On 23 Sep 98, at 20:35, Peter_Kirk AT sil.org wrote:
> Paradoxically, the Sephardi (Mountain) Jews in Azerbaijan, when
> speaking their own (Farsi related) language, pronounce a: as open
> o in a more Ashkenazi manner!
My understanding is that Sephardi pronunciation is supposed to
distinguish between a quamatz gadol and quamatz katan, but that this
distinction is less frequently practiced nowadays.