This episode is all about the location of the stress we place on spoken Hebrew words and names, and what happens when we shift that emphasis around. Guy explains why the way Israelis and Americans say “Mazal Tov” differs so greatly, and how these shifts in stress play out in the spoken language.
New Words and Expressions:
Ta’am – Word stress, emphasis – טעם
MoSHE – Stressed at the end of the word
MOshe – Stressed in the beginning of the word
Hat’ama – Accentuation – הטעמה
YAkov / ya-ah-KOV – Jacob – יעקב
BAruch / baRUCH – ברוך
YAniv / yaNIV – יניב
DAvid / daVID – דויד
Ashdod version of French names:
JACqueline, RObert, BAbette, MIchel, MOrris
French version:
JacqueLINE, roBERT, BaBETTE, miCHEL, moRRIS
MAzel toff (Yiddish) – Congratulations – מזל טוב
maZAL tov (IL) – Congratulations – מזל טוב
shiv’AH (IL) – Shiva – שבעה
SHIva (US) – Shiva – שבעה
ooGA – Cake – עוגה
OOga (child language) – Cake – עוגה
MashkanTA (formal) – Mortgage – משכנתאMashKANta (colloquial) – Mortgage – משכנתא
Playlist and Clips:
Julie Andrews – Jewish Wedding Song
Itzik Shamli – Mazal Tov (lyrics)
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When we were watching Julie Andrews in Thoroughly Modern Millie my grandson screamed in delight:Mary Poppins said Mazel Tov!!