Pronunciation & Transliteration
This siddur uses one transliteration system throughout. Sound values follow the Iraqi (Baghdadi) reading tradition, which keeps several sounds most communities have lost, and the letter names follow the list Baghdadi teachers used.
The Alphabet
Where a letter has two values, the first is with a dagesh and the second without (rafe). Following the Talmud (Shabbath 104a), the ordinary forms of נ פ צ are kĕfufa (bent) and their final forms pĕshuṭa (straight); ך follows the same pattern. Open מ is pĕthuḥa and closed ם is sĕthuma.
| Letter | Name | Write | Say it like |
|---|---|---|---|
| א | ʾAlef | ʾ | the catch in your throat in “uh-oh” |
| ב | Be | b / v | “b” in boy / “v” in victory |
| ג | Gimal | g / gh | “g” in go / Arabic غ (ghayn), a voiced gargle from the back of the throat |
| ד | Dal | d / dh | “d” in day / “th” in this |
| ה | He | h | “h” in house |
| ו | Waw | w | “w” in water |
| ז | Zan | z | “z” in zoo |
| ח | Ḥeth | ḥ | Arabic ح (ḥāʾ): the breath you use to fog up glasses |
| ט | Ṭeth | ṭ | Arabic ط (ṭāʾ): a “t” with the tongue tensed and pulled back |
| י | Yod | y | “y” in yes |
| כ | Kaf | k / kh | “k” in kite / Arabic خ (khāʾ), like “ch” in German Bach |
| ך | Kaf pĕshuṭa | kh | final form |
| ל | Lamad | l | “l” in lamp |
| מ | Mim pĕthuḥa | m | “m” in mother |
| ם | Mim sĕthuma | m | final form |
| נ | Nun kĕfufa | n | “n” in nice |
| ן | Nun pĕshuṭa | n | final form |
| ס | Sĕmmakh | s | “s” in sun |
| ע | 'An | ' | Arabic ع (ʿayn): a voiced tightening deep in the throat |
| פ | Pe kĕfufa | p / f | “p” in pot / “f” in fun |
| ף | Pe pĕshuṭa | f | final form |
| צ | Ṣad kĕfufa | ṣ | Arabic ص (ṣād): a tensed “s”, tongue pulled back |
| ץ | Ṣad pĕshuṭa | ṣ | final form |
| ק | Qof | q | Arabic ق (qāf): a “k” made further back in the throat |
| ר | Rosh | r | a tongue-tip r, tapped or trilled, as in Spanish pero / perro |
| שׁ | Shin | sh | “sh” in shoe |
| שׂ | Sin | s | “s” in sun |
| ת | Ta | t / th | “t” in top / “th” in think |
The Five Groups
Tradition sorts the letters by where in the mouth they are made: אחה״ע גיכ״ק דטלנ״ת זסשר״ץ בומ״ף (Ibn Ezra on Shemoth 3:15). It is the traditional classification, not modern phonetics, but it explains why ח and ע stay throat sounds and why ו belongs with the lips.
| Letters | Group | Write | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| אחה״ע | Throat (אותיות הגרון) | ʾ ḥ h ' | the throat |
| גיכ״ק | Palate (אותיות החיך) | g gh y k kh q | back of the tongue against the palate |
| דטלנ״ת | Tongue (אותיות הלשון) | d dh ṭ l n t th | the tongue tip |
| זסשר״ץ | Teeth (אותיות השיניים) | z s sh r ṣ | the teeth, with a hissing or whistling sound |
| בומ״ף | Lips (אותיות השפה) | b v w m p f | the lips |
Vowels
| Sign | Name | Write | Say it like |
|---|---|---|---|
| ַ | Pataḥ | a | “a” in father |
| ָ | Qamaṣ | a | “a” in father |
| ָה | Qamaṣ + He (word-final) | a | “a” in father |
| ֵ | Ṣere | e | “e” in bed |
| ֵי | Ṣere + Yod | e | “e” in bed |
| ֶ | Segol | e | “e” in bed |
| ֶי | Segol + Yod | e | “e” in bed |
| ִ | Ḥireq | i / ī | “ee” in see |
| ִי | Ḥireq + Yod | i | “ee” in see |
| ֹ | Ḥolam | o | “o” in more |
| וֹ | Ḥolam + Waw | o | “o” in more |
| ָ | Qamaṣ qaṭan | o | “o” in more |
| ֻ | Qibbuṣ | u | “oo” in food |
| וּ | Shureq | u | “oo” in food |
| ְ | Shĕwa (vocal) | ĕ | a very short “e” |
| ֱ | Ḥaṭaf Segol | ĕ | a very short “e” |
| ֲ | Ḥaṭaf Pataḥ | ă | a very short “a” |
| ֳ | Ḥaṭaf Qamaṣ | ŏ | a very short “o” |
| ָיו | Qamaṣ + Yod + Waw (“his”) | aw | “ow” in how |
Special Cases
- Divine Name. The Divine Name (י״י / יְיָ) always renders as “Adhonay”, whatever its vocalization in the source text.
- Qamaṣ qaṭan is written o: כָּל is kol, חָכְמָה is ḥokhma.
- Doubled letters. A dagesh that doubles a letter is written as a doubled letter: שַׁבָּת is shabbath.
- Mappiq. A word-final ה with a mappiq is pronounced and written h: אַרְצָהּ is ʾarṣah. Otherwise final ה is silent.
- Long i. A ḥireq without a yod is sometimes written ī, where the syllable division treats it as long: שָׁמַיִם is shamayīm, דָּוִד is dawīdh. Say it the same as i.
- Silent shĕwa is not written: מַלְכּוּת is malkuth.
About the Letter Names
- The names follow the list Baghdadi teachers used when teaching children the alphabet, as recorded by Jacob Mansour (The Jewish Baghdadi Dialect, 1991). Where a name looks shorter than the school form (Be, Dal, Zan, 'An, Ṣad, Ta), that is the traditional form; the same shortened pattern is described for Yemenite tradition.
- Modern equivalents: ʾAlef = Alef, Be = Bet, Gimal = Gimel, Dal = Dalet, Zan = Zayin, Ḥeth = Het, Ṭeth = Tet, Lamad = Lamed, Mim = Mem, Sĕmmakh = Samekh, 'An = Ayin, Ṣad = Tsadi, Rosh = Resh, Ta = Tav.
Notes on Pronunciation
- w and th/dh are kept. Iraqi tradition keeps the classical w for waw and the interdental sounds for rafe dal and rafe ta, which most other communities have lost.
- Throat letters and emphatics. ḥ and ' are true throat sounds, and ṭ and ṣ are emphatic, as in Arabic. Ibn Ezra already remarks that ח and ע are “very heavy”, and that someone who did not grow up saying them cannot pronounce them as Arabic speakers do.
- Qof. q is a deep stop at the back of the throat, distinct from k.
- Rosh. r is made with the tip of the tongue, tapped or trilled, never the French- or Israeli-style r in the back of the throat. That keeps it with the other tongue-and-teeth letters of its group, and apart from gh (rafe gimal), which is the back-of-the-throat sound.