how to say “controversial” in Hebrew

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/שנוי-במחלוקת-1.m4a” /]שָׁנוּי בְּמַחְלׁקֶת

The Mishnah – המשנה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/שנוי-במחלוקת-2.m4a” /] – is called such because the words are meant to be repeated over and over until they are memorized: משנה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/שנוי-במחלוקת-3.m4a” /] comes from the root ש.נ.ה[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/שנוי-במחלוקת-4.m4a” /], the same root as that of שניים[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/שנוי-במחלוקת-5.m4a” /] – two, and שנית[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/שנוי-במחלוקת-6.m4a” /] – a second time or again.

Something else that tends to be repeated over and over – or least talked about – is an argument – ויכוח[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/שנוי-במחלוקת-7.m4a” /] or מחלוקת[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/שנוי-במחלוקת-8.m4a” /].

Thus something controversial – argued over publicly – is שנוי במחלוקת[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/שנוי-במחלוקת-1.m4a” /].

For example:

[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/שנוי-במחלוקת-9.m4a” /]אין נושא שנוי במחלוקת יותר מזה.

There is no more controversial topic than this one.

The word מחלוקת comes from the root ח.ל.ק[audioclip url=”https://archive.ulpan.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/שנוי-במחלוקת-10.m4a” /] meaning part, since people who disagree are parting ways on an issue.