And the Academy of Words Goes to...
Sometimes seen as Israel's "language police", The Academy of the Hebrew Language has provided structure to the evolving language. You should see their social media game.
Lovers of Hebrew, and more generally language, might see the Academy of the Hebrew Language as an institutional Garden of Eden. It pays homage to Eliezer Ben Yehuda and the creation of modern Hebrew, while staying current by chiming in on trends and creating new words. As new slang comes out, the Academy will encourage Hebrew-speakers to stay away from it and to continue using the proper Hebrew for it.
Old school Israelis might hold the Academy’s directions as the holy gospel, but the younger generations of the Millenials and Gen Z, or the youths as they are called sometimes, are fine using the cool slang.
The Academy could have thrown in the towel and given up in the effort to persuade the younger generations to hold fast to the grammatical rules of yesteryear. They did not. In fact, they put on a masterclass of adjusting to the times and learning to engage different age groups.
This adaptation came in the form of creating a social media game so strong that it has become a part of Israeli pop culture. You might see the Tel Aviv municipality social media accounts sharing their lessons or younger folks once in a while calling a corcinet a gal-gee-lie-eem. Corcinet is the slang word based on French for the scooters seen across Tel Aviv and other parts of Israel, while gal-gee-lie-eem is the official word for them.
In order to appreciate this noteworthy achievement, we will explore some of the Academy’s history and then look at some especially fun social media posts.
Before that, a short 3-minute video on the basics of the Academy. Another example of their efforts to stay relevant.
History Lesson
Eliezer Ben Yehuda deserves a great deal of credit for reviving the Hebrew language and for getting it on track to become what it is today. He was not alone though in this grand undertaking.
He formed a Literature committee in 1889 that was disbanded in 1891. Only after 14 years was the Language Committee formed in 1905 by Ben-Yehuda, David Yellin (teacher and researcher), Dr. Eliyahu Sapir (teacher), Dr. Aharon Meir Mazia (physician), Yehiel Michal Pines (rabbi and Zionist activist), and the Secretary Haim Ariye Zuta (teacher). The push came from the teachers union who saw a great need for a governing body to preserve the integrity of Hebrew1.
The activities came to a halt in World War 1 and Ben Yehuda passed away shortly after in 1922.
In 1924, Haim Nachman Bialik made aliyah and became President of the rejuvenated Language Committee. Its activities went strong through the beginning of the War of Independence in 1948. Jerusalem, where the Committee was based, became isolated after the war and funding was needed for the project.
In 1949, in the presence of David Ben-Gurion, the Academy of the Hebrew Language was established.
There are many details in between the lines and I encourage you to read more about it here if it appeals to you.
Mission and Vision
Beyond preserving the Hebrew language, the Academy has outlined its official role.
“The Academy of the Hebrew Language is the world’s premiere institution for the Hebrew language, and in Israel, its decisions are binding on all governmental agencies. Here, as one would expect, new Hebrew words and terms are created, and standards are set for grammar, orthography, transliteration and punctuation. Its flagship endeavor, however, is its work in preserving the Hebrew language and its development through the Historical Dictionary Project.”2
It can get a bad rap for being overly official and not moving along with the times. It is ironic though that the name of the Academy itself is Academ-ia of the Hebrew Laguage. That’s a healthy dose of irony for the week.
“Although the Academy has the reputation of being Israel’s “language police,” it does not monitor spontaneous speech, and considers its decisions binding only for written texts and formal speeches. Similarly, from the very name of the institution, a foreign word that has drawn criticism, it is clear that the main purpose of the Academy is to encourage and advance Hebrew, not to stamp out all non-Hebrew influences.”
And it pays attention to the past and the present while keeping its eyes on the direction of the Hebrew language.
“As defined in its constitution, the Academy’s functions are to investigate and compile the Hebrew lexicon by its historical strata and layers, to study the structure, history, and offshoots of the Hebrew language and to direct the development of Hebrew in light of its nature, requirements, and potential, and its daily and academic needs.”
Staying Current
In the direct aftermath of “Operation Grim Beeper” which targeted Hezbollah operatives, there was a lot of use of the word ‘beeper’, both in English and in Hebrew. The Academy recognized that this was its moment to shine and teach the Hebrew-speaking community how sophisticated Israelis should speak.
Translation: “We just want to remind you that in Hebrew we say ‘zee-mo-neet’ and not ‘beeper’. In English, the general term is ‘pager’.”
A double whammy - not only some rebuke for the Hebrew speakers, but a slap on the wrist for even using the word ‘beeper’ in the first place.
How many Israelis use the word ‘zee-mo-neet’? I have no idea and the poll hasn’t been conducted, but probably rather low. That doesn’t generalize though to all messages from the Academy and its important work stretches far beyond rebukes for using slang. It has become the hub for studying and preserving the Hebrew language.
Game Recognize Game
The main attraction of the Academy to the younger generations is the social media game of the Academy.
A perusal of their Facebook and Instoosh accounts will display a treasure chest of graphics similar to the one below that take relevelant pop culture references and use them to teach or un-teach words or phrases.
This graphic asks “why do we call turkey ‘Indian chicken’ and not ‘Turkish chicken’?”
In this one, Cochava from the hit show, Kupa Reisheet (or the inaccurate English name, Checkout), asks why a bomb shelter is called a מקלט - meek-lat - if it doesn’t have cell phone reception - קליטה - Klee-tuh.
There really are some stellar graphics on their social media pages and they are worth a look.
Even though the Academy might seem rather official at times and many people just want to speak and write freely, there is a certain beauty to an institution established for the purpose of preserving the language.
The amazing social media posts are icing on the cake.
Song of the Week
את לי הנצח
Awt lee ha-net-zach
You are mine forever
With this moving love song towards the Homeland, the legendary Eyal Golan delivers a follow-up to his smash hit anthem of the year, Am Yisrael Chai (even though Harbu Darbu officially took first place on the Galgalatz yearly chart). It opens with Hatikvah and moves into a gentle tribute to all that we’ve been through.
Slang of the Week
לאכול את הכובע
Le-eh-choel et ha-koe-vuh
To eat the hat
This is slang for publically admitting that you did something wrong. A fitting phrase as we approach Yom Kippur.
Thank you kindly for reading this week’s post. I hope that you will continue to read and enjoy. I’d be grateful if you could tell one friend or family member to give it a try.
Thank you for your partnership as we learn and grow.
Wishing you a gmar chatima tova!
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“History”. The Academy of the Hebrew Language. https://en.hebrew-academy.org.il/about-the-academy/history-of-the-academy/
“Mission and Vision”. The Academy of the Hebrew Language”.https://en.hebrew-academy.org.il/mission-and-vision/