Hebrew I Comprehensive |
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About The Hebrew LanguageThe Hebrew language has through the millenia undergone transfigurations, interrments, and a resurrection. As the primary language of the Jews of Palestine in Biblical times, it was gradually supplanted as a spoken language by Aramaic during the Roman Empire and was eventually relegated to status as a secondary or purely literary language. By this time the Hebrew of the Old Testament survived only as a written language. Modern Hebrew, the official language of Israel, is based on a revival of biblical Hebrew; as such it is unique among modern spoken languages as being the only one derived from a written language. Modern Hebrew is based on the pronunciation of the Sephardic Jews, who inhabited Spain and Portugal and later North Africa. This Sephardic dialect has also been adapted to accommodate modern technological innovations and other features of the modern world. The Hebrew featured on the Pimsleur tapes will give you a good foundation in what is considered the "educated" spoken language of contemporary Israel. Why The Pimsleur System WorksThe late Dr. Paul Pimsleur was much more than a language teacher. He did research on how both children and multi-lingual adults learn languages and discovered key principles that unlocked the mystery of how we learn languages. The Pimsleur programs provide a method of self-practice with an expert teacher and native speakers in lessons specially designed to work with the way the mind naturally acquires language information. The various components of language -- vocabulary, pronunciation and grammar -- are all learned together without rote memorization and drills. Using a unique method of memory recall developed by renowned linguist, Dr. Paul Pimsleur, the programs teach listeners to combine words and phrases to express themselves the way native speakers do. By listening and responding to thirty minute recorded lessons, students easily and effectively achieve spoken proficiency. » The Pimsleur Method « |
