transliterated "o" in West Syriac

[DrawCloser]

The title says it... I have been reading some texts, and I am wondering on the pronunciation. For example, Olaf - is that Oh-lahf or Ah-lahf?

Is it like English "oh" or is more like Greek Omikron?

(And Jennings and Noldecke don't help tbh)

[DrawCloser]

Also, another example Aloho -- is that pronounced "uh-loh-hoh" or "uh-lah-hah"

Olaf (Aleph) pronunciation in the West Syriac is unclear...

Someone know?

[SteveCaruso]

Generally speaking, zqafa in Western Classical Syriac is pronounced "o" as in "over" where in Eastern it's "a" as in "father." So:

Eastern Classical Syriac / Western Classical Syriac
Alaha / Aloho
Malkutha / Malkutho
etc, etc.

Peace,
-Steve

[Thirdwoe]

:

Why would Etheridge use "Aloha" ? Makes me think of the Islands everytime I read his translation. <!-- s --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/smile.gif" alt="" title="Smile" /><!-- s -->

[ScorpioSniper2]

LOL My friends at school, one in particular, makes fun of Etheridge's Aloha-ism, saying it's a Hawaiian translation (not very funny, I know).

[Luc Lefebvre]

Good to know I'm not the only one, LOL.

Maybe Ethridge was mixing the pronunciations? I have no clue. I could see how he may have come to this if there is a suffix on the end which changes the voweling. Like Alahan (our God) in Matthew 1:18 where only the middle vowel is a qamats (according to Hebrew pointing; the other two are patach) which in some cases is rendered as an o sound. But most of the time it's qamats-qamats, and I don't know of any reason to transliterate them differently there. In Hebrew when it's in a closed sylabble it's typically o (as in snow) and in an open sylleble it's a (ah). Hmm...

[DrawCloser]

Thanks Steve. Greatly appreciated.

I also have a situation with "Sodheh". Is it a "ts" noise in the West, or is that East only? (I ask this because Noldecke or Jennings say it is never "ts")