The only truly correct options are חֲנֻכָּה or חֲנוּכָּה
However, holding that transliteration must exist, we can extrapolate the correct answers from the Hebrew.
Regarding the last two syllables:
- There is no dagesh chazaq in the nun, so there is no reason to double the "n" in the transliteration!
- There is a heh at the end, so there should be an "h" at the end.
- The kaf should not be translated as a double "k" or "c" because it has a dagesh qal, not a dagesh chazaq. While "k" is the most legible transliteration, q is welcome. Ck & C alone are not fully asur*, but are not recommended because they can lead to confusion in pronunciation and we should always build a fence around Torah.
The chet is a wildcard. Current acceptable options are ch, kh, x, ḥ, & 7, but I'm sure there's others floating out there. Using a regular "h" to transliterate a ח or כ is generally asur, so kal v'chomer** it's assur on a holiday that deals with Hellenism/assimilation.
This means the definitive list of current acceptable transliterations of the word "חֲנֻכָּה/חֲנוּכָּה" is as follows:
- chanukah
- chanuqah
- khanukah
- khanuqah
- xanukah
- xanuqah
- 7anukah
- 7anuqah
- chanookah
- chanooqah
- khanookah
- khanooqah
- xanookah
- xanooqah
- 7anookah
- 7anooqah
- ḥanukah
- ḥanuqah
- ḥanookah
- ḥanooqah
[Edit: follow-up post about lack of other dialects present in the list!]
* Asur / אָסוּר: (adj.) forbidden
**Kal v'chomer / קַל וָחֹמֶר: literally light and heavy; a halakhic phrase that essentially means "all the moreso"; an argument a fortiori for the legal & latin nerds
עמד רבי יהושע על רגליו ואמר (דברים ל, יב) לא בשמים היא מאי לא בשמים היא אמר רבי ירמיה שכבר נתנה תורה מהר סיני אין אנו משגיחין בבת קול שכבר כתבת בהר סיני בתורה (שמות כג, ב) אחרי רבים להטות אשכחיה רבי נתן לאליהו א"ל מאי עביד קוב"ה בההיא שעתא א"ל קא חייך ואמר נצחוני בני נצחוני בני
Rabbi Yehoshua stood on his feet and said: It is written: “It is not in heaven” (Deuteronomy 30:12). The Gemara asks: What is the relevance of the phrase “It is not in heaven” in this context? Rabbi Yirmeya says: Since the Torah was already given at Mount Sinai, we do not regard a Divine Voice, as You already wrote at Mount Sinai, in the Torah: “After a majority to incline” (Exodus 23:2).
Talmud Bavli, Seder Nezikim, Bava Metzia Daf 59b(5)
Linguistic descriptivism is in the Torah! However the majority of us transliterate Jánooccah is the ruling!
janice
