖שֶׁךְ עַל־פְּנֵ֣י תְה֑וֹם וְר֣וּחַ אֱלֹהִ֔ים מְרַחֶ֖פֶת עַל־פְּנֵ֥י הַמָּֽיִם	[wəhɔˈʔoəɹɛts hɔjəˈt̪oə ˈt̪əʊhüw wɔˈvəʊhüw wəˈxəʊʃɛx ʔæɫ pənɛɪ t̪əˈhəʊm | wəˈɾüwæx ʔɛɫəʊˈhiʝm məɹæˈxɛfɛθ ʔæɫ pənɛɪ hæˈmojɪm]	[wəhɔːˈʔɔːɹɛts hɔːjəˈθɔː ˈθəʊhüː wɔːˈvəʊhüː wəˈxəʊʃɛx ʔaɫ pənɛɪ θəˈhəʊm | wəˈɾüːwax ʔɛləʏˈhiːm məɾaˈxɛfɛθ ʔaɫ pəˈnɛɪ haˈmɔːjɪm]	[vəhoˈʔoːʀets hojəˈs̠oː ˈs̠ɔɪhu voˈvɔɪhu vəˈχɔɪʃeχ ʔal pəneɪ s̠əˈhɔɪm | wəˈʀuaχ ʔelɔɪˈhiːm məʀaˈχefes̠ ʔal pəneɪ haˈmoːjɪm]
1:3	וַיֹּ֥אמֶר אֱלֹהִ֖ים יְהִ֣י א֑וֹר וַֽיְהִי־אֽוֹר׃	[waˈjəʊmɛɾ ʔɛɫəʊˈhiʝm jəhi ʔəʊɾ | wajəˈhi ʔəʊɾ]	[waˈjəʊmɛə ʔɛləʊˈhɪjm jəhɪj ʔəʏɾ | wajəˈhiː ʔəʏɾ]	[vaˈjɔɪmeʀ ʔelɔɪˈhiːm jəˈhiː ʔɔɪʀ | vajəˈhiː ʔɔɪʀ]
1:4	וַיַּ֧רְא אֱלֹהִ֛ים אֶת־הָא֖וֹר כִּי־ט֑וֹב וַיַּבְדֵּ֣ל אֱלֹהִ֔ים בֵּ֥ין הָא֖וֹר וּבֵ֥ין הַחֹֽשֶׁךְ׃	[waˈjɑːɾ ʔɛɫəʊˈhiʝm ʔɛθ hɔˈʔəʊɾ ki ˈtəʊv | wajævˈdeːɫ ʔɛɫəʊˈhiʝm bɪjn hɔˈʔəʊɾ ʔüˈvɪjn hæˈxəʊʃɛx]	[waˈjɑːɾ ʔɛləʊˈhiːm ʔɛθ hɔːˈʔəʊə kiːˈtɜʏv | wajavˈdɛɪɫ ʔɛləʊˈhiːm bɛɪn hɔːˈʔəʊɾ ʔüːˈvɛɪn haˈxəʏʃɛx]	[vaˈjaːʀ ʔelɔɪˈhiːm ʔes̠ hɔˈʔɔɪʀ kiːˈtɔɪv | vajavˈdeɪl ʔelɔɪˈhiːm beɪn hoˈʔɔɪʀ ʔüˈveɪn haˈχɔɪʃeχ]
1:5	וַיִּקְרָ֨א אֱלֹהִ֤ים לָאוֹר֙ י֔וֹם וְלַחֹ֖שֶׁךְ קָ֣רָא לָ֑יְלָה וַֽיְהִי־עֶ֥רֶב וַֽיְהִי־בֹ֖קֶר י֥וֹם אֶחָֽד׃	[wajɪˈkɹoə ʔɛɫəʊˈhiʝm ɫɔˈʔəʊɾ ˈjəʊm wəɫaˈxəʊʃɛx ˈkoəɾoə ˈɫojəɫoə | wajˈhi ˈʔɛɹɛv wajˈhi ˈvəʊkɛɾ jəʊm ʔɛˈxoəd̪]	[wajɪˈkɹɔː ʔɛləʏˈhiːm lɔːˈʔəʏəɹ ˈjəʊm wəlaˈxəʊʃɛx ˈkɔːʋɔː ˈloɪlɔː | wajəˈhiː ˈʔɛɹɛv wajəˈhiː ˈvəʊ̈kɛəɹ jəʏm ʔɛˈxɔːð]	[vajɪˈkʀoː ʔelɔɪˈhiːm loˈʔɔɪʀ ˈjɔɪm vəlaˈχɔɪʃeχ ˈkoːʀo ˈlojlo | vajəˈhiː ˈʔeʀev vajəˈhiː ˈvɔɪkeʀ jɔɪm ʔeˈχoːd]

Khuômiskh Hebrew

Should sound like a hypothetical Vietnamese Hebrew