Languages of Israel

(4 Credits)

An introduction to the principal languages spoken in contemporary Israel (chiefly Hebrew and Arabic, but also English, Russian, and Amharic) and to social practices and state policies concerning their use. As part of the course students will learn the Hebrew and Arabic alphabets and the basics of the two languages' lexicons and grammatical structures, with a mind to exploring their common features. The course includes tours of Tel Aviv's multilingual "linguistic landscape," in which different languages are displayed in public spaces both separately and together.