International Phrasebooks

Several people have mentioned to me that they thought Hebrew was a dead language. Aside from them, this seems to be a popular misconception in general. A hundred years ago that may have been the case, but as there are several million people in the world who currently speak the modern, revived version of it, Hebrew is very much no longer a dead language.

You can compare it with Latin, a real dead language. Whereas Latin is offered in secondary schools and colleges throughout the United States for the benefits it offers as the foundation to the Romance Languages, among other reasons, Hebrew is also offered in colleges, Jewish primary and secondary schools and other institutions (Jewish, Christian, etc.) but for the purpose of speaking it and actively using it, such as with languages such as French and Spanish. Hebrew is the official language of Israel and most Israelis use it.

One of the reasons why we at International Phrasebooks believe that Hebrew is such an important living language to know, especially for students and tourists, is because when you speak the native language of a country, you are better able to understand and appreciate the country’s society and culture, giving you an enhanced experience and ability to really connect with the people and surroundings.

For tourists to Israel, this allows them to make deep personal connections and build relationships that will allow them to maintain an interest in the country and keep in touch with its people, while for Hebrew students, this gives them the opportunity to be prepared for any future trips they will make to Israel, and if they learn Biblical text in Hebrew, to have a deeper and better understanding of it.

*About this blog: This is the official blog of International Phrasebooks, a Jerusalem-based foreign language publisher that focuses on publishing phrasebooks for English speakers looking to learn the basics of Hebrew for travel, school, play or any other reason. To find out more about our unique Hebrew-English phrasebooks and the rest of our products, check out our site at http://www.iphrasebooks.com. You can also follow us and contact us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HebrewWordADay.