SERE
אֵ
LONG FRONT CLOSE-MID UNROUNDED VOWEL [eː]
In open syllables, Tiberian Hebrew ṣere is normally pronounced as a long e-vowel.
[eː]
אֵ
Hidayat al-Qari
The fifth place of articulation is the place of articulation of ṣere, which is the teeth, without closure, because it breaks through them.
Translation from Khan (TPTBH II.L.2.15.5)
ואלמחל אלכאמס הו מחל אלצירי והו אלאסנאן בלא אטבאק לאנה ישק בינהא שקא
Text from Khan (TPTBH II.L.2.15.5)
EXAMPLE WORDS:
שֵׁנִֽי
[ʃeːˈniː]
מֵעַ֣ל
[meːˈʕaːal]
פְּנֵ֣י
[pʰaˈneː]
בְּרֵאשִׁ֖ית
[baʀ̟eːˈʃiːiθ]
EXTRA LONG FRONT CLOSE-MID UNROUNDED VOWEL [eːe]
In a closed syllable, ṣere is pronounced as an extra long vowel [eːe].
[eːe]
אֵ
(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 ... Ṣere and ḥireq indicate the existence of yod, as in עֵינִי, since the yod is frequently written defectively but these two vowels indicate its existence.
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> ... ואלנקטתין <ואלנקטה מן אספל> תדל עלי יוֹד מתל <עיני> לאן קד יג̇י אליוד פי כתיר מן אלמואצ̇ע חסר והדין אל אלמלכין ידלאן עליה
Text from Khan (TPTBH II.S.4.2)
EXAMPLE WORDS:
יִתֵּ֬ן
[jitˈtʰeːen]
נֵרְדָ֕ה
[neːeʀ̟ˈðɔː]
וַיַּבְדֵּ֣ל
[vaɟɟavˈdeːel]
אֵ֥ת
[ˈʔeːeθ]
SOURCES AND FURTHER READING
Khan, Geoffrey. 2020. The Tiberian Pronunciation Tradition of Biblical Hebrew. Cambridge: Cambridge and Open Book Publishers. §I.2.