| Kenneth G. Wilson (1923–). The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. 1993. |
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| SHIBBOLETH |
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This word is Hebrew, meaning something like “stream, flood, or freshet,” and the story behind its modern English senses comes from Judges 12:5–6: the Gileadites test a man they have caught near their camp; they suspect he may be an Ephraimite, an enemy:| | … 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 … [and 42,000 others]. |
“To pronounce it right,” of course, meant “to pronounce it as the Gileadites did.” | 1 |
| The modern meanings of shibboleth are crucial to any discussion of usage: specifically, it refers to a sound or word whose pronunciation is difficult or impossible for some non-native speakers, or a test word or locution by means of which in persons can keep out persons out. By extension, a shibboleth is any peculiarity of language, dress, or other manners that marks people as belonging to one group or another. | 2 |
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| | | The Columbia Guide to Standard American English. Copyright © 1993 Columbia University Press. |
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