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That the Hebrew language is probably the most easy to read language in the world? No double letters or sounds (like sh and ch), no craziness goin on like in English, where we actually have a reason to hold spelling bees. All you have to do is learn the sound that each letter and each nekuda means, and you’re literally good to go. Just imagine if Hebrew was spelled like English was… there’s no way anyone would be able to daven in Hebrew unless they actually KNEW it. No little kids reading from siddurim or chumashim. We think it’s hard to get through a tefilla we’re not used to? Just imagine if all the letters and words had a million different rules to them basically depending on what word it was. We’d would just end up having to daven in the “Blessed are you, Oh Lord….” language.
I think it’s pretty convenient the way it is now, don’t you?
Sounds simple, and it is a beautiful language, but till you get to letters like ches /chof, tes / tof, vais / vov straight, it can drive teacher and student to a standstill.
Not to mention, when the choilem over the vov is an oiy, (99% of the time) and when is a voi (like Mitzvois). Or my all time fav, when a pasach ches is chah (99% of the time) and when it ach (like Noiach)
Been there, so I know. Once you’ve got it, its poetry. Till you get it, its a tough ride.
“Or my all time fav, when a pasach ches is chah (99% of the time) and when it ach (like Noiach)
It’s only pronounced “ach” when at the end of the word.
It is easy, but Korean is even easier.
“No double letters or sounds (like sh and ch)”
Koof and Kuf make the same sound…
Bais, Vais. Kuf, Chuff. Pay, Fay. Shin, Sin. Tuff, Suff.
**Hebrew confuses the b’jeezus outta me, and thats before allotting words to being female and male…
till you get to letters like ches /chof, tes / tof, vais / vov straight, it can drive teacher and student to a standstill.
The fact that we pronounce those letters differently is likely a product of exposure to other languages, not the actual pronunciation. I believe that the Teimanim distinguish between them.
That the Hebrew language is probably the most easy to read language in the world?
I’m no linguistics expert (and neither, I suspect are you), but I would think that Hawaiian, with only twelve letters in the alphabet (including vowels, which Hebrew does not have) is even easier.
The Wolf
including vowels, which Hebrew does not have
They’re called “nekudos”.
The number of syllables in many Hawaiian words would make it hard to read no matter how few letters there are.
Also, my friend tells me that until you get to kanji, Japanese is also very easy to read.
Sacrilege,
Writing Hebrew can be hard, for you’ll have to know the rules of Dikduk. With English, it is easier to construct a correctly written sentence without having taken a course than with Hebrew. However, smile66 is talking about reading.
Having said that, as far as I understand, the reason English is this way is because all Latin languages use the same letters, more or less. Therefore, when a foreign word made it in, we incorparated its spelling, too. That is why we have words spelled with French rules or German. That being the case, a language such as russian is, I think, also a what-you-see-is-what-you-get language.
Even pay and fay
You do realize that Pay and Fay are really the same letter, right?
in Hebrew, whatever letter you see is what it is and always will be, it doesn’t change
I know that in some circles it is fashionable to pronounce a cholom as “oy,” but in others, a cholom without a yud after it is “oh” and with a yud after it is “oy.” Likewise, a shuruk can have a different sound depending on whether or not a yud follows it.
based on the next letter
Usually not, but often on the preceding letter (such as the rules surrounding when a dagesh is used, or whether a sheva is a nah or nach).
Ultimately, I think your original premise is flawed. You are comparing two languages (Hebrew and English), concluding that Hebrew is easier to read (which may or may not be true) and then concluding that Hebrew must be easier to read than ALL languages. Needless to say, your conclusion is not supported by the premises of your argument.
The Wolf
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