In Spanish, the 'h' is non-existant, the ''v' is pronounced like 'b' and the 'j' before 'e' and 'i' is pronounced like the German 'ch' ('achtung'), so it's quite a different pronounciation - 'ch-e-o-ba'. But the point is, that the Society did not invent the spelling in Spanish, as some here perhaps think, but they took the traditional spelling and pronounciation and used it, built on it, because it was known. Is it not rather egocentric to think that the English - or American - spelling and pronounciation should be the 100 % correct one, and be used as guideline for all the world's people to follow, when in fact some of these other pronounciations and spellings are from the mediterranean area and thus far closer to the original languages?
Old Hippie: I don't know much Hebrew, it's true. Er, OK, I only know a few words & letters that the WTS taught me way back when ;j But consider: If the he in the tetragrammaton is pronounced, in Hebrew, similar to the hard H in English, then the "Spanish tetragrammaton" would be something like (including your point about the Spanish che) "Che Jota Ve Jota," or if similar to a silent H, "Che Hache Ve Hache." I don't know Hebrew, so I don't know which would be more correct, but if the WTS was so very interested in preserving the tetragrammaton in English (despite the silent H at the end), then why notpreserve it in every other language to the extent possible? I would think the correct translation of those characters would be CH H V H, because the H's would be silent, while a Spanish word ended with a hard H would be woefully awkward to pronounce... My point is that, whatever the specific pronunciation of "Chehovah" would be in Spanish, or even "Chejovaj" the spelling would preserve the 4 all-important letters, and the specific pronunciation you ended up with wouldn't be skin off anyone's back, since no one even knows the pronunciation of the vowels in Hebrew in the first place! And their stated purpose (in English) was to preserve those 4 letters; I think the WTS just didn't bother to do a better job of this.
I admit that's an awkward explanation of what I mean, and I also admit that I'm no Spanish scholar either! I don't remember whether *any* word in Spanish was ever spelled with an H at the end; perhaps that's simply never done, in which case one could argue that they threw it out so as not to appear stupid ;) But once again, that would indicate to me that they cared more about expediency, and the opinion of men, than honoring god's name.
Mis dos pesos,
SpiderMonkey
