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ArchivesRe: Is the correct Hebrew Pronunciation of Leah really Lay-ah?
in reply to a message by Rachel Dianne
It is Leh-ah. The EH is not a dipthong, it sounds like in "bed".
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But....
I just looked in my Tanakh. The vowel under the "l" sound is the one pronounced "ay."
I just looked in my Tanakh. The vowel under the "l" sound is the one pronounced "ay."
This message was edited 8/7/2010, 7:53 AM
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The vowel under the L sound (the letter lamed) can't be pronounced "ay" in Hebrew. The English AY sounds [eI], which is a diphthong; that means that after the lamed, it should be a yod, which in this case is not.
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I'm starting to think it is pronounced Lay'ah. Lots of people in the Leah comment section think that's how it's pronounced.
I'm writing a story with a Jewish main character named Leah so I want to make sure I'm saying it right in my head.
I'm writing a story with a Jewish main character named Leah so I want to make sure I'm saying it right in my head.
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In Hebrew, the name is pronounced ['lea]. The [e] sound is like the Spanish E or the first part of the English AY (which is [eI]). The [a] sound is like the Spanish A (more or less similar to the English sound of "father").
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Okay... I'm not sure how to say that. Maybe I will just stick to the Lee-ah pronunciation. She does live in the US after all.
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