BOOK ONE

And note that this letter at the end is always aspirated. It is pronounced like the Greek chi the Greek letter χ, representing a raspy "kh" sound or "ch."

Methuselah [מתושלח] has four syllables. The first, Mem with a Sheva a vowel mark representing a very brief, neutral sound, mutters a sudden and thin voice, whether you perceive it as an "e" or an "a." I do not care which, provided it is a sound that is barely perceptible. For this reason, some say "me" and some say "ma." I would like you to place a notable mark in your memory here, so that hereafter you may remember what I told you in this place: because of the instantaneous and tiny perception of the sound, the Sheva is pronounced in different ways by different people, according to various vowel sounds.

I, however, following the customs of the Jews of Germany referring to the Ashkenazi pronunciation traditions, always conceive from the Sheva a snort original: "ronchum," a snoring or nasal sound, that is, a very brief and dull nasal sound, "en." Note these things, because we do not give all instructions in every single place.

The second syllable, Thau with Vav Shureq a vowel point indicating a long "u" sound, makes "thu," which is hissed because of the Raphe a small horizontal line indicating a softened, non-plosive pronunciation of a consonant. The third...