Modern Hebrew

Modern Hebrew, also called Israeli Hebrew, is the main way people speak the Hebrew language today. It is the only Canaanite language left in the big group of Semitic languages, and it is one of the oldest languages still used as a first language. Modern Hebrew uses the Hebrew Alphabet, which people write from right-to-left.

Hebrew was once spoken by ancient Israelites until around the year 200 BCE. After that, people started using other languages more often, like Aramaic. But Hebrew was still used for special things like religion and books.

In the late 1800s, a man named Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, who was a Russian-Jewish language expert, started a project to bring Hebrew back as a language people used every day. This idea became more popular, especially when many people who spoke different Jewish languages moved to Israel during the 1900s.

Now, more than 10 million people speak Hebrew. Over 6.5 million of them grew up speaking it, and most of them live in Israel. The Academy of the Hebrew Language in Jerusalem helps guide how the language changes and grows.

Name

The most common name for the language is "Modern Hebrew" (עברית חדשה). Most people just call it "Hebrew" (עברית).

Some experts think the term "Modern Hebrew" is tricky because it seems to separate the language from Biblical Hebrew. One expert suggested using "Israeli Hebrew" instead. Another expert in 1999 recommended the term "Israeli" to include all the language's sources.

Background

Main article: Hebrew language

The Hebrew language has a long history with four main parts. First was Biblical Hebrew, used until around the 3rd century BCE and spoken in the kingdoms of Israel and Judah. Later came Mishnaic Hebrew, used in the Mishnah and Talmud. Then there was Medieval Hebrew from the 6th to the 18th century. Finally, Modern Hebrew began in the 19th century and is now the main language of the modern State of Israel.

Revival

Main article: Revival of the Hebrew language

Hebrew was used in many ways by Jewish people living far from their homeland. Over time, it became a common language among Jewish families in Palestinian Jews. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, a man named Eliezer Ben-Yehuda helped bring Hebrew back as a everyday language that families could speak at home.

Modern Hebrew mixes words and rules from old Hebrew books, with sounds from a group of Jews called Sephardic Jews. Many early Jewish families moving to Ottoman Palestine helped make Hebrew popular, especially with support from rich people like Edmond James de Rothschild and its official status in the 1922 constitution of the British Mandate for Palestine. Ben-Yehuda created Modern Hebrew using words from old Hebrew texts. He also added new words from Arabic, changing them to fit Hebrew sounds.

Classification

Modern Hebrew is a type of Afroasiatic language in the Semitic family. It belongs to the Canaanite branch of the Northwest Semitic group.

The language is based on older forms of Hebrew, such as Mishnaic and Biblical Hebrew. It also includes traditions from Sephardi and Ashkenazi speakers.

Some experts think Modern Hebrew is a new language system. However, most agree it is still a Semitic language.

Modern Hebrew is also called a koiné language. This is because it combines many layers of Hebrew and adds outside influences. These influences happened mostly between 1880 and 1920 when the language was being revived.

A few experts believe these outside influences made Modern Hebrew mix with Indo-European languages. But this idea is not widely accepted. Most experts still say Modern Hebrew is a Semitic language, even with these influences.

Alphabet

Main articles: Hebrew alphabet and Cursive Hebrew

Modern Hebrew is written from right to left using the Hebrew alphabet. This alphabet has 22 letters and is called an abjad, which mostly shows consonants. It is based on a style called Ashurit, which came from the Aramaic script. When people write by hand, they use a special curly style called a cursive script.

Sometimes, small marks go above or below the letters to show vowels. These marks are called Niqqud. Other special marks, like Dagesh and Sin and Shin dots, help show how some letters sound different. Some letters get a little mark called a Geresh to show special sounds.

Name	Alef	Bet	Gimel	Dalet	He	Vav	Zayin	Chet	Tet	Yod	Kaf	Lamed	Mem	Nun	Samech	Ayin	Pe	Tzadi	Qof	Resh	Shin	Tav
Printed letter	א‎	ב‎	ג‎	ד‎	ה‎	ו‎	ז‎	ח‎	ט‎	י‎	כ‎ ך‎	ל‎	מ‎ ם‎	נ‎ ן‎	ס‎	ע‎	פ‎ ף‎	צ‎ ץ‎	ק‎	ר‎	ש‎	ת‎
Cursive letter
Pronunciation	/ʔ/, /∅/	/b/, /v/	/g/	/d/	/h/	/v/ /u/, /o/, /w/	/z/	/χ~ħ/	/t/	/j/, /i/, /e(i̯)/	/k/, /χ/	/l/	/m/	/n/	/s/	/ʔ~ʕ/, /∅/	/p/, /f/	/t͡s/	/k/	/ʁ~r/	/ʃ/, /s/	/t/
Transliteration	', ∅	b, v	g	d	h	v, u, o, w	z	kh, ch, h	t	y, i, e, ei	k, kh	l	m	n	s	', ∅	p, f	ts, tz	k	r	sh, s	t

Phonology

Modern Hebrew has fewer sounds than older Hebrew. Israeli Hebrew has about 25 to 27 consonant sounds, and 5 to 10 vowel sounds. These sounds can change depending on who is speaking.

Morphology

Modern Hebrew builds and changes words in a way that is similar to Biblical Hebrew. Most new words, such as verbs, nouns, and adjectives, are created using a special method. This method uses three-letter roots called shoresh, combined with added patterns known as mishkal. Some nouns come from older patterns, and some adjectives use even older ones. Sometimes, new words are made by joining parts of two different words together.

Syntax

Modern Hebrew uses rules from older Hebrew but has changed because of other languages its speakers learned.

Modern Hebrew usually puts the subject first, then the verb, then the object, like "I see the dog." Older Hebrew was different, using verb-subject-object, like "See I the dog." Modern Hebrew can use different orders, but adding a special word helps make the meaning clear. It also keeps some older rules, such as putting describing words before the main word they describe.

Sample text

Modern Hebrew is the main form of the Hebrew language used today. It is spoken by many people, mostly in Israel. Hebrew is a very old language, with writings from long ago.

Modern Hebrew uses the Hebrew Alphabet, which is written from right to left. It became the standard language in the late 1800s and early 1900s and is now the official language of Israel.

Lexicon

Modern Hebrew has many words for everyday life, science, news, and literature. It began with words from old Biblical and Rabbinic Hebrew texts and added new words over time.

The language also includes words from other languages, such as Arabic, Aramaic, Yiddish, Judaeo-Spanish, German, Polish, Russian, and English. These borrowed words make Modern Hebrew rich and useful for many topics today.