a as in 'papa' (short) or 'father' (long) e as in 'get' or 'the' (sheva) i as in 'bit' (short) or 'machine' (long) o as in 'often' u as in 'pull' (short) or 'rule' (long) ai as in 'aisle' oi as in 'boil' ei as in 'veil' g as in 'get' (hard 'g') ch as in Scottish 'loch' or German 'ach' (for the Hebrew letter 'chaf') h as in Scottish 'loch' or German 'ach' (for the Hebrew letter 'het')
Where titles of books are involved, however, the publisher's transliteration has been retained.
As pertains to pronunciations of Hebrew and Yiddish terms, it is suggested that flexibility be used. "Shabbat" for some will be "Shabbos" for others, and while "mazal tov" will be to the liking of purists, many will be more comfortable with the colloquial "mazl tof." We recommend that both sets of pronunciations and their variants be acceptable. The important thing, after all, is that the award candidate understand the concept and know when to apply it.
A key reason for permitting substitutions or options in requirements II, IV, V and VI is to challenge Tiger Cubs who are already familiar with some of the required items to learn new material. Additional substitutions, beyond those indicated, should be allowed only in unusual situations.
