Pronouncing Translitereated Hebrew and Greek Words
Each vowel has a particular sound but not always the one that first comes to mind.
- a is ah, as in "father"
- e is ay, as in "neighbor," or eh as in "end"
- i is ee, as in "petite"
- o is oh, as in "hope"
- u is uh, as in "up"
- y is also uh for Greek words
- y is ee, as in "see" for Hebrew words - when it is not a consonant
Combination vowels (dipthongs) have predictable sounds.
- au is aw, as in "author"
- ei is ih, as in "sit"
- eu is yoo, as in "eulogy"
- io is yo, as in "fiord"
- oi is oy, as in "boil"
Double vowels are always too separate syllables.
- baal is bah-ahl
- raah is rah-ah
- eleeo is ayl-ay-ay-oh
- teleioo is tayl-ih-oh-oh
A final vowel is never silent.
- chay is chah-ee
- pyle is puh-lay
- yare is yah-ray
Consonants sound as they do in English, but...
- g is always hard, as in "get;" never soft, as in "George"
- ch in Hebrew words stands for a sound that does not exist in English but occurs in the German ach and the Scottish loch
