Biblical Hebrew Forum

[K Randolph <kwrandolph AT gmail.com>]

Randall:

On Wed, Sep 1, 2010 at 12:45 AM, Randall Buth <randallbuth AT gmail.com> wrote:

> In the field of language teaching, often called
> "Second Language Acquisition", many programs are taught
> primarily 'in the language'. This is sometimes called
> 'immersion', 'partial immersion' (if a small percentage of another
> language is used), and 'communicative' language teaching.
>
> In the field of BH, most do not have a training that would
> facilitate such teaching. Yet quite a few have shown interest over
> the past years of moving in such a direction.
>

By far that is the best way to learn a second language.

However, how can one have true immersion language learning, when we don’t
even know what its pronunciation was? It is pretty obvious to any scholar
that the pronunciation schema set up by the Masoretes does not preserve
Biblical Hebrew pronunciation.

The vowels were not written down, and the Masoretic system is sometimes
wrong as far as meaning is concerned even within their schema, and that is
merely a record of vowels as it existed in the medieval period in a certain
geographic region.

There are even questions concerning some of the consonants and their
pronunciations.

Then the vocabulary is limited, sufficient for carrying its message, but not
all inclusive, even for its period (pre-Babylonian Exile), let alone for
other periods.

So given these limitations, how can there be true immersion learning of
Biblical Hebrew?

Are those who think hey are preparing for immersion teaching only fooling
themselves, and teaching things that are not accurate to their students?

>
> braxot
> Randall Buth
> Responses onlist or off list would be fine.
>
> Karl W. Randolph.