LL-L "Language varieties" 2012.11.30 (02) [EN]

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 L O W L A N D S - L - 30 November 2012 - Volume 02
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From: Ed Alexander edsells at cogeco.ca
Subject: LL-L "Language varieties" 2012.11.30 (01) [EN]

At 04:02 PM 30/11/2012, Mike Morgan wrote:

Well, Ed, SYNTACTICALLY speaking, there is a school of thought which
holds that MODERN Israeli Hebrew is really relexified Yiddish, and
therefore not, strictly speaking a Semitic Languages any more, but
rather a (creoloid) cousin to English.


I wouldn't know about that.  I am a student of Classical Hebrew.

Ed
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From: R. F. Hahn sassisch at yahoo.com
Subject: Language varieties

Mike and Ed, Lowlanders,

I have a working knowledge of both Hebrew varieties.

It is definitely true that Israeli Hebrew phonology is highly Europeanized
(not only Yiddish-influenced, is in fact more Sephardic-influenced), and
it is a far cry from the original phonology of about two to three millennia
ago. I also agree that Hebrew lexicon has changed quite a lot, and there
are some marked morphological and syntactic differences. But I would not go
so far as siding with that particular school of thought. Modern Hebrew
syntax is still essentially Semitic, a long way from Yiddish syntax, and
from German syntax, for that matter.

(German influences on Modern Hebrew tend to be overlooked.)

Also, Modern Hebrew has more than one register. Especially in formal
speaking and writing, many Israelis utilize classicizing registers. The
differences between ordinarily, casually spoken Israeli Hebrew and
classicizing Modern Hebrew is not unlike the differences between (generally
spoken) Dimotiki <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dimotiki> (Δημοτική) and
(classicizing) Katharevousa
<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katharevousa> (Καθαρεύουσα)
in Modern Greek, though to a lesser extent.

Regards,
Reinhard/Ron
Seattle, USA


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