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Israel

Languages

Description

The Israeli population is linguistically and culturally diverse.

• Hebrew is the country's official language, and almost the entire population speaks it either as native speakers or proficiently as a second language. Its standard form, known as Modern Hebrew, is the main medium of life in Israel.
• Arabic is used mainly by Israel's Arab minority which comprises about one-fifth of the population. Arabic has a special status under Israeli law.
• Russian is spoken by about 20% of the Israeli population, mainly by the large immigrant population from the former Soviet Union.
• English is a known foreign language by a significant proportion of the Israeli population as English is used widely in official logos and road signs alongside Hebrew and Arabic.
• In addition, the 19th edition of Ethnologue lists 36 languages and dialects spoken through Israel.

According to a 2011 Government Social Survey of Israelis over 20 years of age report their native language as:

• Hebrew 49%
• Arabic 18%
• Russian 15%
• Yiddish 2%
• French 2%
• English 2%
• 1.6% Spanish
• 10% other languages (including Romanian, German and Amharic, which were not offered as answers by the survey). This study also noted that 90% of Israeli Jews and over 60% of Israeli Arabs have a good understanding of Hebrew.

Word List(s)

Hebrew

• Useful Hebrew phrases (Omniglot)
• 500 Basic Hebrew Words (Teach Me Hebrew)

Arabic

• Arabic Genealogical Word List
• Useful Arabic phrases (Omniglot)

Russian

• Russian Genealogical Word List
• Useful Russian phrases (Omniglot)

Alphabet and Pronunciation

Hebrew

• Hebrew phonology (Wikipedia)
• Hebrew alphabet (Wikipedia)
• Hebrew Alphabet and Pronunciation (Omniglot)

Arabic

• Arabic phonology (Wikipedia)
• Arabic alphabet (Wikipedia)
• Arabic Alphabet and Pronunciation (Omniglot)

Russian

• Russian phonology (Wikipedia)
• Russian alphabet (Wikipedia)
• Russian Alphabet and Pronunciation (Omniglot)

Language Aids and Dictionaries

Hebrew

• Modern Hebrew dictionary (Lexilogos)
• English to Hebrew Dictionary (Glosbe)
• Learn Hebrew (duolingo)
• Learn Hebrew (MyLanguages)

Arabic

• Arabic dictionary (Lexilogos)
• English to Arabic Dictionary (Glosbe)
• Learn Arabic (duolingo)
• Learn Arabic (ArabicPod101)

Russian

• Russian Letter Writing Guide
• Russian dictionary (Lexilogos)
• English to Russian Dictionary (Glosbe)
• Learn Russian (duolingo)
• Learn Russian (Babbel)

Additional Resources

• Naor, Menahem. Hebrew language and grammar : a practical textbook. Jerusalem: R. Mass, 1949. Available at: WorldCat.
• Wood, Charles Travers, Henry Craven Ord Lanchester, and R H Kennett. A Hebrew grammar. n.p.: CPSIA, 2016. Available at: WorldCat.
• Israel (Britannica)
• Israel (Wikitravel)