Ashkenazi Hebrew Explained

Ashkenazi Hebrew (he|הֲגִיָּה אַשְׁכְּנַזִּית|hagiyoh ashkenazis, yi|אַשכּנזישע הבֿרה|ashkenazishe havore) is the pronunciation system for Biblical and Mishnaic Hebrew favored for Jewish liturgical use and Torah study by Ashkenazi Jewish practice.

Features

As it is used parallel with Modern Hebrew, its phonological differences are clearly recognized:

• aleph and ayin are completely silent at all times in most forms of Ashkenazi Hebrew. In other dialects of Hebrew, they can be pronounced as a glottal stop.^[1] Compare Yisroeil (Lithuanian) or Yisruayl (Polish-Galician) vs. Yisra'el (Israeli). An earlier pronunciation of ayin as a velar nasal (pronounced as /link/) is attested most prominently in Dutch Hebrew (and historically also the Hebrew of Frankfurt am Main). Vestiges of this earlier pronunciation are still found throughout the Yiddish-speaking world in names like Yankev (יעקבֿ) and words like manse (מעשׂה, more commonly pronounced mayse), but are otherwise marginal.
• ungeminated is pronounced pronounced as /link/ in Ashkenazi Hebrew. It is always pronounced pronounced as /link/ in Modern and Sephardi Hebrew. Compare Shabbos vs. Shabbat.
• tzere pronounced as /link/ is pronounced pronounced as /he/ or pronounced as /he/ in Ashkenazi Hebrew, where it would be pronounced pronounced as /link/ in Sephardi Hebrew; Modern Hebrew varies between the two pronunciations. Compare Omein (Lithuanian) or Umayn (Polish-Galician) vs. Amen (Israeli Hebrew).
• kamatz gadol pronounced as /link/ is generally pronounced pronounced as /link/

Notes and References

1. The practice of omitting the guttural letters "ayin" and "chet" is very ancient and goes back to Talmudic times (see Sefer He'aruch entry "shudah" as well as encyclopedia Otzar Yisrael entry "mivtah"), when it appears to have been a feature of Galilean pronunciation.