[Avodah] [Areivim] Oh, Oy, Ow

[Micha Berger]

On Tue, Jun 07, 2011 at 12:34:24PM -0700, Harry Maryles wrote:
: Rabbi Hamburger's Shorshei Minhag Ashkenaz makes the argument...

: The Charedi (or Chasidic) "Oy" is not really correct because that
: pronunciation requires that a Yud be added to the Cholum. The Litvishe
: (and Lubavitcher) pronunciation "Ay" (as in pronouncing the letter "A"
: in the English alphabet) is especially incorrect because that sound is
: obviously just a tzeirei. The Yekke pronunciation of "Ow" is really the
: sound of a patach and shuruk. (It should be noted that Rabbi Hamburger
: is a Yekke.) We are thus left with the sound of the American "Oh" as the
: most probable pronunciation of the Cholum.

(In the below, /x/ notation means "the sound 'x' makes in English in my
part of the world. Not IPA symbols.)

By that argument, the Sepharadi and Israeli less rounded variant is
more probable. We Americans tend to add a /w/ sound at the end of our
long /O/s. That too is a dipthong. Maybe it belongs on a cholam malei,
but not in general.

Problem with /ei/ or /oi/ is that they lend themselves to being rounded
with a /y/, not a /w/. As in the vav-yud digraph in Yiddish for its
choilam/cheilam. A cheilam malei would more logically have a yud as
the eim hamiqra, not a vav.

: What accounts for all these variations in dialect? Good question. I
: have always wondered how different dialects of the same language evolved.

Well, we know we started with something like 12. For example, sheivet
Ephraim had no distinct sound for shin, and thus "sibboles". So, we have
an evolving chulent of variations.

There never was reason to develop loyalty to a "one right havarah" as
our communities mixed and remixed ever since the loss of the territory
mei'eiver laYardein.

Add drift due to people not repeating the sound /exactly/ the same,
which happens in every language. And then, once we got into galus, the
similar sound of the host country's language might take over, if there
is one similar to the sound they used to make.

But I think the Litvisher cheilem is of the first type, a variant that
didn't get that mutated over the years among one of the older havaros.
There are parts of Teiman that have the same /ei/ sound.

I was wondering, though, if the sound wasn't originally the German /ue/
or /oe/, distinct from the sound Litvaks use for zeirei and plausibly
rounded with a /w/ so as to keep with the kesiv malei.

Tir'u baTov!
-Micha

-- 
Micha Berger             Today is the 49th day, which is
micha at aishdas.org        7 weeks in/toward the omer.
http://www.aishdas.org   Malchus sheb'Malchus: What is the ultimate
Fax: (270) 514-1507                            goal of perfect unity?