16017774
03
01
01
JB
John Benjamins Publishing Company
01
JB code
LA 256 Eb
15
9789027262431
06
10.1075/la.256
13
2019015415
DG
002
02
01
LA
02
0166-0829
Linguistik Aktuell/Linguistics Today
256
01
Language Contact, Continuity and Change in the Genesis of Modern Hebrew
01
la.256
01
https://benjamins.com
02
https://benjamins.com/catalog/la.256
1
B01
Edit Doron
Doron, Edit
Edit
Doron
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
2
B01
Malka Rappaport Hovav
Hovav, Malka Rappaport
Malka Rappaport
Hovav
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
3
B01
Yael Reshef
Reshef, Yael
Yael
Reshef
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
4
B01
Moshe Taube
Taube, Moshe
Moshe
Taube
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
01
eng
400
ix
390
LAN009000
v.2006
CF
2
24
JB Subject Scheme
LIN.AFAS
Afro-Asiatic languages
24
JB Subject Scheme
LIN.CONT
Contact Linguistics
24
JB Subject Scheme
LIN.HL
Historical linguistics
06
01
The emergence of Modern Hebrew as a spoken language constitutes a unique event in modern history: a language which for generations only existed in the written mode underwent a process popularly called “revival”, acquiring native speakers and becoming a language spoken for everyday use. Despite the attention it has drawn, this particular case of language-shift, which differs from the better-documented cases of creoles and mixed languages, has not been discussed within the framework of the literature on contact-induced change. The linguistic properties of the process have not been systematically studied, and the status of the emergent language as a (dis)continuous stage of its historical sources has not been evaluated in the context of other known cases of language shift. The present collection presents detailed case studies of the syntactic evolution of Modern Hebrew, alongside general theoretical discussion, with the aim of bringing the case of Hebrew to the attention of language-contact scholars, while bringing the insights of the literature on language contact to help shed light on the case of Hebrew.
05
This volume certainly opens up a new era and a new epistemology in the study of MH [Modern Hebrew], with foundational implications for the study of 'new languages' more generally.
Yaron Matras, University of Manchester, in Journal of Historical Linguistics 11(2): 342-347
04
09
01
https://benjamins.com/covers/475/la.256.png
04
03
01
https://benjamins.com/covers/475_jpg/9789027203274.jpg
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09
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https://benjamins.com/covers/3d_web/la.256.hb.png
10
01
JB code
la.256.01dor
1
32
32
Chapter
1
01
Introduction
1
A01
Edit Doron
Doron, Edit
Edit
Doron
2
A01
Malka Rappaport Hovav
Hovav, Malka Rappaport
Malka Rappaport
Hovav
3
A01
Yael Reshef
Reshef, Yael
Yael
Reshef
4
A01
Moshe Taube
Taube, Moshe
Moshe
Taube
10
01
JB code
la.256.ack
ix
x
2
To be specified
1
01
Acknowledgement and Preface
10
01
JB code
la.256.02tau
33
54
22
Chapter
2
01
The limits of multiple-source contact influence
The
limits of multiple-source contact influence
The case of <i>ecel</i> ‘at’ in Modern Hebrew
1
A01
Moshe Taube
Taube, Moshe
Moshe
Taube
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
01
The paper examines the opposition of existential-possessive constructions with <i>le-</i> ‘to’, the inherited strategy in Hebrew for denoting possession, and similar constructions with <i>ecel</i> ‘at’. The latter, induced by several languages in contact with Hebrew throughout its history (Arabic, Yiddish, Russian), began to encroach upon the domain of the former at various stages of the language, including Emerging Modern Hebrew, but ended up being relegated to other functions. The paper surveys the functions of <i>ecel</i> in Modern Hebrew and examines the question of why this contact-induced construction did not become entrenched as the dominant existential-possessive construction.
10
01
JB code
la.256.03rub
55
94
40
Chapter
3
01
Existential possessive modality in the emergence of Modern Hebrew
1
A01
Aynat Rubinstein
Rubinstein, Aynat
Aynat
Rubinstein
Department of Hebrew Language and Department of Linguistics/The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
01
This paper documents the evolution of existential possessive modals in a literary corpus of Emergent Modern Hebrew (EMH). Modal uses of the existential element <i>yeš</i> are shown to have changed their form and their meaning during this period. Morphosyntactically, the possessive variant declined, and it became impossible to inflect modal <i>yeš</i>. Semantically, a special meaning of ability that was available in the classical Hebrew variants of the construction was lost, and modal <i>yeš</i> turned into an expression that exclusively conveys impersonal deontic necessity. Language contact, primarily with Russian, is suggested to have shaped the morphosyntax of existential possessive modals in EMH, whereas internally-motivated processes based on the inherited semantics may explain the meaning modal <i>yeš</i> ultimately developed. On this view, the grammar of Modern Hebrew exhibits recombination of features from languages in contact at the time of language revival.
10
01
JB code
la.256.04tsi
95
116
22
Chapter
4
01
The derivation of a concessive from an aspectual adverb by reanalysis in Modern Hebrew
The
derivation of a concessive from an aspectual adverb by reanalysis in Modern Hebrew
1
A01
Avigail Tsirkin-Sadan
Tsirkin-Sadan, Avigail
Avigail
Tsirkin-Sadan
01
This paper traces the way <i>ʕadayin</i> ‘still’ in Modern Hebrew (MH) emerged as a new concessive, developing out of an earlier aspectual adverb which originated in Rabbinic Hebrew, after being borrowed from Aramaic. The account adopted here provides us with the means to describe and analyze the process of <i>ʕadayin</i>’s reanalysis in MH, which is claimed to have been triggered by the use of <i>ʕadayin</i> in adversative sentences opening with <i>ʔaval</i> ‘but’ at the time Hebrew began to be influenced by English. The input of the presupposition of <i>ʔaval</i> ‘but’ is taken into account as the major contribution to the process of reanalysis, along with the original focus-sensitivity and anaphoricity of <i>ʕadayin</i>.
10
01
JB code
la.256.05ari
117
142
26
Chapter
5
01
Why did the future form of the verb displace the imperative form in the informal register of Modern Hebrew?
1
A01
Chanan Ariel
Ariel, Chanan
Chanan
Ariel
Tel Aviv University
01
This paper addresses a phenomenon in colloquial Modern Hebrew: the use of the future form of the verb rather than the imperative form to convey a command. In Biblical Hebrew both forms are used to convey commands, but in Modern Hebrew the use of the future form of the verb to express commands is confined to the informal register. The distribution of the forms in Biblical Hebrew and in Modern Hebrew is shown to be dramatically different. This suggests that the phenomenon in Modern Hebrew does not have its roots in Biblical Hebrew. Further historical survey indicates that it is a relatively new development. From this historical survey I conclude that the use of the future to express a command in Modern Hebrew has its roots in Rabbinic Hebrew of the 18th and 19th centuries and that the underlying factors which brought this situation about are a process of what is sometimes called ‘insubordination’ and system simplification.
10
01
JB code
la.256.06rap
143
178
36
Chapter
6
01
The change in Hebrew from a V-framed to an S-framed Language
The
change in Hebrew from a V-framed to an S-framed Language
1
A01
Malka Rappaport Hovav
Hovav, Malka Rappaport
Malka Rappaport
Hovav
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
01
The paper discusses a change in the typological profile of Hebrew in terms of lexicalization patterns. These patterns concern the way in which the conceptual components of event descriptions of motion or change are distributed across morpho-syntactic categories when they include in addition in addition a specification of manner in the same nuclear clause. V-framed languages require the verb to express the motion or change, and manner, if expressed, must be expressed otherwise. S-framed languages allow the verb to express the manner and the motion or change to be expressed by a satellite such as a prepositional phrase. Biblical Hebrew is shown to have properties of V-framed languages, while Modern Hebrew shows properties of S-framed languages. The article shows that Hebrew first developed a locative/directional distinction, allowing manner verbs of a variety of sorts to appear with directional phrases. More recently, constructions with non-subcategorized objects have begun to appear. The article shows that these constructions developed from reanalyses of Classical Hebrew collocations.
10
01
JB code
la.256.07res
179
200
22
Chapter
7
01
From written to spoken usage
The contribution of pre-revival linguistic habits to the formation of the colloquial register of Modern Hebrew
1
A01
Yael Reshef
Reshef, Yael
Yael
Reshef
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
20
colloquial register
20
language genesis
20
speech and writing
01
The formation of the colloquial register of Modern Hebrew has been customarily attributed to the effects of speech revival. Based on an extensive textual examination of pre-modern texts, this paper suggests that some of the most conspicuous features of contemporary colloquial usage in fact reflect continuity with pre-existing linguistic habits which were well-rooted among Jewish writers prior to speech revival. These features were naturally transferred to speech by first generation L2 speakers, but due to their incompatibility with the classical models (on which literary language as well as linguistic education were based), they were interpreted by native-born L1 speakers as bearing a colloquial flavor. Recognition of this process sheds new light on the formation processes of Modern Hebrew. Moreover, it may have more general implications for our understanding of the mechanisms of language change, as it indicates that colloquial language does not have to be formed by actual speakers, but can be the result of language development that occurred in periods where the language was only used for writing.
10
01
JB code
la.256.08gon
201
220
20
Chapter
8
01
Language change, prescriptive language, and spontaneous speech in Modern Hebrew
A corpus-based study of early recordings
1
A01
Einat Gonen
Gonen, Einat
Einat
Gonen
Tel-Aviv University
01
Unlike most living languages, the use of Hebrew as a spoken language is characterized by historical discontinuity. In this article, I discuss certain features of spoken usage among the first generations of speakers of Modern Hebrew (henceforth: MH), using a unique corpus – ten hours of unstructured interviews recorded in 1956–1966 with speakers born between 1885–1925. Using these recordings, I suggest a distinction between two types of language change: <br /> <br /><br />Dynamic organic language change evident from the comparison between two stages of a spoken language. <br /><br />Disparity between the planned prescriptive language and the spoken language used from the first few decades of MH (henceforth: Early Modern Hebrew – EMH) through the present. <br /> <br />This analysis sheds light on linguistic processes reflected in present-day Hebrew, as it allows us to distinguish between the two types of changes. My proposal is that dynamic language changes occurred in MH only when there is a language change among different generations of MH speakers. This type of changes is similar to the common linguistic changes of any other normal living language. By contrast, the second type of a change is the linguistic differences between MH and prescriptive language (which is based on Classical Hebrew) that do not reflect a process of normal language change, but a partial adoption (along with partial rejection) of the prescriptive language already by the first generations of speakers.
10
01
JB code
la.256.09dor
221
256
36
Chapter
9
01
The biblical sources of Modern Hebrew syntax
The
biblical sources of Modern Hebrew syntax
1
A01
Edit Doron
Doron, Edit
Edit
Doron
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
01
The paper assesses the influence on Modern Hebrew of the two previous spoken stages of Hebrew: Biblical Hebrew and Rabbinic Hebrew in its early, Mishnaic, phase. Contra the received view in the current literature, I argue that Modern Hebrew has in many respects readopted the syntax of Biblical Hebrew, the earlier of the two ancient stages, rather than being a development of the subsequent Rabbinic stage. The paper discusses particular constructions whose Biblical syntax had historically been replaced by Rabbinic syntax, yet were reinstated in Modern Hebrew. These include clausal constructions such as conditional and unconditional clauses, clausal complements of aspectual and modal auxiliaries, and gerundive clauses. The Rabbinic component in the syntax of Modern Hebrew seems to be limited to values and exponents drawn from Rabbinic Hebrew for the functional categories originating in Biblical Hebrew or in languages with which Hebrew was in contact during its history.
10
01
JB code
la.256.10jos
257
286
30
Chapter
10
01
Can there be language continuity in language contact?
1
A01
Brian D. Joseph
Joseph, Brian D.
Brian D.
Joseph
The Ohio State University
01
The paper argues that contact-induced change is no more unusual or “inorganic” than any sort of language change, and that it does not affect the basic continuity that language transmission across generations ensures. Language continuity depends on an unbroken line of transmission, which may be preserved not only in cases of system-internal changes, but also in changes induced by language contact, even in creoles and mixed languages. The paper illustrates these points by examining three cases of language contact: Judezmo (Judeo-Spanish spoken by Jewish communities in the Balkans before World War II); the Constantinople Judeo-Greek dialect of the 16th century; the diglossia in 19th century Greece between Demotic and Katharevousa.
10
01
JB code
la.256.11abo
287
320
34
Chapter
11
01
Our creolized tongues
1
A01
Enoch O. Aboh
Aboh, Enoch O.
Enoch O.
Aboh
University of Amsterdam
01
It is often assumed that creole languages represent ‘exceptional’ language development in which a contact language or a variety largely spoken by late L2 learners nativizes and becomes the main language of a community. It is therefore not uncommon that scholars of contact languages or revitalized languages (e.g., Hebrew) ask whether such languages are creoles or not. The common assumption is that so-called creoles exhibit certain specific linguistic features which distinguish them from other non-creolized languages, and which could be used as a yardstick to evaluate the status of other languages as creoles. But, what if any given language is a creolized form of a pre-existing language spoken by previous generations? In this paper, I argue that language acquisition always happens in a situation of contact comparable to creole contexts, in which learners are faced with heterogeneous inputs and recombine competing linguistic features into new linguistic items. Under this view, all natural languages involve a hybrid grammar. I further discuss how recombination leads to linguistic variation both at the learner’s and population level.
10
01
JB code
la.256.12osh
321
336
16
Chapter
12
01
Why do children lead contact-induced language change in some contexts but not others?
1
A01
Carmel O'Shannessy
O'Shannessy, Carmel
Carmel
O'Shannessy
Australian National University
10
01
JB code
la.256.13mei
337
364
28
Chapter
13
01
Variation and conventionalization in language emergence
The case of two young sign language of Israel
1
A01
Irit Meir
Meir, Irit
Irit
Meir
University of Haifa
2
A01
Wendy Sandler
Sandler, Wendy
Wendy
Sandler
University of Haifa
01
Languages are constantly formed and changed by the opposing forces of variation and conventionalization. Yet it is not clear whether one of the two forces is prior to the other in language emergence, nor do we know how the two interact early in the life of a language. By comparing two young sign languages, Israeli Sign Language (ISL) and Al-Sayyid Bedouin Sign Language (ABSL), both about 90 years old, we argue that the initial stages of a language are characterized by great variation. Conventionalization ensues, but it does not proceed in a unified manner in all linguistic domains of a language or in all languages equally; some domains and structures conventionalize before others, and in some languages the drive towards conventionalization is stronger than in others. We provide evidence for the claim that the drive towards conventionalization is the result of various socio-linguistic factors, such as time, the expansion of the community, the expansion of language use to new communicative domains, and the need to signal social identity.
10
01
JB code
la.256.14per
365
386
22
Chapter
14
01
“Mame Loshen”
The role of gender-biased language contact in the syntactic development of Yiddish
1
A01
Asya Pereltsvaig
Pereltsvaig, Asya
Asya
Pereltsvaig
Independent Scholar
01
This paper examines the socio-linguistic situation and mechanisms that led to diachronic changes in the syntax of Eastern Yiddish, such as the emergence of embedded Verb-Second. Following Weinreich (1958), Santorini (1989, 1992) and my earlier work (Pereltsvaig 2017), I analyze these changes as resulting from contact with Slavic languages. Furthermore, I argue that contact involved interference through shift and “Pattern replication” (in Matras and Sakel’s 2007 terminology) rather than borrowing or “Matter replication”. In addition, I propose that the “shifters” to Yiddish who introduced Slavic grammatical features were at least in part Slavic-speaking women who converted to Judaism.
10
01
JB code
la.256.ind
387
390
4
Miscellaneous
15
01
Index
02
JBENJAMINS
John Benjamins Publishing Company
01
John Benjamins Publishing Company
Amsterdam/Philadelphia
NL
04
20190918
2019
John Benjamins B.V.
02
WORLD
13
15
9789027203274
01
JB
3
John Benjamins e-Platform
03
jbe-platform.com
09
WORLD
21
01
00
99.00
EUR
R
01
00
83.00
GBP
Z
01
gen
00
149.00
USD
S
436017773
03
01
01
JB
John Benjamins Publishing Company
01
JB code
LA 256 Hb
15
9789027203274
13
2019007613
BB
01
LA
02
0166-0829
Linguistik Aktuell/Linguistics Today
256
01
Language Contact, Continuity and Change in the Genesis of Modern Hebrew
01
la.256
01
https://benjamins.com
02
https://benjamins.com/catalog/la.256
1
B01
Edit Doron
Doron, Edit
Edit
Doron
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
2
B01
Malka Rappaport Hovav
Hovav, Malka Rappaport
Malka Rappaport
Hovav
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
3
B01
Yael Reshef
Reshef, Yael
Yael
Reshef
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
4
B01
Moshe Taube
Taube, Moshe
Moshe
Taube
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
01
eng
400
ix
390
LAN009000
v.2006
CF
2
24
JB Subject Scheme
LIN.AFAS
Afro-Asiatic languages
24
JB Subject Scheme
LIN.CONT
Contact Linguistics
24
JB Subject Scheme
LIN.HL
Historical linguistics
06
01
The emergence of Modern Hebrew as a spoken language constitutes a unique event in modern history: a language which for generations only existed in the written mode underwent a process popularly called “revival”, acquiring native speakers and becoming a language spoken for everyday use. Despite the attention it has drawn, this particular case of language-shift, which differs from the better-documented cases of creoles and mixed languages, has not been discussed within the framework of the literature on contact-induced change. The linguistic properties of the process have not been systematically studied, and the status of the emergent language as a (dis)continuous stage of its historical sources has not been evaluated in the context of other known cases of language shift. The present collection presents detailed case studies of the syntactic evolution of Modern Hebrew, alongside general theoretical discussion, with the aim of bringing the case of Hebrew to the attention of language-contact scholars, while bringing the insights of the literature on language contact to help shed light on the case of Hebrew.
05
This volume certainly opens up a new era and a new epistemology in the study of MH [Modern Hebrew], with foundational implications for the study of 'new languages' more generally.
Yaron Matras, University of Manchester, in Journal of Historical Linguistics 11(2): 342-347
04
09
01
https://benjamins.com/covers/475/la.256.png
04
03
01
https://benjamins.com/covers/475_jpg/9789027203274.jpg
04
03
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https://benjamins.com/covers/475_tif/9789027203274.tif
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09
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09
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10
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la.256.01dor
1
32
32
Chapter
1
01
Introduction
1
A01
Edit Doron
Doron, Edit
Edit
Doron
2
A01
Malka Rappaport Hovav
Hovav, Malka Rappaport
Malka Rappaport
Hovav
3
A01
Yael Reshef
Reshef, Yael
Yael
Reshef
4
A01
Moshe Taube
Taube, Moshe
Moshe
Taube
10
01
JB code
la.256.ack
ix
x
2
To be specified
1
01
Acknowledgement and Preface
10
01
JB code
la.256.02tau
33
54
22
Chapter
2
01
The limits of multiple-source contact influence
The
limits of multiple-source contact influence
The case of <i>ecel</i> ‘at’ in Modern Hebrew
1
A01
Moshe Taube
Taube, Moshe
Moshe
Taube
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
01
The paper examines the opposition of existential-possessive constructions with <i>le-</i> ‘to’, the inherited strategy in Hebrew for denoting possession, and similar constructions with <i>ecel</i> ‘at’. The latter, induced by several languages in contact with Hebrew throughout its history (Arabic, Yiddish, Russian), began to encroach upon the domain of the former at various stages of the language, including Emerging Modern Hebrew, but ended up being relegated to other functions. The paper surveys the functions of <i>ecel</i> in Modern Hebrew and examines the question of why this contact-induced construction did not become entrenched as the dominant existential-possessive construction.
10
01
JB code
la.256.03rub
55
94
40
Chapter
3
01
Existential possessive modality in the emergence of Modern Hebrew
1
A01
Aynat Rubinstein
Rubinstein, Aynat
Aynat
Rubinstein
Department of Hebrew Language and Department of Linguistics/The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
01
This paper documents the evolution of existential possessive modals in a literary corpus of Emergent Modern Hebrew (EMH). Modal uses of the existential element <i>yeš</i> are shown to have changed their form and their meaning during this period. Morphosyntactically, the possessive variant declined, and it became impossible to inflect modal <i>yeš</i>. Semantically, a special meaning of ability that was available in the classical Hebrew variants of the construction was lost, and modal <i>yeš</i> turned into an expression that exclusively conveys impersonal deontic necessity. Language contact, primarily with Russian, is suggested to have shaped the morphosyntax of existential possessive modals in EMH, whereas internally-motivated processes based on the inherited semantics may explain the meaning modal <i>yeš</i> ultimately developed. On this view, the grammar of Modern Hebrew exhibits recombination of features from languages in contact at the time of language revival.
10
01
JB code
la.256.04tsi
95
116
22
Chapter
4
01
The derivation of a concessive from an aspectual adverb by reanalysis in Modern Hebrew
The
derivation of a concessive from an aspectual adverb by reanalysis in Modern Hebrew
1
A01
Avigail Tsirkin-Sadan
Tsirkin-Sadan, Avigail
Avigail
Tsirkin-Sadan
01
This paper traces the way <i>ʕadayin</i> ‘still’ in Modern Hebrew (MH) emerged as a new concessive, developing out of an earlier aspectual adverb which originated in Rabbinic Hebrew, after being borrowed from Aramaic. The account adopted here provides us with the means to describe and analyze the process of <i>ʕadayin</i>’s reanalysis in MH, which is claimed to have been triggered by the use of <i>ʕadayin</i> in adversative sentences opening with <i>ʔaval</i> ‘but’ at the time Hebrew began to be influenced by English. The input of the presupposition of <i>ʔaval</i> ‘but’ is taken into account as the major contribution to the process of reanalysis, along with the original focus-sensitivity and anaphoricity of <i>ʕadayin</i>.
10
01
JB code
la.256.05ari
117
142
26
Chapter
5
01
Why did the future form of the verb displace the imperative form in the informal register of Modern Hebrew?
1
A01
Chanan Ariel
Ariel, Chanan
Chanan
Ariel
Tel Aviv University
01
This paper addresses a phenomenon in colloquial Modern Hebrew: the use of the future form of the verb rather than the imperative form to convey a command. In Biblical Hebrew both forms are used to convey commands, but in Modern Hebrew the use of the future form of the verb to express commands is confined to the informal register. The distribution of the forms in Biblical Hebrew and in Modern Hebrew is shown to be dramatically different. This suggests that the phenomenon in Modern Hebrew does not have its roots in Biblical Hebrew. Further historical survey indicates that it is a relatively new development. From this historical survey I conclude that the use of the future to express a command in Modern Hebrew has its roots in Rabbinic Hebrew of the 18th and 19th centuries and that the underlying factors which brought this situation about are a process of what is sometimes called ‘insubordination’ and system simplification.
10
01
JB code
la.256.06rap
143
178
36
Chapter
6
01
The change in Hebrew from a V-framed to an S-framed Language
The
change in Hebrew from a V-framed to an S-framed Language
1
A01
Malka Rappaport Hovav
Hovav, Malka Rappaport
Malka Rappaport
Hovav
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
01
The paper discusses a change in the typological profile of Hebrew in terms of lexicalization patterns. These patterns concern the way in which the conceptual components of event descriptions of motion or change are distributed across morpho-syntactic categories when they include in addition in addition a specification of manner in the same nuclear clause. V-framed languages require the verb to express the motion or change, and manner, if expressed, must be expressed otherwise. S-framed languages allow the verb to express the manner and the motion or change to be expressed by a satellite such as a prepositional phrase. Biblical Hebrew is shown to have properties of V-framed languages, while Modern Hebrew shows properties of S-framed languages. The article shows that Hebrew first developed a locative/directional distinction, allowing manner verbs of a variety of sorts to appear with directional phrases. More recently, constructions with non-subcategorized objects have begun to appear. The article shows that these constructions developed from reanalyses of Classical Hebrew collocations.
10
01
JB code
la.256.07res
179
200
22
Chapter
7
01
From written to spoken usage
The contribution of pre-revival linguistic habits to the formation of the colloquial register of Modern Hebrew
1
A01
Yael Reshef
Reshef, Yael
Yael
Reshef
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
20
colloquial register
20
language genesis
20
speech and writing
01
The formation of the colloquial register of Modern Hebrew has been customarily attributed to the effects of speech revival. Based on an extensive textual examination of pre-modern texts, this paper suggests that some of the most conspicuous features of contemporary colloquial usage in fact reflect continuity with pre-existing linguistic habits which were well-rooted among Jewish writers prior to speech revival. These features were naturally transferred to speech by first generation L2 speakers, but due to their incompatibility with the classical models (on which literary language as well as linguistic education were based), they were interpreted by native-born L1 speakers as bearing a colloquial flavor. Recognition of this process sheds new light on the formation processes of Modern Hebrew. Moreover, it may have more general implications for our understanding of the mechanisms of language change, as it indicates that colloquial language does not have to be formed by actual speakers, but can be the result of language development that occurred in periods where the language was only used for writing.
10
01
JB code
la.256.08gon
201
220
20
Chapter
8
01
Language change, prescriptive language, and spontaneous speech in Modern Hebrew
A corpus-based study of early recordings
1
A01
Einat Gonen
Gonen, Einat
Einat
Gonen
Tel-Aviv University
01
Unlike most living languages, the use of Hebrew as a spoken language is characterized by historical discontinuity. In this article, I discuss certain features of spoken usage among the first generations of speakers of Modern Hebrew (henceforth: MH), using a unique corpus – ten hours of unstructured interviews recorded in 1956–1966 with speakers born between 1885–1925. Using these recordings, I suggest a distinction between two types of language change: <br /> <br /><br />Dynamic organic language change evident from the comparison between two stages of a spoken language. <br /><br />Disparity between the planned prescriptive language and the spoken language used from the first few decades of MH (henceforth: Early Modern Hebrew – EMH) through the present. <br /> <br />This analysis sheds light on linguistic processes reflected in present-day Hebrew, as it allows us to distinguish between the two types of changes. My proposal is that dynamic language changes occurred in MH only when there is a language change among different generations of MH speakers. This type of changes is similar to the common linguistic changes of any other normal living language. By contrast, the second type of a change is the linguistic differences between MH and prescriptive language (which is based on Classical Hebrew) that do not reflect a process of normal language change, but a partial adoption (along with partial rejection) of the prescriptive language already by the first generations of speakers.
10
01
JB code
la.256.09dor
221
256
36
Chapter
9
01
The biblical sources of Modern Hebrew syntax
The
biblical sources of Modern Hebrew syntax
1
A01
Edit Doron
Doron, Edit
Edit
Doron
The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
01
The paper assesses the influence on Modern Hebrew of the two previous spoken stages of Hebrew: Biblical Hebrew and Rabbinic Hebrew in its early, Mishnaic, phase. Contra the received view in the current literature, I argue that Modern Hebrew has in many respects readopted the syntax of Biblical Hebrew, the earlier of the two ancient stages, rather than being a development of the subsequent Rabbinic stage. The paper discusses particular constructions whose Biblical syntax had historically been replaced by Rabbinic syntax, yet were reinstated in Modern Hebrew. These include clausal constructions such as conditional and unconditional clauses, clausal complements of aspectual and modal auxiliaries, and gerundive clauses. The Rabbinic component in the syntax of Modern Hebrew seems to be limited to values and exponents drawn from Rabbinic Hebrew for the functional categories originating in Biblical Hebrew or in languages with which Hebrew was in contact during its history.
10
01
JB code
la.256.10jos
257
286
30
Chapter
10
01
Can there be language continuity in language contact?
1
A01
Brian D. Joseph
Joseph, Brian D.
Brian D.
Joseph
The Ohio State University
01
The paper argues that contact-induced change is no more unusual or “inorganic” than any sort of language change, and that it does not affect the basic continuity that language transmission across generations ensures. Language continuity depends on an unbroken line of transmission, which may be preserved not only in cases of system-internal changes, but also in changes induced by language contact, even in creoles and mixed languages. The paper illustrates these points by examining three cases of language contact: Judezmo (Judeo-Spanish spoken by Jewish communities in the Balkans before World War II); the Constantinople Judeo-Greek dialect of the 16th century; the diglossia in 19th century Greece between Demotic and Katharevousa.
10
01
JB code
la.256.11abo
287
320
34
Chapter
11
01
Our creolized tongues
1
A01
Enoch O. Aboh
Aboh, Enoch O.
Enoch O.
Aboh
University of Amsterdam
01
It is often assumed that creole languages represent ‘exceptional’ language development in which a contact language or a variety largely spoken by late L2 learners nativizes and becomes the main language of a community. It is therefore not uncommon that scholars of contact languages or revitalized languages (e.g., Hebrew) ask whether such languages are creoles or not. The common assumption is that so-called creoles exhibit certain specific linguistic features which distinguish them from other non-creolized languages, and which could be used as a yardstick to evaluate the status of other languages as creoles. But, what if any given language is a creolized form of a pre-existing language spoken by previous generations? In this paper, I argue that language acquisition always happens in a situation of contact comparable to creole contexts, in which learners are faced with heterogeneous inputs and recombine competing linguistic features into new linguistic items. Under this view, all natural languages involve a hybrid grammar. I further discuss how recombination leads to linguistic variation both at the learner’s and population level.
10
01
JB code
la.256.12osh
321
336
16
Chapter
12
01
Why do children lead contact-induced language change in some contexts but not others?
1
A01
Carmel O'Shannessy
O'Shannessy, Carmel
Carmel
O'Shannessy
Australian National University
10
01
JB code
la.256.13mei
337
364
28
Chapter
13
01
Variation and conventionalization in language emergence
The case of two young sign language of Israel
1
A01
Irit Meir
Meir, Irit
Irit
Meir
University of Haifa
2
A01
Wendy Sandler
Sandler, Wendy
Wendy
Sandler
University of Haifa
01
Languages are constantly formed and changed by the opposing forces of variation and conventionalization. Yet it is not clear whether one of the two forces is prior to the other in language emergence, nor do we know how the two interact early in the life of a language. By comparing two young sign languages, Israeli Sign Language (ISL) and Al-Sayyid Bedouin Sign Language (ABSL), both about 90 years old, we argue that the initial stages of a language are characterized by great variation. Conventionalization ensues, but it does not proceed in a unified manner in all linguistic domains of a language or in all languages equally; some domains and structures conventionalize before others, and in some languages the drive towards conventionalization is stronger than in others. We provide evidence for the claim that the drive towards conventionalization is the result of various socio-linguistic factors, such as time, the expansion of the community, the expansion of language use to new communicative domains, and the need to signal social identity.
10
01
JB code
la.256.14per
365
386
22
Chapter
14
01
“Mame Loshen”
The role of gender-biased language contact in the syntactic development of Yiddish
1
A01
Asya Pereltsvaig
Pereltsvaig, Asya
Asya
Pereltsvaig
Independent Scholar
01
This paper examines the socio-linguistic situation and mechanisms that led to diachronic changes in the syntax of Eastern Yiddish, such as the emergence of embedded Verb-Second. Following Weinreich (1958), Santorini (1989, 1992) and my earlier work (Pereltsvaig 2017), I analyze these changes as resulting from contact with Slavic languages. Furthermore, I argue that contact involved interference through shift and “Pattern replication” (in Matras and Sakel’s 2007 terminology) rather than borrowing or “Matter replication”. In addition, I propose that the “shifters” to Yiddish who introduced Slavic grammatical features were at least in part Slavic-speaking women who converted to Judaism.
10
01
JB code
la.256.ind
387
390
4
Miscellaneous
15
01
Index
02
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