Curiuous: how do you pronounce 'Chief Rabbi' - rav rashi or roshi? Most people say the former in normal speech.
I think this is because the qamatz qatan is written exactly like the other qamatz.
But then 'language is not mathematics' - note the pronounciation of 'hodshi'
where the vowel of the singular Hodesh is preserved despite the hataf qamatz - this seemingly refutes the first example above.
And yes, Tsohorayim became Tsaharayim a long time ago. Here again for the same reason that the Rav became Rashi.
Uri
2. I don't know what is the origin or purpose of this O reading for some qamats', but interestingly enough, the word CAHARAYIM צהרים 'noon', is now commonly pronounced CAHARAYIM and not COHORAYIM,
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