Proper Pronunciation of Hebrew Alphabet: Beginning with Consonants (Kaph through Ssadi)

Interview with Machon Shilo's Rabbi David Bar-Hayim
Visit us at www.MachonShilo.org

[@jmp071899]

Thank you very much for this video! It gives me great joy to see the original (and proper) pronunciation preserved. Shalom aleihem!

[@learnhowtothink1116]

whoever truly wish to learn the original correct form of ancient hebrew pronunciation I, as a native hebrew speaker who knows the basics of arabic , deeply recommend you to learn the arabic and aramaic pronunciation. the ancient Hebrew spoken by our ancestors the Israelites, definitely sounded much more like the nowadays arabic and the syrian aramaic dialect than its modern castrated one-dimensional synthetic version mixed and contaminated with foreign phonetic influences mostly of european languages. for me as a hebrew speaker, pronouncing arabic is way more easy and effortless task than pronouncing english or any other non-semitic language alike, although my main talent regarding language learning is my prominent ability to "catch" the phonetic structure or accent immediately and pronounce the words correctly. there are no other languages in the whole world which are deeply connected and close to hebrew than these two. it's such a sad fact that both nations, arabs and jews in this age and time are engaging into this seemingly endless geopolitical bloody conflict instead of mutually benefiting each other by sharing the treasures of their glorious ancient cultures and languages. being one that studied judaism for many years and as well is very familiar with islam and arabic, I know perfectly well how judasim and islam, hebrew and arabic are so interconnected and even similar in many of their significant core aspects.

[@ribalabdelkarim4211]

You are right brother, as an Arabic native speaker i find it easy to differentiate between the similar letters . And i think it is mandatory for Hebrew speakers to pronounce the letters correctly as our semitic ancestors did.

[@ribalabdelkarim4211]

I am studying Hebrew and syriac for the fact that as Lebanese these 3 languages are the languages my ancestors used and the Lebanese dialect is tremendously influenced by them.

[@ary2527]

The (ע) sounds like (ع), (ט) sounds like (ط)

[@deakhanani]

You ARE NOT GOD. How dare you disrespect HASHEM!!!

[@wagdywilliam1869]

Do not forget that who had a great deal to share with and a chief role in creating what is called a new religion in the arabic desert is an Israeli tribe that was later fell bloody massacred by the arabic gnomes. This is a historical proofs.

[@ramses0101]

This well educated rabbi explains very well . Most of sounds of ancient hebrew are very close to classical arabic pronunciation. Well slso noting that ancient hebrew is older than arabic, but the roots are the same on the point of pronounciation

[@Carlos.PerlaRE]

This Rabbi could take a silly subject and make it sound like it is something of great importance. Note I am not saying this subject is unimportant just trying to point out how smooth he is. Great videos.

[@zackmano]

Interesting note on the ע: Portuguese Jews pronounce it as an "ng" sound (similar to what the rav described in the Ashkenazi "Yangkif"). For example, יעקב would be "yang-ga-kov", שמע "she-mang", and מעשה "mang-ga-se", etc. Perhaps that is a vestigial pronunciation of what more Ashkenazim did centuries ago and was only preserved in Portugal. I always say, if you put a Teimani in Poland, eventually his great grandchildren will sound like Ashkenazim today. It's a slow, but obvious progression.

[@ahmadaufar9020]

I don't know whether this is coincidence or not, but the Javanese sometimes pronounce arabic 'Ayn as Ngayn too

[@gerryjames9720]

Oh My! I feel like the frog in love with the princess. I love this people and I’m falling in love with the language, but, like the thoughts of the Almighty, it is too wonderful for me to comprehend.

[@fruitseat5788]

that is called laziness

[@wb1847]

So, from this video, the Arabic speakers pronounce Hebrew better than Hebrew speakers....

[@hyperion3145]

Considering how Arabic is a Semetic language that has largely not changed, it'd make sense. Modern Hebrew takes a lot from European languages.

[@christofferraby4712]

@@hyperion3145 Best Hebrew pronunciation in modern day Israel is from the Yemenite Jews.

[@everythingtorah]

@@christofferraby4712 Iraqis and the Syrians who pronounce ו as waw instead vav like some of them do

[@screamtoasigh9984]

He makes a number of false claims. Because the invasion of Islam destroyed any remnant of what would have been. You can't use Arabic or Assyrian Aramaic - which was also Arabized as an example. Hebrew is the ONLY living language in its language family. Using Arabic to show what Hebrew would have been is as bad as using English slaveholders to show how African slaves talked.

[@screamtoasigh9984]

They are Arab speakers. Genetically and linguistically they were not isolated as other communities. Why are they pointed to? Arabicfetishizers.@@christofferraby4712

[@matthewheald8964]

As a (Mandarin) Chinese speaker, I just want to say that there are no guttural consonants in standard Chinese; there are some sounds that may be considered close enough to cause confusion (the "ain" sound may be considered similar to the 3rd tone and the "sh" sound may have here been confused with the "s'adi"), but they are not the same thing and are in fact quite distinct in spite of their similarities. That being said, great video!

[@israelaol3056]

Thank you very very much Beloved Brother, TODA RABA

[@coffeemachtspass]

Helpful. Thanks.

[@mokkorista]

Thank you

[@johnnysantos3997]

Lot of these letters are extremely similar to the paleo hebrew & Greek. Pretty Cool..

[@jomana1109]

Are there any resources to learn Hebrew with authentic pronunciation? Not the modern one.

[@Majeed.]

There's no ع 'Ayn sound in Chinese. Thank you for the elaboration

[@benavraham4397]

In the Salish native American laguage of Orogon, there is a sound that many linguists consider close to the Semitic 'Ayin. Aside from that, Het and 'Ayin are unique to Afro-Asiatic (Hamito-Semitic) languages.

[@user-oy3oo8cu3j]

Yes there is some words in Chinese that’s close to the Ayn sound i work in China

[@mysteriumvitae5338]

There probably was such a sound in Old Chinese, the even pre-Wenyan one, I think. But, given the obviously non-phonetical nature of Chinese script (not _completely_ non-phonetical, though!), the scientific approximations to the truth are probably _very_ approximate here.

[@stevenv6463]

Yeah I agree with you strictly. But ع sounds close to the rising falling tone in words like 我，哪，etc. At least if I were teaching an Arabic speaker Chinese or a Chinese speaker Arabic I would start here with this sound to approximate it.

[@matthewheald8964]

@@user-oy3oo8cu3j standard Chinese (Mandarin) or one of the other languages (Cantonese, Hakka, Hokkien, etc.)?

[@RudydeGroot]

So what about the prayer: Baruch Adonai hamoworach le'olam wa'ed. (Excuse my Dutch transliteration.) There are two ajin's in there. The latter I already pronounce with a guttural, as wa'ed, hence the apostrophe. But what about le'olam? How was / should this originally (be) pronounced?

[@morehn]

Leolam is the same later ayin. No reason it would be different.

[@aminaz1778]

Teimani Hebrew is like pre-king Salomon Hebrew, but languages are alive and change throughout time. But Yemeni hebrew sounds like the Ashkenazi pronunciation

[@scottsterling7659]

צ shocked me

[@whydoIneedone846]

I'm surprised you didn't speak more about the Lamed, I am really quite doubtful that it is the same as the English L which is actually very unique among languages and I believe does not exist in either Aramaic or Arabic. Even modern Hebrew has a different pronunciation for this and Arabic has yet another sound. Please elaboration would be nice.

[@screamtoasigh9984]

We actually don't know. He makes a number of false claims. Because the invasion of Islam destroyed any remnant of what would have been. You can't use Arabic or Assyrian Aramaic - which was also Arabized as an example. Hebrew is the ONLY living language in its language family.

[@schellstarr]

Todah

[@6D1R2E]

Where is these extra dots and whatnot in the paleohebrew? Ezekiel 35.

[@dailyoneenglish2176]

I was watching this video for these similar sounding consonants but I couldn't get that. I don't know why they just came with these simple words. Atleast instead of L,m,n,s they could have told those similar sounding letters which offen people get confused.....

[@yehudamakarov]

I don’t understand how the tzadi is different than a samech and an ayin together

[@ajarnwordsmith628]

Where was the Rabbi born? He speaks Anglo-English with an RP accent. Almost.

[@aminaz1778]

ت،ص،س their hebrew equivalents:tsade,shin and sameh,I'm not a phonetician but i worked it out because Hebrew, Arabic, Abyssinian, Aramaic belong to the same family tree

[@eliesakroudi5783]

You dicided to use the ashkenazi corrupted sounds

[@jamesworley9888]

Anyone that wants to speak about or in Hebrew Culture should be very aware of these important pronunciations,

[@screamtoasigh9984]

He makes a number of false claims. Because the invasion of Islam destroyed any remnant of what would have been. You can't use Arabic or Assyrian Aramaic - which was also Arabized as an example. Hebrew is the ONLY living language in its language famil

[@jamesworley9888]

@@screamtoasigh9984 No form of logical or spiritual evidence shows I should believe you. Hebrew is a semitic language and therefore it ONLY makes sense that it should sound like one. Hebrew might be the oldest alphabet but it isn't the oldest language or script by a long shot. Pronunciation is one of the ultra-rare things I actually admire about the rabbai. Jews have takin the higher spiritual concepts out of there religion and retarded them with utterly nonsensical traditions and Dogma that have nothing to do with connecting us to the higher power. I would give a wopper of coins to see anyone who gets both the pronunciation and the spirituality right. It kills me that I'm the only one here with a lick of common sense.

[@yaroslavlyakutya326]

You said that the letter Tsade does not exist in European languages. I would like to correct you in that in Russian language we have exactly the same letter and sound. Even it is written like Hebrew Tsade. This Russian letter is called Tse and written as Ц.

[@olterigo]

Yaroslavl Yakutya The rabbi meant not the letter and the sound like they exist in Russian. He meant the sound as it existed in the Biblical Hebrew and the related sound exists in Arabic.

[@destructo3915]

+Yaroslavl Yakutya That Russian letter corresponds to the Ashkenazic and modern Israeli Hebrew, not the original Biblical Hebrew as the Rabbi describes in this video.

[@fmafan123456789]

What about reish!?!? Do i sound itnoutnlike in french or roll it like this man does?!?!?

[@davidroberts3262]

Ancient Jewish sources say roll it, but don't over do it. You sound silly if you say, "Rrrrrread this letterrrrrr and rrrrrrrroll your arrrrrrrs." :) It's a short roll or flap.

[@Conan2403]

Very short roll, I would call it a tap with your tongue.

[@benavraham4397]

Reish in Hebrew should be pronounced like R in Arabic, Italian and Russian. However, the official Israeli Reish is pronounced in the throat like Yiddish, German and French.

[@deakhanani]

@@davidroberts3262 Just like in Arabic, there is a light way and a heavy way to roll the resh. Dependent of course upon what precedes the resh.

[@jabujolly9020]

Jabu Jolly You made a mistake Rabbi. The pay and fay are not pronounced that way by Ebraeli---that is Georgian Jews. For them it's always a pay. Also among Western Sephardim eg Spabish-Portuguese and Italki Jews the atom is pronounced ng as in sing. That's where Ashkenazim get Yangkev. Also only Arabic Sephardim, Iraqi, and Teimani pronounce it a deep s. Spanish-Portuguese, Ladinero Sephardim and Persian/Bukharuan province it Ts just as Ashkenazim do.

[@tornadoman1054]

3:03 'Ayn' EXISTS in European languages and you can find this sound in the Caucasus region among indigenous people, like Dagestanies and Chechens, and Jews from that region (also known as 'Caucasian Jews' or 'Juhuri') pronounce 'ayn' properly.

[@anasabou1904]

caucasus is not europe

[@Emsyaz]

@@anasabou1904 they are white people though. CAUCASUS, sounds like the original land of white people

[@anasabou1904]

@@Emsyaz wanna know how I can tell you are american ?

[@genesisbustamante-durian]

@@anasabou1904 Haha you destroyed that guy

[@hyperion3145]

@@genesisbustamante-durian He destroyed the newbie

[@olterigo]

Yaroslavl Yakutya is correct. The letter and the sound exist in Russian.

[@verysmoky3605]

I don't think so. The posited ancient Hebrew pronunciation of Tsadi (at least according to the video above) was a pharyngealized/uvularized voiceless alveolar fricative. "Ц" is not pharyngealized. I found a good explanation of this on this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/b4jZdIKimLGGfrM (but I think it's not quite the same, because ص (the Arabic equivalent of this letter) is more like a pharyngealized "C" (the Russian letter) rather than a pharyngealized "Ц".

[@johnathanwoods1223]

They Europeanized it. Caf is kaf not chaf. Ayin makes a line I sound.

[@benavraham4397]

Modern Aramaic has Chaf also like Hebrew. The ancient Middle East had much more diversity than the modern Arabized Middle East.

[@ShlomoWalfish]

Lamed ל is pronounced differently by Americans, French and Israelis. Americans place the tongue under the teeth while Israeli behind the teeth, and French curl the tongue, The British have another accent.

[@Conan2403]

Lamed is about the brightest und pointiest L I know. The opposite of American or Russian hard L. I mean, if you want it correctly.

[@deakhanani]

Actually, lamed is suppose to be pronounced in Hebrew exactly how the laa is pronounced in Arabic.

[@aminaz1778]

Tsade , in my opinion is a very hebrew letter it's equivalent Arabic is ت pronounced at the tip of the tongue

[@izzuddinabdullah164]

No it’s ص (sad)

[@aminaz1778]

@@izzuddinabdullah164 you might be right, I need to verify with a phonology book to find out which part of the mouth is involved with the prononciation of each letter

[@arntchristianteigen2400]

sknaצ

[@mujemoabraham6522]

Thank you for your lecture but give me chance to let you know the reasons behind not able to pronounce these typical Semitic letters details as follow : When the Ashkenazim revived the language as they were the pioneers no doubt and they should be appreciated for their accomplishment but in the other hand they destroyed the spirit of the language as they Germanized it which means they changed many typical pure Semitic letters to sound like their German or Yiddish language ( Yiddish derived from German ) as they were/are unable to pronounce them so they shifted from east to west and I will give you some examples : 1- The letter ח Hhet converted to German CH ( KH ) 2- The letter ט Ttet converted to normal T 3- The letter ע A"yen converted to sound like A 4- The letter צ Ssadi converted to German Z ( TS ) 5- The letter ק Qof converted to sound like K 6- The letter ר Resh converted to German R ( GH ) 7- The letter ו Waw converted to German W ( V ) they did not change all these letters sound by bad intention but because these pure Semitic letters were/are so heavy on their tongues, then Mizrahim or eastern Jews followed them step by step as the Ashkenazim were/are the founders / leaders of the new state and they are who run the state departments, schools, educational institutes and media like TVs so their broken accent prevailed . This is the fact.

[@benavraham4397]

Resh, you are absolutely right about. But one thing: Jews in Iraqi pronunced their Arabic R exactly like R in German. Imagine Rava and Abbaye pronouncing their Resh like Ashkenazim !!! Pretty awesome! Het is pronounce like Chaf by most modern Aramaic speakers. Even if Hebrew had remained in Middle East, it may have turned out like Chaf any way. Same with 'Ayin turning to Alef. The Ashkenazim having turned Thav to Sav, is typical Semitic. They probably brought it with them from Eretz Israel. In Syrian Hebrew, they pronounce Waw as Vav, and modern Aramaic pronounces Waw and Vet identically. So that is not necessaerily European. If the emphatics, Tet, Tsade and Qof were glottalized, then the TZ pronunciation of Tzade by ALL European Jews would be closest to the ancient pronunciation. It's too bad about Tet and Quf, but I've read that Georgean Jews pronounceed them glottalized.

[@kingdomheaven8919]

rabbi looks tired. Hope he got some rest

[@mysteriumvitae5338]

So the צ was not pronounced /ts/, but like modern-day ص‎ ? It sounds too weird to be true for me. Obviously, in the early Middle Ages it was clearly a /ts/ and, look, the LXX translators of the Septuagint transliterated צ as Ζ ζ, clearly an affricata back then. At any rate, I read it was an "emphatic ts" in Biblical times, a /ts/ with more effort and a tiny hint of עalias ع. (Which does not exist in Mandarin, by the way)

[@mujemoabraham6522]

Mysterium Vitae give me chance to let you know the reasons behind not able to pronounce these typical Semitic letters details as follow : When the Ashkenazim revived the language as they were the pioneers no doubt and they should be appreciated for their accomplishment but in the other hand they destroyed the spirit of the language as they Germanized it which means they changed many typical pure Semitic letters to sound like their German or Yiddish language ( Yiddish derived from German ) as they were/are unable to pronounce them so they shifted from east to west and I will give you some examples : 1- The letter ח Hhet converted to German CH ( KH ) 2- The letter ט Ttet converted to normal T 3- The letter ע A"yen converted to sound like A 4- The letter צ Ssadi converted to German Z ( TS ) 5- The letter ק Qof converted to sound like K 6- The letter ר Resh converted to German R ( GH ) 7- The letter ו Waw converted to German W ( V ) they did not change all these letters sound by bad intention but because these pure Semitic letters were/are so heavy on their tongues, then Mizrahim or eastern Jews followed them step by step as the Ashkenazim were/are the founders / leaders of the new state and they are who run the state departments, schools, educational institutes and media like TVs so their broken accent prevailed . This is the fact.

[@benavraham4397]

I looked up on-line LXX, and I found almost every Sade written in Greek with Sigma, not Zeta. You seem to be mistaken.

[@ah795u]

@@mujemoabraham6522 nope, its because the sephardic pronounciation was used. The ashkenazi pronounciation was only carried over in ע and א, and ח and כ. Mist ashkenazim we do not use the ר with german pronounciation before modern hebrew.

[@liolip5663]

🤣🤣🤣

[@ginesito5392]

white people saying they are semitic hehe

[@verysmoky3605]

Levantines are white (Syria is, or was, full of people who look whiter than Rabbi Bar-Hayim) and "Semitic" is a linguistic, not a racial, category. Ethiopians and Maltese people are both "Semitic" because they speak Semitic languages, not because they fit some stereotypical phenotype of person from the Middle East.