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How is the word ‘shibboleth’ pronounced?
(S. R. Parthasarthy, Hyderabad)
The ‘sh’ is like the ‘sh’ in ‘sheep’, ‘ship’, and ‘sheet’. The first syllable ‘shibb’ rhymes with the words ‘nib’, ‘bib’, and ‘lib’; the following ‘o’ is like the ‘a’ in ‘china’. The final ‘e’ sounds like the ‘e’ in ‘set’ and ‘bet’. The word is pronounced ‘SHI-be-leth’. Some people drop the ‘o’ in the second syllable and pronounce the word ‘SHIB-leth’. ‘Shibboleth’ comes from the Hebrew ‘sibbolet’ meaning ‘water’ or ‘ear of corn’. The Gileadites and the Ephraimites were two tribes that were at war with each other. When the Ephraimites invaded their neighbour, they were soundly thrashed. To prevent the enemy from escaping, the Gileadites set up blockades at various points. Whenever a soldier was caught, the Gileadites made him say the word ‘shibboleth’. The Ephraimites had a problem pronouncing this word because the sound ‘sh’ did not exist in their language. They said ‘sibboleth’ instead of ‘shibboleth’. When a person pronounced the word ‘sibboleth’, the Gileadites knew that he wasn’t one of them. They quickly proceeded to kill him. A shibboleth is a word, phrase, or custom which one can use to prove that he/she is a true member of a group. The word has several other meanings as well.
S. UPENDRAN
upendrankye@gmail.com
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