BE (BETH)

ב

VOICED BILABIAL STOP [b]

VOICED LABIODENTAL FRICATIVE [v]

OR

Be with dagesh is pronounced like English "b". Be with rafe, which typically occurs after vowels, is pronounced like English "v".

[b]

בּ

בֿ

[v]

Hidayat al-Qari

The fifth place of articulation is the lips, which is that of the four letters בומף. If you close the lips with force, בּ and פּ with dagesh are heard. If you close them gently and lightly, you hear from them בֿ and ףֿ with rafe.

Translation from Khan (TPTBH II.L.1.3.9)

ואלמחל אל ה הו אלשפתין מחל ארבע חרוף ב̇ו̇מ̇ף̇ פאן בּ פּ אלמדגושין אטבק[ת] אלשפתין בקוה סמע מנהמא ואן אטבקתהמא ברפק וכפה סמעת מנהמא בֿ ו ףֿ אלמרפיין

Text from Khan (TPTBH II.L.1.3.9)

EXAMPLE WORDS:

לֵב

[ˈleːev]

מַבְדִּיל

[mavˈdiːil]

יִשְׁבֹּר

[jiʃˈboːoʀ̟]

בַּיִת

[ˈbaːjiθ]

SOURCES AND FURTHER READING

Khan, Geoffrey. 2020. The Tiberian Pronunciation Tradition of Biblical Hebrew. Cambridge: Cambridge and Open Book Publishers. §I.1.2.