HOLEM
אֹ
LONG BACK CLOSE-MID ROUNDED VOWEL [oː]
In open syllables, Tiberian Hebrew ḥolem is normally pronounced as a long o-vowel.
[oː]
אֹ
Hidayat al-Qari
The place of articulation of ḥolem is the root of the tongue and the place of swallowing, which is the place of articulation of א̇ה̇ח̇ע̇, and it moves over the surface of the entire mouth. Take note that if somebody were to investigate carefully their places of articulation, he would have something like the knowledge necessary as to what is first in position and what is last.
Translation from Khan (TPTBH II.L.2.15.1)
[מחל] אלחלם עקר הלשון ובית הבליעה [והו מחל] א̇ה̇ח̇ע̇ ומסירה עלי סטח אלפם כלה ואעלם [מן] תאמל מחאלהא צארת לה כאלעלם אלצ̇רורי לה מן דלך אי מא הו אלמתקדם מנהא ואי מ[א הו] אלמתאכר
Text from Khan (TPTBH II.L.2.15.1)
EXAMPLE WORDS:
רוֹמֵ֣שׂ
[ʀ̟oːˈmeːes]
וּלְמ֣וֹעֲדִ֔ים
[wulmoːʕaðiːim]
תֹ֨הוּ֙
[ˈθoːhuː]
אֱלֹהִ֑ים
[ʔɛloːˈhiːim]
EXTRA LONG BACK CLOSE-MID ROUNDED VOWEL [oːo]
In a closed syllable, ḥolem is pronounced as an extra long vowel [oːo].
[oːo]
אֹ
(in stressed closed syllable)
Hidayat al-Qari
The total number of vowels is seven: אֹ ,אִ ,אֵ ,אֶ ,אַ ,אָ and אֻ. From within these seven vowels the letters ו ,ה ,א, and י are pronounced. From qameṣ, pataḥ and segol ʾalef and he are pronounced, as in עַמֶּיךָ ,עֲבָדֶיךָ and קָשֶׁה. If the he (in קָשֶׁה) were elided, the segol (by itself) would indicate its existence, just as the qameṣ in עַמְּךָ ,שִׁמְךָ and עֲבָדֶיךָ indicates the existence of ʾalef or he in full orthography ... Ḥolem indicates the existence of vav, as in שׁוֹמֵר ,זוֹכֵר and the like.
Translation from Khan (TPTBH II.S.4.2)
וגמיע אלמלוך סבעה והם א א א א א אֹ א ויכרג מן צ̇מן הדה אלסבעה חרוף אלא̇ו̇י̇ ה יכרג ען אלקמץ ואלפתח ואלתלאתה אלף והא והי מתל עבדיך <עמיך> קָשֶׁה לו חדף אלהא לכאן אלג̇ קד דלת עליה כמא דלת אלקמץ פי <עמך ושמך ועַבָדֶֿיך פי אלמלא עלי אלף או הא> ... <ואלנקטה מן פוק תדל עלי ואו מתל זוֹכֵר שוֹמֵר> ומא מאתלהמא
Text from Khan (TPTBH II.S.4.2)
EXAMPLE WORDS:
מָק֣וֹם
[mɔːq̟oːom]
בְּת֣וֹךְ
[baˈθoːoχ]
ט֑וֹב
[ˈtˁoːov]
א֑וֹר
[ˈʔoːoʀ̟]
SOURCES AND FURTHER READING
Khan, Geoffrey. 2020. The Tiberian Pronunciation Tradition of Biblical Hebrew. Cambridge: Cambridge and Open Book Publishers. §I.2.