Re: Hebrew pronounciation
AniImah@aol.com
Tue, 23 Sep 1997 13:33:30 -0400 (EDT)
Since the establishment of the State of Israel, all Hebrew linguistic
matters are governed by the Academy for the Hebrew Language. (HaAkademiah
Le Lashon Ha Ivrit), which is located, of course in Israel. With the mass
Aliyot (immigration) from many different countries, uniformity of
pronounciation was necessary so that they could all be understood by each
other. It was therefore established that the recognized "accent" be
Sephardic. The decision was made by majority vote, and has been carried
forward, without any intention to single out or discredit other groups.
Some Yeshivot, of Ashkenazi origin, have simply continued speaking as they
have done for hundreds of years! I, too, like you, am of Ashkenani origin,
but speak and teach Hebrew with Sephardic accent. You'll find, too, that
children make less spelling mistakes with this method, since it is purely
phonetic. Hope this helps.
Marion.