Travel to Middle East

Hebrew in 10 Minutes a Day

Format: Paperback
Author: Kristine K. Kershul
ReleaseDate: August, 2002
Publisher: Bilingual Books (WA)
Rating:

Great book if you need to learn Hebrew quickly
I had to get a workable knowledge of Hebrew in a short period of time. I don't know how much I would have liked this book if I was learning Hebrew from afar, but a few years ago, I found out on two week's notice that I was going to Israel for six months. I carried the pocket pal card and the grocery card everywhere, and the flash cards were great. I like the style of the workbook - it is fun and entertaining. You definitely need the discipline to repeat things to learn much, though, as with any language learning. I clearly don't know Hebrew well enough to know about inaccuracies, but it was great for me, teaching me the basics very quickly.

For best results use in conjunction with Pimsluer tapes
I am new to learning hebrew and I found this book quite helpful. The book is very good, it makes the learning process fun, the stickers and flashcards are great, too! Also constantly writing the words allows you to learn the spellings better than you would with other language learning tools. Although I must agree some of the words are transliterated incorrectly (how do i know? I spent a few months in Israel). Anyways what was most effective to me was using this book as a suppliment to the Pimsluer languge learning tapes. Since the tapes usually come with no text supliment but generally cover the same material as this book, the two compliment eachother quite nicely. Using the tapes will also overcome the transliteration problems since you will HEAR the words being spoken (it will also help you nail down the accent). Also the book will help you understand what they are saying on the tapes more correctly (sometimes the speaker doesn't say the words as clear as you would like. )

Anyway I recommend this book and Pimsluer tapes for a good way to start learning hebrew. :-).

Always a Variance
But I've also investigated modern pronunciation. I have been a student of Biblical Hebrew for over 3 years. Interestingly, one will not find any consistency (I've found about half a dozen modern variations, both for consonants and for vowels, a total of about 12 pronunciation systems). A living language by definition means constant change and dialects existing side by side.

Adam Lance has put for that there are some transliterations problems with this text. That is possible; I mean, one cannot hardly find a published book today that wasn't rushed to the market so fast that it appears that some proofreading, or at least careful proofreading, was forgotten.

Modern Hebrew has two main pronunciation systems: Ashkenazi and Sephardi. Israel basically uses Sephardi, but which one?! That's right, there is significant variation. One reference states that, not including dipthongs, there are 5 vowel sounds, another says 6, and another 7, and even another 10. Then there are the consonants. Some say Cheyt and Kaf are pronounced the same, some say different. Some say Ayin is pronounced, others say it's silent like Aleph. Why all this variance?

I write this to justify the seeming descrepancies in this book. The Sephardi tradition is essentially Middle Eastern and North African. This system breaks down in variations among those born and raised in Israel vs. immigrants. There is Russian, Yemenite, Romanian, and Ethiopian dialects.

The older native population in Israel generally pronounce Cheyt and Kaf differently. And they pronounce Ayin. Also, they use at least 6 vowel sounds, pronouncing Tsere as ey. But their children do not pronounce Ayin, and sound Cheyt and Kaf the same. Also, they only use 5 vowel sounds.

There is one evidence of the transition. While many pronounce Tsere the same as Seghol (as in "bet"), when the tsere syllable is closed by Aleph or He, it is pronounced as a long 'a' (as in "they"). This may be what has occurred in this book, like another book I have. Seghol may also be pronounced 'ey' if the syllable is closed by He.

So it is likely that this book is correct for the dialect it represents. There is much flux at this time. It appears, though, that the 5-vowel system is winning out, Ayin is becoming unpronounced, and no distinction is being made between Cheyt and Kaf.

The bottom line is that once one has used a particular book like this, if they intend to progress, they will have to immerse into the language and culture. Living in America, the student will then likely swing to Ashkenazi pronunciation (which is spoken here conversationally), meaning that when they go to Israel, they will have difficulties. As with learning any language, adjustment is constant, even for the native speaker

If you want to learn Modern Hebrew, this text is fine. But, as with ANY book, be prepared to grow with the language, the local dialect, etc.

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