From: Michael Abernathy <mabernathy AT conwaycorp.net>
To: b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: [b-hebrew] the value of a little Modern Hebrew for Biblical Hebrew was Please help a beginner
Date: Tue, 31 May 2011 11:09:46 -0500
Randall Buth said, "I'm not sure what value 'a little'
modern Hebrew has."
What value is there in a little Modern Hebrew? I guess I should explain
by what I mean by a little.If you can, I would recommend that you finish
at least one complete course in Modern Hebrew.I have next to me a copy
of Edna Coffin’s /Lessons in Modern Hebrew/.Looking over the glossary I
note that she has included about 1200 words in her glossary.I can’t say
what is typical but both of my daughters had a vocabulary of over 2000
words by the time they entered kindergarten. That fits in my definition
of “a little Hebrew.”
I suggested a little Modern Hebrew precisely because there are a lot
more resources available to help you internalize the language.For
instance, Stanford University has supplied some videos to help beginning
students at
http://www.stanford.edu/class/hebrew/hsa/lessons1_10.html.You can find a
number of audio and video files to help learn Modern Hebrew vocabulary
here http://www.my-hebrew-dictionary.com/videos.htm.LiveMocha which I
already mentioned uses a method similar to Rosetta Stone.Personally, I
enjoy listening to music in Hebrew on youtube.Iif you don’t have a wide
vocabulary, you can find songs complete with Hebrew and English
subtitles.After you become familiar with the vocabulary look for the
same songs without the subtitles.I could go on but you probably get the
point.
A secondary reason for studying modernHebrew is that it is
unfamiliar.Assuming you have read the Bible before learning Hebrew your
learning is somewhat handicapped by the fact that you have some memory
of what the text says before you even read it. Any course in modern
Hebrew is going to include something that is new to you.
A third benefit to modern Hebrew is also somewhat of a detriment.Modern
Hebrew differs from Biblical Hebrew in that certain features that are
common in modern Hebrew are rare in Biblical Hebrew while features
common in Biblical Hebrew are rare in modern Hebrew.For example, the
construct noun ispretty rare in modern Hebrew preferring to use $EL, שֶׁל,
instead.As a result,reading modern Hebrew helps you become acquainted
with some of the less common features of Biblical Hebrew.
Now for the downside.This is just my opinion so feel free to
disagree.Aside from the differences in vocabulary, the textbooks I have
for modern Hebrew tend to use a sentence structure that closely
resembles English, subject, verb, object.Biblical Hebrew tends to read
verb, subject, object.I feel that learning modern Hebrew has helped me
internalize the language.But the difference in sentence structure plus
the use of rarer elements makes me feel like I’m learning English from Yoda.
So, I’d say learn a little modern Hebrew—any is better than none.Study
it as long as it helps.But don’t make a lifelong study of modern Hebrew
unless you find you really like it.