Many spots are also named after water (‘ Ein Gedi‘ means ‘ Spring of the Kid’) or named after species mentioned in the Bible (‘Ein Tamar’ means ‘Spring of the Date Palm’). Jerusalem literally means ‘City of Peace’ (from ‘shalom’) and Jaffa (‘beautiful’) is derived from Japhfet, the name of one of Noah's sons' who built the city after the Flood.īeit Shemesh (in the east) means ‘House of the Sun’ and Mitzpe Ramon (home to Israel’s astonishing crater, with its panoramic views) is ‘lookout’. Whilst Ben Yehuda clearly had to improvise in many instances (there were no cars or newspapers in biblical times!) you can trace the etymology (origin) of many words easily, as many are referred to in the Bible as geographical places. Street name sign in three languages in Jerusalem. Photo credit: © Shutterstock Today, we see the fruits of his labor - Hebrew isn’t just a language of prayer, but a tongue heard on every street corner. He coined all kinds of new words and even put together a dictionary, to promote the use of the language in the fields of journalism, science, and literature. He would not even respond to his children if they did not use the words he was constructing, even when they cried and told him they did not understand! This story is still recounted to every young school child in Israel. Taking the view that the Jews could not become a united people in their own land unless they had a modern language of their own, from the day he and his family arrived in Jaffa (in 1881) he insisted that they speak only Hebrew - a Hebrew that he was going to ‘recreate’ out of the ancient language of the Bible!īen Yehuda really took the construction of this new modern language seriously. Something that really sets Israel apart from other nations is that it has a revived language as its national tongue and that is definitely thanks to Eliezer Ben Yehuda, a Lithuanian immigrant who was the driving force behind its ‘comeback’. Hebrew signs in Judean Hills. Photo credit: © Dmitry Mishinīefore we start, a little about the history of modern Hebrew because it's actually a fascinating story. ![]() And more than just being useful, you’ll see how appreciated your words are when you utter them - Israelis are proud of their Hebrew language (‘Ivrit’ as it is known), so if you go to the trouble of learning a few words and expressions, you’ll really reap the rewards! Whilst this is a country where many people (especially the younger generation) speak English fluently, and everyone connected with the tourist industry will be able to help you out, at least to some degree, it’s always useful to know a few phrases. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.So you’re off to Israel on a long-awaited holiday? Firstly, congratulations, you made a fine choice and, trust us, you’re going to love it. Provides English equivalents for over 20,000 Hebrew words, with special attention given to the language of the media. Thousands of compounds, visually distinct as subentries, have also been included. Vocabulary that is limited to the spoken language and words that are borderline cases have been marked as 'colloquial'. ![]() The dictionary reflects the contemporary language of Israel which contains vocabulary from earlier periods, borrowings, colloquial expressions as well as recently coined words which have been accepted in common usage. Special attention was given to the language of the media thus, political terms and names of institutions have been included in abundance. This dictionary was compiled with the intention of providing an up-to-date, easy to use, and inexpensive tool which would enable the student of the language to understand a modern Hebrew text.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |