Historical Continuity in the Emergence of Modern Hebrew

Reviews / Votes

This carefully researched, well-documented, and richly illustrated volume adds new and important insights into the puzzling question of the relationship between Modern Hebrew and its classical forebears (Biblical, Rabbinical, and Medieval) as representing change and/or continuity. The book will be of interest to Hebraists, general and Semitic linguists, and typologists, and its contents are accessible both to established scholars and to beginning students in these domains. -- Ruth A. Berman, Tel Aviv University Yael Reshef provides a fascinating look at the emergence of Modern Hebrew. By focusing on the struggle between linguistic continuity and innovation in the early years of Hebrew's revival, her work helps us understand how exactly Hebrew developed into its present form. -- Aaron Rubin, Penn State University In the detailed and theoretically-informed empirical studies in this book, Yael Reshef takes us beyond the myths, presuppositions, and speculations that characterize most discussions of the emergence of Modern Hebrew. Reshef uncovers how the particular history of Modern Hebrew and its diverse speakers led to surprising, non-linear, and hitherto invisible processes that shaped the language. It will fascinate anyone interested in Hebrew or in language variation and change -- and it made me completely rethink my conceptions of continuity and change in language. -- Eitan Grossman, Hebrew University of Jerusalem This volume provides a clear, concise overview of the issue of historical continuity as a factor in the emergence of Modern Hebrew. It makes an important contribution to scholarship in its examination of the question of superficial vs. actual continuity between earlier Hebrew sources and the nascent modern language. The work will be of great use to scholars and students seeking to understand the early development of contemporary Hebrew. -- Lily Kahn, University College London