Re: Hebrew Pronunciation
Rafael (rafael@nyct.net)
Wed, 29 Oct 1997 16:43:40 +0000
A number of people have referred to the Israeli pronunciation of Hebrew as
Sephardi. According to a Sephardi rabbinic friend of mine, who grew up as
an Israeli but is of Morrocan lineage, there are quite a few differences.
To mention just a few, traditional Sephardim pronounce the tav or sav
(sans/without dagesh, that is) as "th" rather than a 't,' the ayin with a
guttural sound, and the gimmel sans dagesh as 'j' rather than a 'g.' I
also vaguely remember some differences in the dalet sans dagesh and tzakee.
His descriptions closely resemble the descriptions I have heard or read
concerning the Yemenite pronunciation. This similarity would suggest that
Sephardit(th) is closer to the original than Ashkenazis (given the
geographic remoteness of Yemen from Spain and Morrocco. Does anyone have
information or thoughts regarding this point?
Rafael Malfatto