Shibboleth
The term
Shibboleth is a Hebrew word that literally means "torrent of water". After its usage in the Bible as a way of recognizing a member of a group (the pronunciation of the word was peculiar to this group), the term is used for words or phrases that form part of the specialized jargon of a group, and reveal their users as members of a group.
- And the Gileadites seized the passages of the Jordan before the Ephraimites; and it was so, that when those Ephraimites who had escaped said, "Let me go over," that the men of Gilead said unto him, "Art thou an Ephraimite?" If he said, "Nay," then said they unto him, "Say now 'Shibboleth.'" And he said "Sibboleth," for he could not frame to pronounce it right. Then they took him and slew him at the passages of the Jordan; and there fell at that time of the Ephraimites forty and two thousand. (Judges 12:5-6, KJV)
Some shibboleths
- Scheveningen: The Dutch pronounce this word beginning with separate "s" [s] and "ch" [x] (not [ʧ] = SAMPA [S] = English , German ) sounds; a German would pronounce sch as [ʃ] = SAMPA [S]. The Dutch Resistance used this to ferret out Nazi spies during World War II.
- Wanda Jane: this is difficult for Japanese to say properly.
- Leghorn: Allegedly, this word was used to distinguish at a war between Chinese and Japanese people, since the Japanese pronounced it as 'reghorn' (not being able to pronounce l), and the Chinese as 'legholn' (not being able to say r).
External link
- http://www.mids.org/mn/805/snobbery.html