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The Ashkenazi Hebrew language is a descendant of Biblical Hebrew favored for liturgical use by Ashkenazi Jewish practice. Its phonology was influenced by contact languages such as Yiddish and various Slavic languages. It survives today as a separate religious dialect even alongside Modern Hebrew in Israel.
As it is used parallel with Modern Hebrew, its phonological differences are clearly recognized:
- א ʾālep̄ and ע ʿáyin are completely silent at all times in Ashkenazi Hebrew, where they are frequently both pronounced as a glottal stop in Ashkenazi-style modern Hebrew. (Compare Yisroeil vs. Yisra'el.)
- ת ṯāw is pronounced /s/ in Ashkenazi Hebrew, where it would be always pronounced /t/ in Modern Hebrew. (Compare Shabbos vs. Shabbat.)
- The vowel ṣērê (/ē/) is always pronounced /ei/ in Ashkenazi Hebrew, where it would in some cases be pronounced /e/ in Modern Hebrew. (Compare Omein vs. Amen.)
- The vowel qāmeṣ gāḏôl (/ā/) is pronounced /o/ in Ashkenazi Hebrew, where it is /a/ in Modern Hebrew. (Compare kosher vs. kasher.)
- The vowel ḥôlem (/ō/) is, depending on the subdialect, sometimes pronounced /u/, /ou/ or /oi/ in Ashkenazi Hebrew, where it is /o/ in Modern Hebrew. (Compare yud vs. yod.)
Although Modern Hebrew was based on Sephardi Hebrew, the language as spoken in Israel is essentially Sephardi Hebrew utilizing Mishnaic spelling, constrained to Ashkenazi Hebrew phonology, including the elimination of pharyngeal articulation and the conversion of /r/ from an alveolar flap to a voiced uvular fricative or trill. (See also Uvular R.)
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