Here's some interesting information about the way the Jews of Kaifeng, China pronounced Hebrew. Note the careful (?) transcription of how they named the five books of the Torah in the footnote:
Pe-lesh-itze (Bereshit)
Shemeot-ze (Shemot)
Va-yi-ke-lo (Vayikra)
Pe-me-ze-paul (Bamidbar)
Te-ve-liim (Devarim)
The same book also mentions that they divided the Torah in 53 portions, not 54, uniting Nitzavim and Veyelech. Which is interesting, because I think that was the original custom; they were combined. It is also claimed that when asked why their Torahs do not have nekkudot, the answer they gave was that God recited the Torah too fast for Moses to transcribe with vowels, but the wise men of the West supplied them later.
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