How The Hebrew Language Grew

Jewish Education Committee Press.

Written in language simple enough for everyone to learn, this sweeping history traces the Hebrew language's development and covers the dramatic story of the rebirth of Hebrew as a modern, spoken language.

Discover Hebrew with the world's most straightforward guide to one of the world's most beautiful languages. Shalom! Are you ready to dive into an ancient-yet-modern and rich language full of nuance? Then open up Hebrew For Dummies and get started learning your way around Hebrew by immersing yourself in its sounds and rhythms. You'll start with the basics—like simple grammar and the Hebrew alphabet—before you move onto commonly used phrases and small-talk. This book gets you used to the more unfamiliar sounds of the Hebrew language—like gutturals—that English speakers aren't used to seeing. It will also help you: Recognize what Hebrew has in common with English (and what it doesn't) Learn to read from right to left, get a handle on the basics of Hebrew grammar, and pick up your first few phrases Discover commonly used expressions that help you get around, shop, eat, and have fun Complete with online resources that help you pick up Hebrew by listening to real speakers have actual conversations, Hebrew For Dummies is the perfect companion to help you work your way towards Hebrew fluency!

This book is a comprehensive description of Hebrew from its Semitic origins and the earliest settlement of the Israelite tribes in Canaan to the present day.

Drawing on more than three hundred Hebrew roots, the author shows that Jewish thought employs Hebrew concepts and categories that are altogether distinct from those that characterize the Western speculative tradition. Among the key categories that shape Jewish thought are holiness, divinity, humanity, prayer, responsibility, exile, dwelling, gratitude, and language itself. While the Hebrew language is central to the investigation, the reader need not have a knowledge of Hebrew in order to follow it. Essential reading for students and scholars of Judaism, this book will also be of value to anyone interested in the categories of thinking that form humanity's ultimate concerns.

Considering classical Hebrew from the standpoint of a writing system as opposed to vernacular speech, Schniedewind demonstrates how the Israelites' long history of migration, war exile, and other momentous events is reflected in Hebrew's linguistic evolution.

Ben-Yehuda's vision of a modern Hebrew eventually came to animate a large part of the Jewish world, and gave new confidence and pride to Jewish youth during the most difficult period of modern history, infusing Zionism with a dynamic cultural content. This book examines the many changes that occurred in the transition to Modern Hebrew, acquainting new students of the language with its role as a model for other national revivals, and explaining how it overcame many obstacles to become a spoken vernacular. The author deals primarily with the social and political use of the language and does not cover literature. Also discussed are the dilemmas facing the language arising from the fact that Israelis and Jews in the Diaspora "don't speak the same language," while Israeli Arabs and Jews often do.