Modern Hebrew language
Quick Summary
Modern Hebrew is the Hebrew language currently in use in Israel. It is a Semitic language closely related to Phoenician and Moabite. While spoken in ancient times in Palestine, it was later supplanted by Aramaic. However, Hebrew continued to be used as a liturgical and literary language and was revived as a spoken language in the 19th and 20th centuries.12
The history of Hebrew is divided into four periods: Biblical, Mishnaic, Medieval, and Modern Hebrew. Modern Hebrew, based on the biblical language, incorporates many innovations to meet contemporary needs and is the only colloquial speech derived from a written language. It is written from right to left in a North Semitic script.2
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