Brandeis Modern Hebrew

by Vardit 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. Included is a CD that contains audio material for some of the exercises and an enrichment program linked to the text.

Genres: Language, Textbooks, Judaism

608 pages, Paperback

First published July 8, 2005

Reviews

[Ari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full disclosure: I know and adore some of the writers of this book.

That said, while it is quite a useful resource, there are some definite issues with it. Many of the words that come up in chapters are mentioned along the side margains but not in the back of the chapter. A number of times the authors go for interesting or religious texts, but don't give any related vocabulary listings. Also, it's a specifically self-labeled modern Hebrew book and while the language is obviously related to biblical, a number of people in my class were a bit offended by having Torah and siddur portions show up. There are a few editing mistakes in the conjugation charts.

Overall, however, this is THE text to use for learning modern Hebrew. I have experimented with a number of them and still find this one the absolute best. It's recommended, but with a dictionary and a study partner, or for use in a classroom setting.

[Wendy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing, thorough and very user-friendly textbook. I adore the format. The book is arranged in a way that makes learning Hebrew fun, easy, and along the same stream as my mind seems to work. I like the book so much in fact, that I will be saving it for my grandsons to use when they come to visit me. The entire family is so excited about this, that now I am buying language programs in Hebrew for my grandsons to learn with. They are bright children, and have a natural affinity for Hebrew. What a wonderful textbook! It is probably the most user-friendly language textbook I have encountered in my 40 some years of language study. Absolutely a marvelous resource!