Hebrew

Hebrew is a Semitic language that is native to Israel and spoken by over 9 million people worldwide. It is one of the oldest languages in the world, with its earliest written examples dating back to the 10th century BCE.

History

The history of Hebrew is usually divided into four main periods: Biblical Hebrew, Mishnaic Hebrew, Medieval Hebrew, and Modern Hebrew. Biblical Hebrew is the language of the Hebrew Bible, while Mishnaic Hebrew is the language of the Mishnah and other Talmudic literature. Medieval Hebrew was used from the 6th to the 13th century CE and was primarily a written language. Modern Hebrew is the standard form of the language used today.

Grammar

Hebrew grammar is largely analytic, expressing such forms as dative, ablative, and accusative using prepositional particles rather than grammatical cases. However, it retains a number of grammatical features that have disappeared in other Semitic languages, such as the infinitive absolute.

Writing system

Hebrew is written from right to left in a script of 22 letters known as the Hebrew alphabet. This script is an abjad, meaning that it primarily represents consonants. However, a system of vowel points, known as niqqud, can be used to indicate vowels.

Modern Hebrew

Modern Hebrew, also known as Israeli Hebrew, is the standard form of Hebrew used today. It was revived as a spoken language in the late 19th and early 20th centuries and is the language of most contemporary written works in the Hebrew language.

See also

• Hebrew literature
• Hebrew Bible
• Hebrew language revival
• Hebrew University of Jerusalem

References

Hebrew Resources
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