Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Peter Kirk <peterkirk AT qaya.org>]

On 17/04/2004 10:48, Dora Smith wrote:

> ...
>
> Whatever the explanation for dalet and tau morphing into th is, can you guys
> please provide an explanation that makes sense in light of competent people
> and entire temples full of them not ever pronouncing it that way?
>
>  
Dora, the answer to this one is dialect differences. I guess that in 
Buffalo you found competent people and entire classes full of people who 
didn't pronounce English vowels the way you now daily hear them 
pronounced in Texas. But that does not mean that Texans don't speak like 
they actually do. Similarly, just because Jews in Buffalo or wherever 
don't pronounce Hebrew like Yemenite etc Jews and didn't bother to teach 
you their pronunciation, it doesn't mean that the Yemenites don't 
pronounce it like they do.

--
Peter Kirk
peter AT qaya.org (personal)
peterkirk AT qaya.org (work)
http://www.qaya.org/