Oakland University, College of Arts and Sciences
Department of Linguistics
Alice S. Horning
330 Wilson Hall
248-370-4134 or 2175 (fax 4208)
Email: Horning@oakland.edu
ALS 3XX/REL3XX
History of Hebrew
GENERAL INFORMATION
Catalog Course Description
An introduction to the development of modern Hebrew phonology, lexicon, syntax and
semantics in the context of the history of the independent state of Israel. Discussion of
sociolinguistic language policy and planning issues pertinent to the adoption of Hebrew as the
official language. NEED ADVICE ABOUT THISReading knowledge of Hebrew helpful, not
required. (4 credits)
Objectives
The goal of this course is to help students understand the historical development of
modern Hebrew as a language in the context of Israeli history, culture and society. By the end
of the course students should have
-a basic understanding of linguistic analysis of sounds, words, sentences, meanings,
pragmatics and the role of culture in speaking, understanding, reading and writing any
language.
-a knowledge of fundamental concepts of sociolinguistics, the area where language and
sociology meet.
-an awareness of the key developments in the history of the state of Israel and the
relationship between national identity and language choice.
-a grasp of the key features of modern Hebrew and their development pre- and post1948.
-a sense of the status and use of Hebrew, Arabic and English as “official” languages in
contemporary Israel as well as the use and role of other languages.
-a set of research and writing skills that will serve students well in other courses on
Israel and Judaic studies and other areas. (NOTE: This course MAY satisfy the Writing
Intensive requirement for some students.)
Requirements and Expectations
To reach these objectives, students will be expected to: come to every class meeting on
time, fully prepared to participate in class discussions and exercises; complete all assigned
readings in the texts for the course and in the library; prepare two short papers (details of these
assignments will be given in class); take midterm and comprehensive final exams; read and
prepare book reviews on two books related to course material; write a research report dealing
with some aspect of the Hebrew language and its history that is of personal interest (8-10
pages for undergrads, 10-15 pages for grad students); and demonstrate in all written work an
ability to argue clearly and effectively with appropriate attention to formal academic tone as well
as grammar, mechanics and documentation.
There is a code of conduct for this course. I expect that all students will act with
intellectual independence, personal integrity, honesty in all relationships and consideration for
the rights and well-being of others. In class and out, all members of this class should strive to
adhere to a standard of civilized discourse, tolerating different points of view. Intellectual
engagement requires mutual respect.
Text and Materials
POSSIBLE COURSE TEXT: John Myhill, Language in Jewish Society: Towards a New
Understanding. Clevedon, England: Multilingual Matters, 2004.
As much material as possible will be available through e-reserve in the library. You will
be able to access e-reserves through the library website; a link to the library will be on our
Moodle course site.
There may be additional required reading in the library.
You will need bluebooks for the exams and plain white typing paper for the short papers,
book reviews, and research report.
Grading
Your final grade will be determined using Oakland's 4.0 grading scale and will be based
on the two short papers, the book reviews, the midterm and final exams and the research
report. For undergraduates, the short papers together will be 10%; the book reviews 10%; the
midterm will comprise 20% of the course grade; the final 30%, and the report, 30%. For
graduate students (those with a bachelor's degree), the short papers together will be worth
10%; the book reviews 10%; the midterm will be 20% of the course grade; the final 20%, and
the report 40%. Details for all writing assignments and study questions for both exams will be
provided in class well in advance. There will be some assigned work on the Internet that will
contribute to your grades on the writing assignments. All late assignments will lose 1.0 for each
class day late.
Policies, procedures and sticky stuff
QUESTIONS: I expect you to ask questions before, during or after class, during office
hours and/or by mail, email, voice mail or phone if you do not understand things in the readings
or in class discussion. Despite years of experience, I do not read minds and cannot know you
have questions unless you ask.
SEXUAL HARASSMENT: Sexual harassment is a violation of Federal law and OU
policy; if you feel you are being harassed in this course or elsewhere, I urge you to see me.
SPECIAL NEEDS: If you have special needs with regard to your work in this course,
please let me know privately, so I can accommodate your situation. Students with special
needs are encouraged to contact the Disability Support Services office for help.
ATTENDANCE: Attendance is required. I consider you to be in attendance ONLY if
you come to class on time, stay for the full meeting, and participate in class discussion and
activities. I consider you absent if you arrive late, leave early, sleep or appear to sleep during
class or fail to participate. I will not accept work-related excuses for missing class or for late
papers. If you miss more than three classes, the following rules apply, unless you are seriously
ill and can document the reason for your absence.
You may miss three classes without penalty, but must check with other students to find
out what you have missed. Each additional absence will result in a penalty of -.3 from your
course grade. If you miss more than two consecutive classes without contacting me, I will
assume you have dropped the class and will enter a grade of 0.0 for you without exception.
You can leave a message for me at any hour of the day or night by calling my direct line
number and leaving your message on our voice mail system (248-370-4134).
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There will be a small number of class assignments or exercises to be completed on the
Internet in lieu of face-to-face class sessions (Web Fridays). We will use the Moodle system for
some work.
ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT: Cheating, plagiarism or any other form of academic
misconduct will be reported to the Academic Conduct Committee of the University Senate for
review and may result in failure for the course, university probation, suspension from the
university, expulsion or other penalties. The "Academic Conduct" section of the catalog
explains your due process rights and responsibilities. See me if you have questions or doubts.
INCOMPLETES: I follow the university's guidelines, which require that students initiate
an incomplete prior to the day of the final with a request on an OU form, in writing. Incompletes
can only be given if circumstances beyond students' control preclude timely completion of the
course.
WRITING ASSIGNMENT GUIDELINES: The writing assignments for the course are
meant to help you develop your ability to think and write clearly about the issues we will discuss.
Your written work should be presented in academically acceptable English. Both short papers
and the research report should be typed, double space, on unlined, unused, 8 1/2 x 11 paper,
one side only. Word processed text is fine, but should be proofread and corrected neatly in ink
by hand as necessary. All writing will be peer reviewed and evaluated for both content and
writing quality, including appropriate use and citation of any and all source materials used.
Specific details for each assignment will be given in advance, but generally, the short papers
should be about 2 pages, book reviews around 500 words, and the research report 8-10 pages
for undergraduates and 10-15 for graduate students.
You will have the opportunity to share your written work with your class colleagues and
get feedback in person or through Moodle.
NOTE: On the following page is a tentative course outline. ALL dates are subject to
adjustment, and there will be some Fridays on which class may not meet face-to-face to allow
for Internet work. The dates will be announced well in advance.
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Course outline (NOTE: All dates subject to change!)—predicated on 40 class sessions in a
semester.
Introduction
1)a quick survey of basic linguistics, including sounds, words, sentences, meanings, pragmatics
and language and culture. 4 sessions
2)a quick survey of sociolinguistics, including speech communities, codes and code switching,
language contact situations, language codification through dictionaries and grammars,
ethnography, and language policy and planning issues. 4 sessions
3)a survey of the history of the modern state of Israel, including the pre-state period, the Zionist
movement, the founding of the state and the role of language in the development of national
identity; decisions about the role of English, the status of Arabic and the use of other languages
(French, Yiddish, German) will also be addressed. 6 sessions
4)a detailed analysis of the historical development of Hebrew from its Biblical origins to its
revival as a modern language, including the work of Ben Yehuda and codification of modern
Hebrew through the development of the dictionary. We will look at the structure of the language
itself, including its sounds, words, sentences and meanings and its recent development into a
modern language. 12 sessions
Show The Wordmaker movie on Ben Yehuda?
5)exploration of the status of Hebrew in present-day Israel through an analysis of the “linguistic
landscape” of signs, ads, clothing and other aspects of daily life; analysis of the role of other
languages in immigrant communities (Russian, Romanian, Yiddish, French). We will look at the
role of English in Israel and how it functions in relation to Hebrew in contemporary Israeli
society. 12 sessions
6)multi-media reports on student research projects. Students will complete independent
projects on some aspect of the history of Hebrew or its contemporary forms that is of personal
interest. 2 sessions
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Writing assignments
Paper 1: Understanding the role of the dictionary
Directions: Here’s a neat exercise that will give you some sense of the strengths and
weaknesses of dictionaries. You’ll need a hard-bound, full-sized college-level dictionary to
complete the exercise effectively. You may want to recheck some of your findings against the
rd
dictionary most people consider the authoritative source on words: Webster’s Unabridged, 3
edition. You can find it in OU’s library or any public library.
The exercise has 2 parts. First, complete the tasks listed here in the first 7 items.
Record your findings on a separate sheet or sheets. Then, answer the questions in a one-page
essay. Include both your findings and answers as a single Discussion Board posting.
1. Write down the name and publication information of the dictionary (or dictionaries) you use
for this exercise.
2. Which spellings of the following words does your dictionary prefer? It may give both or
more, but it has to give first preference to one: a)theater/theatre, b)judgment/judgement,
c)catsup/ketchup, d)gages/gauges, e)catty-cornered/kitty-cornered, f)catalog/catalogue
3. From which languages do the following words derive? a)buccaneer, b)penguin, c)jumbo,
d)slob, e)goober, f)sauna, g)coach, h)bedlam, i)gerrymander
4. What is the preferred pronunciation of the following words? (Check the bottom of the page
or the front of the book for pronunciation symbols.) a)harass, b)Caribbean, c)comparable,
d)lamentable, e)Don Quixote
5. What are the regional or subject labels of the following words? Some words mean what
they mean only in certain parts of the English-speaking world or in certain professions.
a)Lagniappe, b)censer, c)oxter, d)spanner, e)defense mechanism, f)Xylan
6. What are the usage labels for the following words? Does your dictionary also include any
additional information in a usage note? a)ain’t, b)irregardless, c)alright, d)transmogrify,
e)yclept, f)rubberneck
7. Finally, what about the definitions of the following words? Many people find them
ambiguous. What does your dictionary do to clarify the ambiguity in each case?
a)aggravate, b)disinterested, c)sensuous/sensual, d)fulsome
Thought questions: What does this exercise tell you about the use and usefulness of the
dictionary? If you compared two different dictionaries, what were your findings? Why do you
think you got the results you did? Comment on how comfortable you feel now about using the
dictionary to settle arguments. Comment, based on your findings, on how well you feel the
dictionary works as a source of standardization or consistency for the language. Discuss the
role of dictionaries as a way to codify the language. How does building a dictionary allow Ben
Yehuda and his colleagues to set standards for the language? Is this the best or the only way
to achieve these goals?
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Paper 2
The purposes of this assignment are to help you get started thinking about an area of
research for the major term project, to give you a chance to explore the library and other
available resources in the field and to allow me to take another look at your writing and provide
such instruction and assistance as I find necessary.
To begin, you will need to choose an area in the history and current status of Hebrew as
a language that interests you. Within that area, you will need to identify a question to which you
would like to know the answer, or a problem you would like to investigate. In this exercise, I
would like you to look for two studies or reports which address the question or problem you
choose. Your paper should present a report on the two studies you have found. You may wish
to simply report on the studies, including what was done and what was found in each, or you
may analyze them, comparing, contrasting, examining the causes or effects of the results, and
so on. In the last part of the report, I will expect you to demonstrate how the research you have
discussed answers your question or solves the problem, and/or to outline further work that
seems to you to need to be done. This work may lead to your major research project, but not
necessarily.
You should choose an area or topic on which you can find material in our library. (I am
arranging a library lecture to help you with your research work at some time this term.) You
may want to start looking into resources available in other libraries as part of your work for this
exercise.
Your paper should be about 2 pages long, and should include citations to the studies
that are the basis of your report. Your paper should be typed double space on one side only of
white, 8 1/2 x 11 paper with reasonable margins on all sides. Put your name on all the pages,
number them in order, and attach them with a paper clip. Correct all typographical errors neatly
in ink (correctotype etc. all ok with me). You may follow any recognized system of citation
(MLA, APA, LSA ok with me). This paper, averaged together with the other short paper will be
one component of your course grade, as announced previously. Late papers will lose 1.0 for
each class day late.
Due date as noted on the course outline. Feel free to call or see me as necessary if you
have questions or want help or reassurance.
Guidelines for Book Reviews
You will write two 500-word book reviews, one for each book you read this term. Your book
review should be a coherent essay which follows these general guidelines:
1. Your review should summarize five (5) main ideas discussed in the book you are
reviewing; tie each idea to at least one course concept from our readings or class discussion.
2. Choose one or more of the following additional strategies for writing your review:
a)Explain what the book has to do with the course and why you think I chose it as one of
the readings. b)Discuss the practical implications of the book for your personal and/or
professional life. c)Relate one of more of the key ideas in the book you have read to specific
concepts in the course materials. d)(For second review only)Compare and contrast the two
books you have read for the course.
3. Provide an evaluation of the book, positive, negative or in between.
Due dates as announced in class. Reminder: Late papers will lose 1.0 for each class day late.
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Reserve Reading at Circulation desk in Kresge Library
The following items are on reserve under my name and the course number at Kresge Library
for your use. If you have problems obtaining reserve materials, please let me know right away.
APA. APA Style Manual, 5th ed. (APA, 2001) (at Reference or Circ desk.)
Ben-Rafael, Eliezer, et al. Linguistic Landscape and Multiculturalism: A Jewish-Arab
Comparative Study. Tel Aviv: Tami Steinmetz Center for Peace Research, 2004.
(not at OU)
Ben-Yehuda, Eliezer. A Dream Come True (Modern Hebrew Classics, trans. T. Muraoka).
Boulder, CO: Westview Press, 1993. (autobio of Ben-Yehuda—not at OU)
Chomsky, William. Hebrew: The Eternal Language. Philadelphia: Jewish Pub Society, 1957.
PJ 4567 C45
th
Dees, Robert. Writing the Modern Research Paper 4 ed.(Allyn and Bacon) (supplemental)
Dieckhoff, Alain. The Invention of a Nation: Zionist Thought and the Making of Modern Israel.
New York: Columbia UP, 2003. (has chapter on “Hebrew, the language of the nation,”
29 pages) DS 149 D56384 2003.
Fellman, Jack. Revival of a Classical Tongue: Eliezer Ben-Yehuda and the Modern Hebrew
Language. The Hague: Walter de Gruyter, 1973. (Not at OU)
Glinert, Lewis. Modern Hebrew: An Essential Grammar. London: Routledge 1994.
PJ 4567.3 G58 1994
Harshav, Benjamin. Language in the Time of Revolution. Stanford, CA: Stanford UP 1993.
(Not at OU)
Hoffman, Joel. In the Beginning: A Short History of the Hebrew Language. New York:
New York UP, 2004. (Available through MEL as ebook)
Jenkins, Jennifer. English as a Lingua Franca: Attitude and Identity. Oxford: Oxford UP,
2007 (Not at OU.Only tangentially related to history of Hebrew. Nothing on Israel or
Hebrew.)
Katz, Dovid. Words on Fire: The Unfinished Story of Yiddish. New York: Basic Books, 2004.
(Not at OU. Has good Intro on history of Yiddish, relationship to Hebrew, etc.)
th
Modern Language Association. MLA Style Manual, 6 ed. New York: MLA.
Myhill, John. Language in Jewish Society: Towards a New Understanding. Clevedon,
England: Multilingual Matters, 2004. (Possible course text—not at OU)
Saenz-Badillos, Angel. A History of the Hebrew Language. Cambridge UP 1993.
Yin, Robert. Applications of Case Study Research. H 61 Y 56 1993
Yin, Robert. Case Study Research, 2nd ed. H 62 Y 56 1994
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