Final Paper Topic

The Hebrew Revival

Languages are becoming extinct at an alarming rate. Because of technological advances, there is increased contact among all parts of the world. This results in a need for a common language that can be understood by all. And English has been one of the main lingua francas that have filled this role. Yet language means more to most cultures than just a means of communication. A language can contain elements of culture that sometimes cannot be imparted through any other method. Therefore, the death of a language can be intensely personal to some tribes and cultures, especially those that are desperately clinging to their language as a symbol as they fight against the extinction of their way of life. There has been a surprising trend of people groups protesting assimilation by clinging to their language. Not only is there more awareness about dying languages, but some groups have tried to reintroduce their dead languages back into daily usage. One Native American tribe even tried to take fragments of their written language and compose a spoken language from those artifacts. For all of these attempts, there have not been very many real success stories to inspire others. But there is one. The Hebrew language was, by many definitions, dead, as it was not spoken in any meaningful, real world settings, and had only a written form still in use. However, it is now the national language of Israel and continues to thrive with hundreds of thousands of native speakers.

The story of the revival of the Hebrew language is characterized by unique situations that contributed immensely to its final enculturation. Its revival and use were predicated on the importance of faith in Jewish life and on the intense desire to achieve a real national identity in Israel. In addition, one motivated individual was willing to spearhead efforts to change the status of Hebrew in Israeli life. Basically, the circumstances surrounding this revival were extraordinary and, therefore, it is a difficult model to follow for any other group wishing to revive its dead language.

In my final paper, I will talk about the history of the revival of Hebrew and discuss why it was so successful. In doing so, it will become apparent why this case is so unique and why other groups cannot use it as a model. Then I will go on to explain the vital importance Hebrew has had on the country of Israel in unifying many disparate peoples and in creating a fierce sense of nationalism in Israel. Finally I will discuss the challenges that immigrants face when coming to a country that is dominated by the Hebrew language, a language they probably have never had to speak before in their lives. This difficulty can be either an obstacle making it more difficult to feel at home in Israel or a rite of passage tying the new immigrant to Israel irrevocably.