Hebrew language

Hebrew

Hebrew is a Northwest Semitic language in the Afroasiatic language family. It was once spoken by the ancient Israelites and used in important Jewish texts like the Hebrew Bible.

Though it stopped being a everyday spoken language around 200 CE, Hebrew was brought back to life in the 19th century through a process called linguistic revival. This made it the only language to achieve such a revival on a large scale.

Today, Hebrew is the official language of the State of Israel and is spoken by millions of people around the world. It is special because it is the only Canaanite language still in use today. Many people study Hebrew to learn about its rich history and its role in Jewish culture and religion.

The language has a long and interesting past, with its earliest writings dating back to the 10th century BCE. Even after it was no longer spoken regularly, Hebrew was still used in Jewish worship and scholarly work. With the rise of Zionism, efforts to revive Hebrew helped it become an everyday language again, led by people like Eliezer Ben-Yehuda.

Now, Hebrew is not only the language of Israel but is also studied by many around the world, from students and archaeologists to linguists interested in the Middle East and its history.

Etymology

See also: Hebrews § Etymology

The word "Hebrew" has roots in many old languages. It began in Old French and passed through Latin and Ancient Greek. It finally comes from Biblical Hebrew, where it was called Ivri. This name connects to Abraham’s ancestor Eber. The word means something like "from the other side," perhaps referring to people living across a river or desert.

One of the oldest uses of the name Ivrit for the language is found in a very old book called the Book of Sirach. The Hebrew Bible calls the language Yehudit, meaning "Judahite."

History

Hebrew belongs to the Canaanite languages, a group of the Northwest Semitic family.

Hebrew was spoken in the ancient kingdoms of Israel and Judah from about 1200 to 586 BCE. We know this from writings and inscriptions from that time.

Scholars discuss how much Hebrew was used as a everyday language after the Babylonian exile, when Old Aramaic was more common.

Hebrew stopped being used as a everyday language by late antiquity, but it was still used for writing, business, and in religious services. It evolved into different forms of literary Medieval Hebrew, and then it was brought back as a spoken language in the late 19th century through its revival as a spoken language.

Current status

Modern Hebrew is the main official language of Israel. Today, many people around the world speak Hebrew. In Israel, most Jewish people know Hebrew well, and many Israeli Arabs also speak it.

Efforts are made to keep Hebrew strong. The Academy of the Hebrew Language creates new Hebrew words each year. Some cities, like Haifa, ask businesses to use Hebrew signs. The Knesset, Israel's parliament, also helps make sure Hebrew stays important.

Phonology

Further information: Biblical Hebrew § Phonology, and Modern Hebrew phonology

Biblical Hebrew had special sounds, including some made deep in the throat. Over time, these sounds changed.

By the time of the Dead Sea Scrolls, some sounds had shifted in different ways.

Modern Hebrew pronunciation comes from these older traditions, with many sounds simplified. Today, Israeli Hebrew has added new sounds from other languages and has a special way of saying the "r" sound.

Writing system

Main articles: Hebrew alphabet and Hebrew braille

People who speak modern Hebrew write from right to left using the Hebrew alphabet. The alphabet has 22 letters. It mostly shows consonants, and special marks are added to show vowels when needed. When people write by hand, the letters change shape and become more rounded and flowing. These special marks also help show different sounds for the same letter.

Liturgical use in Judaism

Hebrew has been used for prayers and studying for a very long time. There are different ways of saying the words based on where Jewish people lived.

For example, Ashkenazi Hebrew Ashkenazi Hebrew comes from Central and Eastern Europe and is used in many religious services today.

Another way is Sephardi Hebrew Sephardi Hebrew, which comes from Spanish and Portuguese Jewish communities. This style of speaking Hebrew is what most people in Israel use today. There are also other styles, like Mizrahi (Oriental) Hebrew Mizrahi (Oriental) Hebrew, used by Jewish communities in Arab and Islamic countries. These different styles are still used in synagogues and religious studies around the world.