Waking the Dead: Hebrew Rises From the Grave


In 1948, Modern Hebrew became, not an official language, but THE official language, of Israel. Yiddish and German, contenders for some measure of recognition, were tossed out completely. To fully appreciate the impact of this decision, note that language-reanimation requires near-universal agreement on emotional issues, including:

o Standarded spelling.

o Standardised and updated grammar, including elimination of cumbersome syntax.

o Standard pronunciation, in the face of participants' "foreign" accents.

o Use of the target language in all contexts formal and informal, in spite of the fact that virtually all participants are fluent in another. This issue, more than any other, kills most revival movements.

Similar squabbles have crippled attempts to revive other languages, such as Cornish and Cadien French. Yet the Israelis established and promulgated a single, Modern Hebrew, which resembles the biblical version about as closely as contemporary English resembles Shakespeare.

Most astonishing of all, Israel's founders abandoned their native languages practically overnight. Hebrew is once again the native tongue of most Jewish Israelis. (Some Orthodox Israelis continue to speak Yiddish, arguing that only the Messiah has the right to restore Hebrew.) A Hebrew Academy oversees the language, which has spawned an impressive body of literature. Israeli universities teach in Hebrew. There are Hebrew sitcoms and comic strips. Doctors, truck drivers, rappers, and street thugs speak Hebrew. Amid the roar, the critics' silence booms like thunder.

The Hebrew Miracle is no less astounding, and no less fascinating to linguists, than Michael Crichton's fictional clones. Granted, big lizards are a bigger commercial draw than phonetics and vocabulary. I doubt children, or adults for that matter, would queue up for "Linguistic Park." Nonetheless, to peoples who have lost their language, and to those who love language in general, the Hebrew Miracle is both a compelling tale and a beacon of hope.

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The copyright of the article Waking the Dead: Hebrew Rises From the Grave in World Languages is owned by Robert Henderson. Permission to republish Waking the Dead: Hebrew Rises From the Grave in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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