Khanike* begins this year on Tuesday night, December 16th.
I thought I'd share some music to help people get in the mood.
And here's a song performed by the cantor and congregants at the synagogue I'm proud to call my own
*"Khanike" is the preferred English spelling by the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research for the Yiddish pronunciation of the holiday. There is no consistent English spelling for the Hebrew pronunciation, but I would prefer it to start with 'Kh,' to eliminate any confusion on how to pronounce the first phoneme. Maybe Khanuka.
Hi, John. Just to clarify, Khanike is a Yiddish transliteration spelling of the holiday - not Hebrew. For the Hebrew transliteration into English myriad variations include Chanuka, Chanukkah, Chanukah, Hanuka, Hanukka, Hanukah, Hanukkah and a whole bunch more. Why English transliterations use two Ks, I don't know, as there is only one K in the original Hebrew word for the holiday. It is almost easier to use the Yivo Yiddish transliteration of "khanike" !
ReplyDeleteThanks, Schelly. I have been clearer in past years when I explained my preference for the Yiddish transliteration. I've revised my footnote.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that it is easier to use the Yiddish transliteration. Especially since no Hebrew transliterations I've seen begin with "Kh," and I feel any proper transliteration should.
It is my understanding that there are never two consonants in a row in Hebrew (with the exception of neologisms based on other languages.)