Brandeis Modern Hebrew

by Vardit Et Al Ringvald, Bonit Porath, Yaron Peleg

Written by the core faculty of the Hebrew Program at Brandeis University, Brandeis Modern Hebrew is an accessible introduction to the Hebrew language for American undergraduates and high school students. Its functional and contextual elements are designed to bring students from the beginner level to the intermediate level, and to familiarize them with those linguistic aspects that will prepare them to function in advanced stages. This volume reflects some of the main principles that have shaped the Brandeis Hebrew curriculum during the past decade. These • an emphasis on the learner’s ability to use the target language in all four skills speaking, listening, reading, and writing • an effort to contextualize each unit within a specific subject or theme • exposing the student to authentic and semi-authentic materials (texts written by native speakers) • exploring different elements from Israeli and Jewish culture in the language drills, reading passages, and in selections of sources from the Hebrew literary canon The text in this edition comprises a short introduction to the instructor, 11 units, supplementary Hebrew proficiency guidelines, and a vocabulary list. Audio-visual components for all reading passages are available online for download.

Genres: Jewish

608 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2015

Reviews

[Lisa Feld · Rating 5 out of 5]

I used this in a Hebrew course this semester and was really impressed by it. There are a variety of exercises: open-ended questions, fill-in-the-blanks, long passages for reading comprehension, and grids for learning verb forms, to accommodate different styles of learning. New words are translated into English beside the text or exercise where they first appear, and the book clearly lays out the rules and exceptions for different verb forms and compound nouns so that students can use their understanding of each form to correctly guess how any future word or construct will behave. Each chapter also includes supplemental exercises for students who want a little extra practice. I highly recommend it.