Speaking of Hebrew: What Language Does for American Jews - Couverture souple

Avni, Sharon

Couverture souple

ISBN 10 : 0814352391 ISBN 13 : 9780814352397

Editeur : Wayne State University Press, 2026

Synopsis

How American Jews speak about Hebrew reveals the central concerns of contemporary American Jewish life.

Why do American Jews talk endlessly about Hebrew when many barely read or speak the language? This ethnolinguistic study examines the complex and often contradictory role of Hebrew in American Jewish life, drawing on extensive fieldwork, hundreds of interviews, and a wide-ranging corpus of communal discourse. By shifting the focus to Hebrew language ideologies, Sharon Avni moves beyond conventional assessments of linguistic competence and argues that what American Jews say about Hebrew is as revealing as what they say with it. Debates about Hebrew are never really just about language but rather are struggles over Jewish identity, authenticity, and the future of American Jewry. Centering the voices of journalists, communal figures, scholars, and educators, as well as adult Hebrew learners, Speaking of Hebrew offers a fresh and compelling way of understanding contemporary Jewish identity and culture in America.

A propos du livre

À propos de l'auteur

Sharon Avni is professor of academic literacy and linguistics at the Borough of Manhattan Community College at the City University of New York. She is the coauthor of Judaism Mediated: Learning About Jewishness Through the Cultural Arts and Hebrew Infusion: Language and Community at American Jewish Summer Camps, which won the 2020 National Jewish Book Award in Education and Jewish Identity from the Jewish Book Council.

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Wayne State University Press
• Date d'édition: 2026
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 0814352391
• ISBN 13: 9780814352397
• Reliure: Broché
• Nombre de pages: 270
• Coordonnées du fabricant: non disponible
• Personne responsable: non disponible