ERIC Number: EJ977008
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2012-Sep
Pages: 11
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0898-5898
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Hebrew as Heritage: The Work of Language in Religious and Communal Continuity
Avni, Sharon
Linguistics and Education: An International Research Journal, v23 n3 p323-333 Sep 2012
While Hebrew education maintains a dominant position in Jewish educational contexts, little research has looked at what the practice of Hebrew language education looks like on a daily basis. Drawing from an 18-month ethnography of junior high school students attending a private non-Orthodox all day school, this article critically examines the ways in which Hebrew was thought about and used in the classroom and during a two-week school-sponsored trip to Israel. Specifically, the article examines the multiple meanings that students and faculty infused into their use of Hebrew through their ideologies, words, and actions. It shows that the students and teachers drew upon Hebrew language ideologies in their daily practices, invariably appropriating them in complex and unexpected ways. This article concludes with a discussion on the relationship between heritage language learning and communal efforts to ensure continuity. (Contains 1 figure.)
Descriptors: Semitic Languages, Jews, Day Schools, Ethnography, Ideology, Foreign Countries, Junior High School Students, Language Usage, Travel, Second Language Learning, Second Language Instruction, Heritage Education, Language Maintenance, Private Schools, Classroom Communication
Elsevier. 6277 Sea Harbor Drive, Orlando, FL 32887-4800. Tel: 877-839-7126; Tel: 407-345-4020; Fax: 407-363-1354; e-mail: usjcs@elsevier.com; Web site: http://www.elsevier.com
Publication Type: Journal Articles
Education Level: Junior High Schools
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Israel
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A

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