Advice on learning Ancient Hebrew

[Neonanocyborgasm]

As part of my tour of ancient languages, I am planning to pick up Ancient Hebrew. (I have learned Latin and now am studying Ancient Greek.) I am wondering if anyone has any insight into books/podcasts/whatever that I could learn it from. I have searched the internet and have found dubious sources. The problem is that the study of ancient Hebrew is so closely tied to the study of Judaism that I don't want to get bogged down in sermons and "interpretations". Most of the books that deal with this are little more than theologic texts with actual understanding of Hebrew seeming to take a lesser priority. The best I could come up with is "Basic Grammar of Biblical Hebrew" but I don't know how good it is. I hope someone could advise me on a reasonable course to learn this language.

 

[Eli]

Start with modern Hebrew. It's easier, more useful, and the leap to ancient Hebrew is very easy.

 

[Gelion]

Start with modern Hebrew. It's easier, more useful, and the leap to ancient Hebrew is very easy.

Beat me to it

Here's one: find a natural Hebrew speaker. From what I understand the new language was based on the old one and you would get a lot of insight if you speak the modern version.

 

[Babbler]

Just remember it's the mother language of all of us, according to Edenics:

Welcome (back) to the Garden of Edenics.

Here you will discover that ALL human words contain forms of the Edenic roots within them. These proto-Semitic or early Biblical Hebrew words were programmed into our common ancestors, Adam and Eve, before the language dispersion, or babble at the Tower of Babel -- which kickstarted multi-national human history. I congratulate you for investigating for yourself if language is an engineered miracle or merely the evolved gesturing of chimps.​

 

[Danielion]

You said you've learned Latin. It always strikes me that in school you don't have to speak Modern Latin (in Belgium there's one secondary private school that teaches in Latin though, in the US more such projects exist). It strikes me Modern Latin is hardly developed as it were during the Renaissance. If that were the case it would be WAY more interesting trying to decipher the Classics, yet people overestimate the difficulty of the language (because they focus on the dead and for our days anachronistic Classical Latin, they have to make more efforts understanding the era than the actual grammar).
Yes, you should learn Modern Hebrew. I don't speak nor am able to read Hebrew, but Modern Hebrew (Ivrite) is based on Biblical Hebrew anyway. If you're able to think in Hebrew, it would still be a struggle learning to understand the Biblical texts, but it would probably help (as the language would be less of a jigsaw puzzle).

Also, you should learn root consonants by heart! They're the basic of any Semitic tongue!

 

[Neonanocyborgasm]

Start with modern Hebrew. It's easier, more useful, and the leap to ancient Hebrew is very easy.

Beat me to it

Here's one: find a natural Hebrew speaker. From what I understand the new language was based on the old one and you would get a lot of insight if you speak the modern version.

Why don't I also, while I'm at it, consult an Italian on the proper form of Latin? After all, it's one and the same. And also, let me consult a Greek of today for advice on Ancient Greek. It's the same damn thing, after all. (Btw, I have done that, and it's only vaguely similar.)

You said you've learned Latin. It always strikes me that in school you don't have to speak Modern Latin (in Belgium there's one secondary private school that teaches in Latin though, in the US more such projects exist). It strikes me Modern Latin is hardly developed as it were during the Renaissance.

There is no such thing as Modern or Renaissance Latin. Latin ceased to be a spoken language by around 600 AD. What you believe to be spoken Latin is nothing more than a contrivance. Even Ancient Hebrew ceased to be a spoken language by c. 200 BC (which is not to say that, like Latin, it wasn't still written down long after).

If that were the case it would be WAY more interesting trying to decipher the Classics, yet people overestimate the difficulty of the language (because they focus on the dead and for our days anachronistic Classical Latin, their have to make more efforts understanding the era than the actual grammar).

"If" indeed. (My attempt at laconic humor.)

Yes, you should learn Modern Hebrew. I don't speak nor am able to read Hebrew, but Modern Hebrew (Ivrite) is based on Biblical Hebrew anyway. If your able to think in Hebrew, it would still be a struggle learning to understand the Biblical texts, but it would probably help (as the language would be less of a jigsaw puzzle).

Why would I want to learn 2 languages when I only want to learn one?

 

[Danielion]

There is no such thing as Modern or Renaissance Latin. Latin ceased to be a spoken language by around 600 AD. What you believe to be spoken Latin is nothing more than a contrivance. Even Ancient Hebrew ceased to be a spoken language by c. 200 BC (which is not to say that, like Latin, it wasn't still written down long after).

Yes there is/was. People spoke it as a second language as an international mode of communication for schooled people. Of course it was a more 'basic' language than the actual living Classical Latin which was a living language (in order for a language to live it has to be spoken as a mother tongue in my opinion). Some spoke it better than the other also. Heck, I know of one French person who speaks better Dutch (my native language) than most native Dutch-speakers (more sophisticated, though with a thick French accent), because she's a linguistic talent. Also, actual living language can undergo a decline in quality (and become just as mechanical as that Renaissance Latin), but it can also improve and become more sophisticated either by 1) a superb education 2) a strong media 3) creative minds.
Of course it's not the same as Classical Latin, but it was used as a mode of communication and could very well be revived just like Hebrew. The basic grammar was also pretty much the same as the Classical Latin, it was only more logical and had a more modern vocabulary.

Any language, even Klingon can be potentially revived. If it's no 'real' language? Make it so (Hebrew looked at Arab or other Semitic words to enrich itself). You think Classical Latin can't be revived as it was? Of course it can't, because we cannot warp people into the Classical Era, but a Modern Latin can be spoken, how mechanical it may seem. Also, languages can be artificially improved. Classical French is a successful example, adjusted from above by the Académie française and imposed on the masses and now evolved toward Modern French. Also Standard High German is such a language. It's some sort of artificial bookish language based off High German dialects, imposed in whole of the German-speaking world. In the North of Germany they used to speak a language more close to Dutch, but it got successfully imposed and now this is the part where they speak the least in regional language. In the High German region (the South) they all speak regional language, despite the standard language originating from there.
The fact is: Standard language neither existed, but gradually developed.

Why would I want to learn 2 languages when I only want to learn one?

Because it always refreshes your memory speaking the revived modern variant (which is a different language, but also very alike to the Ancient form). If you want expertise you need to work hard (but trust me, not as hard as the ones reviving the language during the 19th century under nationalist impulses). It's not 'entirely' different neither, it's not as if you are learning two completely different languages in every aspect. Jews, being a multilingual people for centuries and also a literate one, realized better than any other group how languages work and how forgeable they are.

 

[Neonanocyborgasm]

Yes there is/was. People spoke it as a second language as an international mode of communication for schooled people.

That's as good as making it a dead language.

Because it always refreshes your memory speaking the revived modern variant (which is a different language, but also very alike to the Ancient form).

I don't speak Modern Hebrew, so there is no memory refreshing going on.

You seem to have gotten off course of what I'm aiming for. I could care less about speaking either Ancient or Modern Hebrew to anyone, and in the case of Ancient Hebrew, there will not be anyone to talk to (dead language, remember?). I am only interested in being literate in it sufficiently to read ancient texts. Learning dead languages does not gain anyone a conversation.

 

[Eli]

Why don't I also, while I'm at it, consult an Italian on the proper form of Latin? After all, it's one and the same. And also, let me consult a Greek of today for advice on Ancient Greek. It's the same damn thing, after all. (Btw, I have done that, and it's only vaguely similar.)

Unlike other languages Hebrew was frozen for two thousand years. The Jews adopted the languages of their localities and Hebrew was only a liturgical language, holy and frozen. Only in the late 19th century it was revived and modernized.

So it's really not that different.

 

[Gelion]

Why don't I also, while I'm at it, consult an Italian on the proper form of Latin? After all, it's one and the same. And also, let me consult a Greek of today for advice on Ancient Greek. It's the same damn thing, after all. (Btw, I have done that, and it's only vaguely similar.)

Unlike other languages Hebrew was frozen for two thousand years. The Jews adopted the languages of their localities and Hebrew was only a liturgical language, holy and frozen. Only in the late 19th century it was revived and modernized.

So it's really not that different.

That was essentially my point.

 

[NovaKart]

You said in the first post you don't want to get bogged down in theological texts but in another post you said you're only interested in ancient scriptures.

If modern hebrew is close enough to ancient hebrew it sounds like it's worthwhile to study it. You can't be too choosy when studying an obscure language. If all else fails you can move to Brooklyn, they have kosher sushi.

 

[civ2]

Nano
Generally speaking, Hebrew in both "old" and "new" versions differs very LITTLE.
The main difference being the additional words that had to be either adOpted or adApted - but this happens in any language anyways as history progresses.
What IS important - is that the GRAMMAR (most of it) did NOT change in Hebrew like it usually does in other languages.
So learning Israeli Hebrew WOULD help you to learn Scriptural Hebrew a lot.
I have a point to speak - I also started with Modern first.
If I didn't have Modern Hebrew classes back in school - my understanding of Scripture would be much worse and harder.
Oh, and you're quite wrong that nobody speaks "Ancient" Hebrew now - they do, it's just for scholarly purposes mostly.
I mean, it's as much of "speaking" to discuss how can we apply modern technology for Torah-based topics, as it is discussing those topics in university for studying purposes.
(You probably meant you would hardly bump into a "speaker" on the street - but it doesn't mean you can't find someone to talk to.)
Anyways, good luck finding a good source to learn it.
(Sorry, I can't think of any at the moment...)

 

[Neonanocyborgasm]

Nano
Generally speaking, Hebrew in both "old" and "new" versions differs very LITTLE.
The main difference being the additional words that had to be either adOpted or adApted - but this happens in any language anyways as history progresses.
What IS important - is that the GRAMMAR (most of it) did NOT change in Hebrew like it usually does in other languages.
So learning Israeli Hebrew WOULD help you to learn Scriptural Hebrew a lot.
I have a point to speak - I also started with Modern first.
If I didn't have Modern Hebrew classes back in school - my understanding of Scripture would be much worse and harder.
Oh, and you're quite wrong that nobody speaks "Ancient" Hebrew now - they do, it's just for scholarly purposes mostly.
I mean, it's as much of "speaking" to discuss how can we apply modern technology for Torah-based topics, as it is discussing those topics in university for studying purposes.
(You probably meant you would hardly bump into a "speaker" on the street - but it doesn't mean you can't find someone to talk to.)
Anyways, good luck finding a good source to learn it.
(Sorry, I can't think of any at the moment...)

Thanks, Civ2. That makes more sense now.

Hardly anyone around here who speaks Modern Hebrew so it's best for me to stick to Ancient alone and then perhaps expand to Modern as necessary, should I go to Israel one day.

 

[Danielion]

There are some details though, while the basic grammar of Modern Hebrew differs little from its Ancient counterpart (it's a revived language with a modern vocabulary and more analytic in usage, even all the rules still apply), Modern Hebrew was revived by Ashkenazi Jews, who thought mostly in IE-language (mostly Western ones like German/Yiddish, French, etc...). If Hebrew were to be revived by Moroccan Sephardic Jews (for instance), Modern Hebrew would feel way more Semitic (but the grammar is pretty much the same nonetheless and the possibilities are endless).