Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Peter Kirk" <Peter_R_Kirk AT hotmail.com>]

The sound Joe is referring to is technically a voiced pharyngeal
fricative - heth should be a voiceless version of the same sound. It is
a bit like a cough from the top of the throat. So try saying a long
aaahh and coughing quickly in the middle of it, and you should be saying
something like qamets-ayin-qamets. This sound should be considered a
consonant, not a vowel.

Peter Kirk
peter.r.kirk AT ntlworld.com
http://web.onetel.net.uk/~peterkirk/
 

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Joe Sprinkle [mailto:jsprinkl AT tfc.edu]
> Sent: 28 November 2002 08:42
> To: Biblical Hebrew
> Subject: [b-hebrew] Re: Alephs and Ayins and Vavs! Oh My!
> 
> Most speakers of modern Hebrew seem not to pronounce the ayins.  Only
Jews
> from Arabic speaking countries such as Yemin actually pronounce the
'Ayin
> when speaking Hebrew.  If you can find a native speaker of Arabic,
he/she
> would be able to teach you to pronounce the 'Ayin since Arabic still
uses
> the 'ayin.  Basically it is a vowel sound with a constriction of the
> throat (a  bit like talking while being strangled). Better heard than
> described.
> 
> JMS
> 
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