It's hard to say, but...

Published January 28, 2010

B’shalach has some words that call for reviews of certain “situations”. Here’s one (more if there’s room):
Sh’mot 14:2 - ...NICH-CHO TACHANU AL HAYAM:
“Speak to the children of Israel, and let them turn back and encamp in front of Pi HaChirot, between Migdol and the sea; in front of Baal Zephon, you shall encamp OPPOSITE IT, by the sea.”

First syllable: NICH; second syllable: CHO. The CHAF has a SH’VA NACH and ends the first syllable with a consonant sound but no hint of a vowel. It is hard to end one syllable with a sound and begin the next syllable with the same sound. In fact, when this happens, the first of the two-the-same letters changes its SH’VA from NACH to NA, to make pronunciation easier. In V’zot Ha- B’racha we find UL-YOSEF, UL-GAD, UL-ASHER, UL-DAN, UL-NAFTALI… but U-L’LEIVI, because the first LAMED would get swallowed if the SH’VA stayed NACH.

With our word, though, the CHAF and the CHET are not the same letter and not really the same sound - no matter how identical some of us say them. Therefore, NICH-CHO.

Hebrew words are accented on the last syllable (MILRA) or on the next- to-the-last syllable. NE-er-mu MA-yim is an exception. Dbl. Nasog Achor.