ZAY (ZAYIN)
ז
VOICED ALVEOLAR SIBILANT [z]
Tiberian Hebrew zay is pronounced like English "z".
[z]
ז
Hidayat al-Qari
The fourth place of articulation is the teeth, from which are heard four letters, namely זסצש. In this place of articulation the letters are not divided into light and heavy as in the preceding places of articulation.
Translation from Khan (TPTBH II.L.1.3.8)
ואלמחל אלראבע הו <אלאסנאן> יסמע מנה ד̇ חרוף והי ז̇ס̇צ̇ש̇ והדא אלמחל לא ינקסם פיה אלחרף אלי כפה ותקל מתל אלמחאל אלדי תקדמתה
Text from Khan (TPTBH II.L.1.3.8)
EXAMPLE WORDS:
עֵז
[ˈʕeːez]
מִזְבֵּ֖חַ
[mizˈbeːaħ]
זֶה
[ˈzɛː]
זֶ֔רַע
[ˈzɛːʀ̟aʕ]
SOURCES AND FURTHER READING
Khan, Geoffrey. 2020. The Tiberian Pronunciation Tradition of Biblical Hebrew. Cambridge: Cambridge and Open Book Publishers. §I.1.7.