| Title | The Realisation of Ṣere in Contemporary Hebrew |
|---|---|
| Subtitle | Monophthongal or Diphthongal? |
| Contributor | Yehudit Henshke (author) |
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.11647/obp.0463.16 |
| Landing page | https://www.openbookpublishers.com/books/10.11647/obp.0463/chapters/10.11647/obp.0463.16 |
| License | https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ |
| Copyright | Yehudit Henshke; |
| Publisher | Open Book Publishers |
| Published on | 2025-03-07 |
| Long abstract | The article examines the phonological realisation of ṣere in contemporary Hebrew, with a specific focus on Mizraḥi Hebrew and General Israeli Hebrew (GIH). It contrasts historical Ashkenazi traditions, where ṣere is often realised as a diphthong ([ej]), with Sephardi and Mizrahi traditions, which favour a monophthongal realisation ([e]). Based on a corpus of Mizraḥi Hebrew speakers, the study shows that the monophthongal realisation overwhelmingly dominates, with diphthongal realisations occurring rarely and primarily in loanwords, proper nouns, and fixed expressions. Sociolinguistic factors, such as fluency in Judaeo-Arabic, play a role in reinforcing the monophthongal trend. The findings suggest that while ṣere’s realisation aligns with traditional Mizraḥi phonology, its diphthongal occurrences reflect broader linguistic influences and are often associated with phonological or sociolinguistic motivations. |
| Page range | pp. 455–478 |
| Print length | 24 pages |
| Language | English (Original) |
| Landing Page | Full text URL | Platform | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| https://www.openbookpublishers.com/books/10.11647/obp.0463/chapters/10.11647/obp.0463.16 | Landing page | https://books.openbookpublishers.com/10.11647/obp.0463.16.pdf | Full text URL |
Yehudit Henshke (PhD, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem) is an Israeli linguist, Full Professor in the Hebrew Language Department at Bar-Ilan University, formerly head of the Hebrew Language Department at the University of Haifa. She is winner of the Asraf Prize on behalf of the Hebrew Language Academy. Prof. Henshke heads the ‘Mother Tongue’ Project in Bar-Ilan University and the University of Haifa. Her recent publications have dealt with such matters as the pronunciation of Modern Hebrew and Rabbinic Hebrew manuscript traditions.