What sound (in Hebrew) is represented by the English letters "Ch". For example, this sound is the first sound of Chanukah. I wikipedia-ed and discovered that Hebrew has a uvular fricative; is this the right sound?
(Use linguistic terminology, please, if possible. I'm a linguist.)
2007-02-06 11:04:08 · 2 answers · asked by drshorty 7 in Society & Culture ➔ Languages
The letter Heth (ח), that is the first letter of the word "chanukkah", was originally pronounced as a voiceless velar fricative (like the Arabic ﺡ): a deep and clear throaty sound that comes from the bottom of the throat and resembles the Spanish "J", only deeper.
In Modern Hebrew we don't use this sound anymore, and pronounce the letter Heth exactly like the letter Khaf (כ)- voiceless uvular fricative. This pronunciation is similar to the Arabic letter Kha (ﺥ): resembles the German "ch" in the word "zach", or the French "r" in the word "roche".
2007-02-07 00:03:51 · answer #1 · answered by yotg 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
It is pronounced like an extremely hard "H," almost as if you were trying to clear hair from the back of your throat.
2007-02-06 19:09:20 · answer #2 · answered by NHBaritone 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋