B007852 - HEBREW LANGUAGE 1 (12 CFU)

Italian.

1. Knowledge of the phonology, morphology and syntax of the Ancient Hebrew language. Knowledge of aspects of typology and diachrony of ancient Hebrew.
2. Ability in reading, analyzing and translating simple texts in Ancient Hebrew.
The course aims at achieving a basic level of knowledge of the Hebrew language [corresponding to level A1 – Basic user “breakthrough or beginner”, of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages, developed for the evaluation of the knowledge of European foreign languages].

The course presents the main phonological, morphological and syntactic structures of the Ancient Hebrew language, namely: Orthography and Phonetics. The place of Hebrew among the Semitic languages. History of Biblical Hebrew. Phonology. The NPh (forms and functions): article; noun; adjective; genitive structures; participle. Pronouns: demonstrative, personal, interrogative, relative. Verbal patterns: stems and inflection of the strong verb.

Proficiency in a modern European language is required.

Teaching sessions will be delivered with a teacher-student interaction approach, with the use of support material as handouts and slides; tutorial sessions in analyzing and translating texts will be held.

Oral interview on the contents of the course and reading, analysis and translation of simple passages in ancient Hebrew.

The course deals with the main phonological, morphological and syntactical structures of the ancient Hebrew language. The course will provide the overview of the main tiers of the Ancient Hebrew. In particular, the lessons will treat the following topics: 1. Orthography and Phonetics. 2. The place of Hebrew among the Semitic languages. 3. The diachronic tiers of the language. 4. Phonology. 5. The Nph (forms and functions): article, noun. 6. The Nph’s modifiers: adjective, genitive relationship, attributive participle. 7. The NPh definiteness. 8. The pronominal system: demonstratives, personal pronouns, interrogative pronouns and adverbs, the relatives. 9. The verbal system: stems and inflection of the strong verb.
During the course, simple texts in Ancient Hebrew taken from the Bible will be read, analyzed and translated, especially from the book of Judges (chapter 9).

Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia, Karl Elliger, Wilhelm Rudolph (a cura di), Stuttgart, Deutsche Bibelgesellschaf 1997.

A Grammar chosen from the following ones
Antonio Carrozzini, Grammatica della lingua ebraica, Genova, Marietti 1966 e ristampe;
Hans-Peter Stähli, Corso di Ebraico Biblico 1, edizione italiana a cura di Bruno Chiesa, Brescia, Paideia 1986.
The following works
Ida Zatelli, “Una lingua per un popolo. Il caso della riattivazione dell’ebraico”, in Studi linguistici offerti a Gabriella Giacomelli dagli amici e dagli allievi, Quaderni del Dipartimento di Linguistica – Studi 4, Università degli Studi di Firenze, Padova 1997, pp. 411–420.
Ida Zatelli, “Le lingue della Bibbia”, in La Bibbia a stampa da Gutenberg a Bodoni, a cura di Ida Zatelli, Firenze 1991, pp. 39–51.
Angel Sáenz-Badillos, Historia de la Lengua Hebrea, Sabadell, Editorial AUSA 1988
= A History of the Hebrew Language, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press 1993
(Chapters 1–4).

During the term, the teacher will be available for reception on Tuesday (from 5.00 p.m. to 6.30 p.m.), at the office in via della Pergola.
The teacher will be available also via e-mail (romina.vergari@unifi.it), or, by appointment, via live video chat (GoogleMEET).

The teaching material will be distributed during classes.

Further reference works
Grammars
Paul Joüon, Grammaire de l’hébreu biblique, Rome: Institut Biblique Pontifical 1923
= Paul Joüon and Takamitsu Muraoka. A Grammar of Biblical Hebrew, 2 vol., Subsidia Biblica 27. Roma, Pontificio Istituto Biblico 2006.
Verbal System
Jan Joosten, The Verbal System of Biblical Hebrew, Jerusalem, Simor 2012.

Lexica
BDB
Paul Brown, Samuel Rolles Driver and Charles Briggs, A Hebrew and English Lexicon of the Old Testament, Oxford, Clarendon Press 1951².

HALAT/HALOT
Ludwig Koehler and Walter Baumgartner, Hebräisches und aramäisches Lexikon zum Alten Testament, 3. Auflage, 5 vols., Leiden, Brill 1967–1995.
= The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament: The New Koehler-Baumgartner in English. Subsequently revised by Walter Baumgartner and Johann Jakob Stam, trans. M. E. J. Richardson, 5 vols., Leiden, Brill 1994–2000.

CLINES
David J. A. Clines, The Concise Dictionary of Classical Hebrew, Sheffield, Academic Press / Phoenix Press 2009.

In Italian:
Philippe Reymond, Dictionnaire d’hébreu et d’Araméen bibliques, Paris, Cerf 1991
= Dizionario di ebraico e aramaico biblici, a cura di J.A. Soggin, F. Bianchi, M. Cimosa, G. Deiana, G. Garrone, A. Spreafico, Roma: Società Biblica Britannica e Forestiera 2011².

Position of Hebrew within the Semitic Languages’ group
Robert Hetzron (ed.), The Semitic Languages, London, Routledge 1997.

History of the Hebrew language:
Angel Sáenz-Badillos, Historia de la Lengua Hebrea, Sabadell, Editorial AUSA 1988
= A History of the Hebrew Language, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press 1993.

Mireille Hadas Lebel, L’hébreu, trois mille ans d’histoire, Paris, Albin Michel 1992
= Storia della lingua ebraica, Firenze, Giuntina 1994.

Commentaries on Judges
Giovanni Rizzi, Giudici. Nuova versione, introduzione e commento, I libri biblici. Primo Testamento, Paoline, Milano 2012.

Jack M. Sasson, Judges 1-12: A New Translation with Introduction and Commentary, The Anchor Yale Bible Commentaries, Yale University Press, New Haven 2014.

J. Alberto Soggin, Judges: A Commentary, Old Testament Library, London/Philadelphia 1987.