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In the Beginning: A Short History of the Hebrew Language, by Joel Hoffman
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Hebrew as a language is just over 3,000 years old, and the story of its alphabet is unique among the languages of the world. Hebrew set the stage for almost every modern alphabet, and was arguably the first written language simple enough for everyone, not just scribes, to learn, making it possible to make a written record available to the masses for the first time.
Written language has existed for so many years—since around 3500 BCE—that most of us take it for granted. But as Hoffman reveals in this entertaining and informative work, even the idea that speech can be divided into units called “words” and that these words can be represented with marks on a page, had to be discovered. As Hoffman points out, almost every modern system of writing descends from Hebrew; by studying the history of this language, we can learn a good deal about how we express ourselves today.
Hoffman follows and decodes the adventure that is the history of Hebrew, illuminating how the written record has survived, the significance of the Dead Sea Scrolls and ancient translations, and attempts to determine how the language actually sounded. He places these developments into a historical context, and shows their continuing impact on the modern world.
This sweeping history traces Hebrew's development as one of the first languages to make use of vowels. Hoffman also covers the dramatic story of the rebirth of Hebrew as a modern, spoken language.
Packed with lively information about language and linguistics and history, In the Beginning is essential reading for both newcomers and scholars interested in learning more about Hebrew and languages in general.
- Sales Rank: #160612 in eBooks
- Published on: 2004-08-01
- Released on: 2004-08-01
- Format: Kindle eBook
Review
“Those with a passion for Hebrew, linguistics and religious history will probably find much to captivate them.”
-Na'amat Woman
“Hoffman has a flair for explaining how languages work.”
-Times Literary Supplement
“A fascinating account of the evolution of Hebrew as a language. Those interested in language are in for a delightful surprise.”
-Record-Review of Scarsdale, NY
“[I]t is written in an energetic style with a commitment to exploring the evolution of Hebrew from ancient times to the present in ways that a broad audience can comprehend. It will be fortunate, indeed, if future efforts can achieve the commendable promise embodied in this volume’s title with the clarity and enthusiasm that fill its pages.”
-Religious Studies Review
“Hoffman does a good job of pointing out the different traditions of biblical Hebrew that existed in antiquity.”
-The Jerusalem Post
Review
"Hoffman has a flair for explaining how languages work." - Times Literary Supplement "Hoffman does a good job of pointing out the different traditions of biblical Hebrew that existed in antiquity." - Jerusalem Post "Strikes the right balance between thoroughness and accessibility." - Jewish Book World"
About the Author
Joel Hoffman lectures and teaches classes on biblical and rabbinic Hebrew and translation at Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. He is the head translator for Jewish Lights’ multi-volume prayerbook and commentary series, My People’s Prayerbook. He lives in the NYC area.
Most helpful customer reviews
38 of 40 people found the following review helpful.
Possibly the most exiting book I've read in a decade.
By A. Uittenbogaard
In The Beginning - A short History of the Hebrew Language by Joel M. Hoffman is possibly the most exiting book I've read in a decade. Hoffman's writing style is chipper and friendly; I never thought I'd be grinning widely while reading a book on linguistic theory. But it's more than that. In The Beginning is almost a coming of age novel, not just of the Hebrew language but of the whole of human speech. I'm sure it's often underestimated what the Hebrew language has done for mankind, but Hoffman explains and reveals with so much obvious fun that any reader with even the most modest interest in language feels quickened and finally informed.
The ability to read and write equals the ability to preserve data and complex thought. It equals the ability of a culture to form a reflective continuum the way the universe forms time. But written text used to be nothing more than a string of vague consonantal hints towards spoken words. Esoteric knowledge was always a key without which the text could not be unlocked, and writing was merely an extension of the oral tradition. All of this changed with the incredible invention of the Hebrews to use symbols for vowels. When this art became established reading and writing became available to the masses, and it competes with the printing press for the predicate of most important invention that lead to modern civilization.
Hoffman tells the story with as much feel for flair as for clarity, and In The Beginning treads confidently and with a continuous sense of awe upon the stage of evolution. It lists the unknowns without shame or the idle consolation of conjecture, and revitalizes petrified certainties into wells of alternatives. After a brief introductory chapter Hoffman reviews the 'Rules of the Game,' which is a general essay on the 'Three Theories of the World,' namely 1) The Dumb-Luck Theory-- everything happens by chance and that's it then; 2) The God-Theory-- everything happens because of God and that's it then; and 3) The Science Theory--there is un underlying order to the universe that we humans can understand.
The language in which the Bible was written is a formidable phenomenon and every serious student of the Bible should at least be acquainted with some of the achievements of this language. The Bible is by no means just another book in a bookstore, but a bright bolt of light that caused the bookstore!
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful.
Vowels do make a difference
By Amazon Customer
This is a most interesting and enlightening treatise, written with scholarly authoritativeness. The author covers his subject most thoroughly and eloquently, even, as the title claims, it is a "short" history. However, his claim that Hebrew formed the original basis for ancient Greek and Latin would have been better served if he had provided more compelling evidence and documentation for this very startling assertion. The similarity of Aleph-Bet and Alpha-Beta isn't entirely convincing. Yet, in all fairness, the author does make many other revelatory and absorbing points throught his book which certainly seem incontrovertible based on his scholastic background.
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful.
A great read for both a linguist and a casual learner!
By Asya Pereltsvaig
Dr. Joel Hoffman's book "In the Beginning" is an excellent introduction into the study of the centuries-long history of Hebrew and its grammar. Hoffman manages to pack a lot of information into a very concise book and his writing style makes it a real pleasure to read. But what distinguishes this book from most books on the history of Hebrew is that it is written by a professional linguist from the perspective of contemporary linguistic theory, which does not equate language with its writing system, or label languages as "primitive" or "complex". Hoffman analyzes (admittedly sparse) information about the state of the Hebrew language in the last three millennia as a linguist would analyze any other language (living or dead). Hoffman does not pretend to have the final word on the subject. Instead, his book provides an excellent "Beginning" for a linguistically sophisticated study of the diachronic adventures of the Hebrew language. Anyone interested in Hebrew should read this book.
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