The MFL Department presents
Language of the Week Hebrew
שלום [shalom] Hello!
Where is Hebrew spoken? Hebrew is one of the two official languages in the State of Israel, the other being Arabic
Hebrew is also spoken by Jewish communities around the world Where is Hebrew spoken? Hebrew is one of the two official languages in the State of Israel, the other being Arabic Hebrew is also spoken by Jewish communities around the world
In addition to the official languages, Israel is a multilingual country with 33 other languages and dialects spoken in local communities A linguist’s heaven!
Hebrew alphabet contains 22 characters Unlike most European languages, Hebrew is written and read from right to left This is also the case for some other Semitic languages such as Arabic
Look at the alphabet and try to write your name Look at the alphabet and try to write your name. Remember to start writing from the right hand side
Hebrew is one of the original languages of the Bible It is believed that the first human author to write down the biblical record was Moses
Hebrew evolved towards the end of the 19th century into a language used for daily life It is this Modern Hebrew that is now spoken around the world, while Classical Hebrew is still used for prayer
Hebrew words you already know Many English names have come from the Bible Examples: Adam אדם Benjamin בנימין Daniel דניאל
Other commonly used words come from Biblical Hebrew such as: Amenאמן (So be it) Hallelujah הללויה(praise the Lord) Babel בבל, from the Biblical story of the Tower of Babel
Hebrew has many similarities in vocabulary, sound and numbers with the Arabic language, although each of them use a completely different set of alphabet
Hebrew has many similarities in vocabulary, sound and numbers with the Arabic language, although each of them use a completely different set of alphabet English Hebrew Arabic One אחד [ehad] واحد [wahad] World עולם [olam] عـالـم [alam] Peace שלום [shalom] سلام [salam]
Gràcies Gracias Thanks You תודה רבה شكرا لك Спасибо