Gordon M

By Author: Learn Hebrew, Understanding Hebrew writing
Total Articles: 9
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Hebrew is a fascinating language and when you learn Hebrew you can't help but get caught up in the History of the language, it is after all one of the oldest languages on the planet. Over the centuries Hebrew has changed and developed to the Modern Hebrew that we use today but it is important to remember that even with changes and developments you are still learning a language that has been used since biblical times. 

There are different dialects of the Hebrew language and two of the most common are the Ashkenazic dialect which is used by European Jewry and their descendants and the Sefardic dialect used by Jews from the Mediterranean and Middle Eastern areas. Modern Hebrew uses the Sefardic pronunciation, whereas the pronunciation of prayer or reading from the Torah is dependent on one's descent however the written word remains the same be it biblical or modern.

In Hebrew there are two forms of writing used these are sometimes referred to as square and cursive script. The square form of writing is mostly found in books and news papers while the cursive form is used mainly for hand writing. If you want to learn to speak Hebrew ...
... you are going to have to understand how to read Hebrew and this means coming to terms with the Hebrew alphabet which differs from the latin based alphabet used in languages such as English and French. The Hebrew alphabet consists of 22 letters, five of these letters have different forms when used at the end of a word, it is also is a consonantal alphabet so there are no separate letter vowels this however does not mean that there are no vowels in Hebrew the vowel sounds are added as marks ''Nikkud'' and are mostly placed underneath each letter in a word.

When you learn Hebrewas a student you will learn to read with visible Nikkud / vowels underneath the letters of each word but in everyday life these are left out in most written text, which makes an already hard task that much harder, getting your head around this as a student can be a little difficult but far from  impossible.

Hebrew vowels are added to consonants to make one sound. For instance, Samech may simply make "S" on its own, if you add a line under it, it becomes "ash". 
When reading Hebrew, pronounce the Hebrew letter first, and then pronounce the vowel associated with it, however there are exceptions to this rule such as when a vowel occurs under a guttural Hebrew letter at the very end of a word in such a case you would pronounce the vowel first and then the Hebrew letter.

Although it may seem a little daunting you will be surprised at how quickly you can get to grips with the basics. Learning Hebrew is not as hard as you might think at first glance, if your interested in learning Hebrew the internet should defiantly be your first port of call, there are many resources available online both free and paid that will help to get you started.