Page Type: languageHebrew | Ethnologue

HEB ISO 639-3

Hebrew

עברית‎ (Ivrit), עברית חדשה‎ (ivrít ḥadašá[h]) Autonym

A language of Israel

heb
Israeli
עברית‎ (Ivrit), עברית חדשה‎ (ivrít ḥadašá[h])
8,300,000 in Israel, all users. L1 users: 5,000,000 in Israel (Leclerc 2018a). Spoken by all Israelis as L1 or L2. Some who use it as L1 now in Israel learned it as L2 originally. L2 users: 3,300,000 (2018). Total users in all countries: 9,387,050 (as L1: 6,087,050; as L2: 3,300,000).
Widespread.
1 (National). Statutory national language (1922, Palestine Order in Council, Article 82, 10 October).
Afro-Asiatic, Semitic, Central, South, Canaanite
Standard Hebrew (Europeanized Hebrew, General Israeli), Oriental Hebrew (Arabized Hebrew, Yemenite Hebrew). An amalgamation of different Hebrew strata plus intrinsic linguistic evolution; not a direct offspring from Biblical or other varieties of Ancient Hebrew.
SVO; prepositions; noun head initial; gender (masculine/feminine); definite article prefixed to noun; verb affixes mark person, number, gender of subject; tense; comparatives; 22 consonants, 5 vowels, 4 diphthongs; non-tonal.
Fully developed. NT: 1537–2010. Agency: Hebrew Language Academy.
OLAC resources in and about Hebrew
Braille script [Brai]. Hebrew script [Hebr], primary usage.
Jewish.
Hebrew
10,300 in Australia (2016 census).
Unestablished
Non-indigenous.
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Hebrew
19,500 in Canada (2016 census).
Unestablished
Non-indigenous.
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Hebrew
13,900 in Germany (2020 census). , based on nationality.
Unestablished
Non-indigenous.
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Hebrew
6,200 in United Kingdom (2011 census).
Unestablished
Non-indigenous.
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Hebrew
1,350 in New Zealand (2013 census).
Unestablished
Non-indigenous.
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Hebrew
804,000 in Palestine (2019).
5 (Dispersed)
Non-indigenous.
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Hebrew
18,800 in Russian Federation (2012 UNSD).
Unestablished
Non-indigenous.
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Hebrew
213,000 in United States (2015 census).
New York: New York City; California: Los Angeles; concentrated in other urban areas; scattered elsewhere.
Unestablished
Non-indigenous.
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Location: Widespread.