What is it about?
The article is about two verbs - 'sit' and 'come' - that are used in modern spoken Hebrew as auxiliary verbs with pragmatic denotations, similar to their usage in Arabic dialects. The influence of colloquial Arabic on Hebrew is demonstrated by such usages.
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Why is it important?
The influence of colloquial Arabic on modern spoken Hebrew is hardly ever acknowledged despite ongoing contacts between speakers even before the establishment of the State of Israel. Colloquial Arabic is also the language of Jewish migrants from the Arab world, besides the indigenous Palestinian population.
Perspectives
It is important to address these linguistic contacts for future research on cross-communal and cross-cultural connections beyond borders and inter-communal conflicts. As the research of modern Hebrew focuses on European influences on Hebrew, the contacts with Arabic - especially spoken, colloquial Arabic(s) - remains a blind spot in the research of Hebrew.
Ophira Gamliel
University of Glasgow
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Bleached Verbs as Aspectual Auxiliaries in Colloquial Modern Hebrew and Arabic Dialects, Journal of Jewish Languages, October 2015, Brill,
DOI: 10.1163/22134638-12340039.
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