Dynamics of Teaching and Learning Modern Hebrew as an Additional Language


Book Description

In Dynamics of Teaching and Learning Modern Hebrew as an Additional Language Yona Gilead presents original research into classroom interactional practices by offering a thick description of a successful beginner-level Modern Hebrew program at an Australian university. The book charts and theorizes the cohort’s teacher and students’ trajectory of using Hebrew as the main means of instructing and acquiring the language, and highlights seven key features which contribute to students’ learning. The book’s research-based findings and analysis of classroom dynamics contribute to theorizing the currently largely praxis-based discipline of L2 Modern Hebrew instruction, hence providing a stronger theoretical understanding of how and why students can be assisted in their language learning. This original research provides a template for renewed L2 Hebrew research.




Modern Hebrew for Beginners


Book Description

Modern Hebrew for Beginners—which is now revised and updated—and Modern Hebrew for Intermediate Students are the core of a multimedia program for the college-level Hebrew classroom developed at the University of Texas at Austin in the early 2000s. Within an intensive framework of instruction that assumes six weekly hours in the classroom, the program provides for two semesters of instruction, at the end of which most successful students will reach the intermediate-mid or intermediate-high levels of proficiency in speaking and reading, and some will reach advanced-low proficiency, as defined by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). In addition to a variety of written exercises, the workbook includes vocabulary lists, reading selections, discussions of cultural topics, illustrations of grammar points, notes on registers, suggestions for class and individual activities, and glossaries. The workbook is complemented by a website (http://www.laits.utexas.edu/hebrew) that provides short video segments originally scripted and filmed in Israel and the United States, vocabulary flashcards with sound, interactive exercises on topics included in the workbook, sound files parallel to the reading selections in the workbook, and additional materials that enhance the learning experience. The stability of the workbook, combined with the dynamic nature of the website and the internet searches the students are directed to conduct, allows language instructors to reshape the curriculum and adapt it to the needs of their students and the goals of their programs.




New Perspectives on the Development of Communicative and Related Competence in Foreign Language Education


Book Description

Nearly half a century has passed since Hymes proposed the concept of communicative competence to describe the knowledge and skills required for the appropriate use of language in a social context. During these decades, a number of scholars have applied and refined this concept. In language education, communicative competence has been identified as a major objective of learning. This book will inform readers about communicative competence as a highly complex construct encompassing an array of sub-competencies such as linguistic skills and proficiencies, knowledge of socio-cultural and socio-pragmatic codes, and the ability to engage in textual and conversational discourse. Findings from research in related disciplines have pointed to the significance of factors that can contribute to the attainment of communicative competence. Various teaching practices and relevant Information and Communication Technology (ICT) tools will be also introduced and discussed to achieve communicative competence as a complex ability. It is a timely contribution to current research on key areas in the teaching, learning and acquisition of second/foreign languages.




Modern Hebrew


Book Description

Ben-Yehuda's vision of a modern Hebrew eventually came to animate a large part of the Jewish world, and gave new confidence and pride to Jewish youth during the most difficult period of modern history, infusing Zionism with a dynamic cultural content. This book examines the many changes that occurred in the transition to Modern Hebrew, acquainting new students of the language with its role as a model for other national revivals, and explaining how it overcame many obstacles to become a spoken vernacular. The author deals primarily with the social and political use of the language and does not cover literature. Also discussed are the dilemmas facing the language arising from the fact that Israelis and Jews in the Diaspora "don't speak the same language," while Israeli Arabs and Jews often do.




Modern Hebrew for Intermediate Students


Book Description

Modern Hebrew for Intermediate Students—which is now revised and updated—and Modern Hebrew for Beginners are the core of a multimedia program for the college-level Hebrew classroom developed at the University of Texas at Austin in the early 2000s. Within an intensive framework of instruction that assumes six weekly hours in the classroom, the program provides for two semesters of instruction, at the end of which most successful students will reach the intermediate-mid or intermediate-high levels of proficiency in speaking and reading, and some will reach advanced-low proficiency, as defined by the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL). In addition to a variety of written exercises, the workbook includes vocabulary lists, reading selections, discussions of cultural topics, illustrations of grammar points, notes on registers, suggestions for class and individual activities, and glossaries. The workbook is complemented by a website (http://www.laits.utexas.edu/hebrew) that provides short video segments originally scripted and filmed in Israel and the United States, vocabulary flashcards with sound, interactive exercises on topics included in the workbook, sound files parallel to the reading selections in the workbook, and additional materials that enhance the learning experience. The stability of the workbook, combined with the dynamic nature of the website and the internet searches the students are directed to conduct, allows language instructors to reshape the curriculum and adapt it to the needs of their students and the goals of their programs.




Language Contact and the Development of Modern Hebrew


Book Description

Language Contact and the Development of Modern Hebrew is a first rigorous attempt by scholars of Hebrew to evaluate the syntactic impact of the various languages with which Modern Hebrew was in contact during its formative years. Twenty-four different innovative syntactic constructions of Modern Hebrew are analysed, and shown to originate in previous stages of Hebrew, which, since the third century CE, solely functioned as a scholarly and liturgical language. The syntactic changes in the constructions are traced to the native languages of the first Modern Hebrew learners, and later to further reanalysis by the first generation of native speakers. The contents of this volume was also published as a special double issue of Journal of Jewish Languages, 3: 1-2 (2015). Contributors are: Vera Agranovsky, Chanan Ariel, Elitzur Bar-Asher Siegal, Miri Bar-Ziv, Isaac Bleaman, Nora Boneh, Edit Doron, Keren Dubnov, Itamar Francez, Roey Gafter, Ophira Gamliel, Yehudit Henshke, Uri Horesh, Olga Kagan, Samir Khalaily, Irit Meir, Yishai Neuman, Abed al-Rahman Mar'i, Malka Rappaport Hovav, Yael Reshef, Aynat Rubinstein, Ora Schwarzwald, Nimrod Shatil, Sigal Shlomo, Ivy Sichel, Moshe Taube, Avigail Tsirkin-Sadan, Shira Wigderson, and Yael Ziv.




The Routledge Introductory Course in Modern Hebrew


Book Description

The Routledge Introductory Course in Modern Hebrew is an integrated language course designed ideally for classroom–based learners. Adopting an eclectic approach, the course contains 90 lessons combining authentic texts, grammar explanations, and exercises with audiovisual materials to guide and support the student through the key skills of reading, writing, speaking and listening. Features include: A wide range of texts, from dialogues and simple narratives to newspaper articles and poetry Over 30 additional passages for extended reading Vocabulary lists for each text A variety of exercises for every lesson including oral drills, listening comprehension, grammar exercises and writing practice Glossaries for each unit and a comprehensive dictionary Thorough explanation of all the grammatical issues that arise at the introductory level A solid grammatical foundation presented in an accessible, user-friendly manner Cultural notes to introduce students to Israeli society All the texts, wordlists, and verb conjugations are freely available in an audiovisual format on the companion website: http://routledgehebrew.com/ An integral part of the course, the website also contains a wealth of additional resources including: Answers to all of the exercises in the book Interactive exercises Audiovisual verb dictionary Audiovisual charts of prepositions and nouns with their pronoun suffixes Audiovisual reference charts of numbers, colors, the days of the week, etc. Checklists and review lessons for each unit Links to Israeli websites Videos and music The Routledge Introductory Course in Modern Hebrew provides everything that students and instructors need for an engaging and effective learning environment.







Issues in the Acquisition and Teaching of Hebrew


Book Description

Essays include teaching at the university level, sociolinguistics, verbal morphology, teaching poetry, teaching grammar, and more.