“Modern Hebrew (עִבְרִית חֲדָשָׁה) is the standard form of the Hebrew language spoken today. It is the official language of Israel, where it is used in government, education, and daily life.
odern Hebrew developed as part of a revival movement in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was motivated by a desire to preserve Hebrew literature and create a distinct Jewish nationality within the context of Zionism.
Eliezer Ben-Yehuda, a Russian-Jewish linguist, played a crucial role in this revival. His efforts led to the successful revival of Hebrew as a living language.
Hebrew had been spoken since antiquity but became extinct as a spoken language after the 3rd century BCE. However, it continued to be used for liturgy, poetry, literature, and written correspondence.
The creation of the State of Israel in 1948 marked the official adoption of Modern Hebrew as the national language.
Language Characteristics:
odern Hebrew is a Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic language family.
It incorporates foreign elements introduced during the revival period (1880–1920) and has evolved naturally through linguistic processes.
The vocabulary is based on biblical Hebrew, while the syntax draws from Mishnaic Hebrew.
Speakers:
pproximately 9–10 million people speak Hebrew today.
Of these, around 6 million are native speakers, primarily Jews born in Israel or immigrants who arrived during infancy.
Other speakers include immigrants to Israel, Israeli Arabs (whose first language is usually Arabic), and expatriate Israelis or diaspora Jews.
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