ABSTRACT
The Hebrew pharyngeal segments /ħ/ and /ʕ/ have an atypical combination of social meanings. They are associated with Mizrahi Jews (Jews of Middle Eastern and North African descent), who are typically less socioeconomically privileged than Ashkenazi Jews (of European descent), and as such, they are highly stigmatized. However, they are also considered prescriptively correct, due to their faithfulness to the history of the language (Gafter 2016a). The social evaluation of the Hebrew pharyngeals therefore differs from many stigmatized features associated with underprivileged ethnic groups, as they are not at odds with standard language ideologies. This chapter examines parodic imitations of Mizrahi speakers in Israeli advertisements, and demonstrates that the use of pharyngeals in these advertisements is nevertheless portrayed as incorrect and unsystematic. Thus, even when a linguistic feature matches prescriptive expectations, prejudice against the speakers who use them can still create ideological links between the feature and ‘incorrect’ language use.
