View source for Academy of the Hebrew Language

{{Short description|Israeli institution established in 1953}}
{{Infobox organization
| name                = Academy of the Hebrew Language
| native_name         = {{lang|he|האקדמיה ללשון העברית}}
|native_name_lang=he
| former_name         = Hebrew Language Committee
| image               = File:Academy of the Hebrew Language.png
| image_border        = 
| size                = 250px
| alt                 = <!-- alt text; see [[WP:ALT]] -->
| caption             = 
| abbreviation        = 
| motto               = 
| successor           = 
| formation           = 1890 – Hebrew Language Committee<br />1953 – Academy of the Hebrew Language
| founder             = [[Eliezer Ben Yehuda]]
| type                = [[Governmental organization]]
| status              = [[Language regulator]]
| purpose             = To regulate the Hebrew language
| professional_title  = <!-- for professional associations -->
| headquarters        = {{Plainlist |
* [[Givat Ram]], [[Jerusalem]], [[Israel]]
}}
| coords              = {{coord|31|46|20.34|N|35|11|54.71|E|display=inline,title|type:landmark}}
| region_served       = Hebrew-speaking population
| services            = 
| membership          = 
| language            = [[Modern Hebrew]]
| leader_title        = President
| leader_name         = [[Aharon Maman]]
| key_people          = 
| main_organ          = <!-- gral. assembly, board of directors, etc -->
| affiliations        = 
| budget              = 
| num_staff           = 38
| num_volunteers      = 
| slogan              = 
| website             = {{URL|http://hebrew-academy.org.il/}}
| remarks             = 
| footnotes           = 
}}

The '''Academy of the Hebrew Language''' ({{langx|he|הָאָקָדֶמְיָה לַלָּשׁוֹן הָעִבְרִית}}, ''ha-akademyah la-lashon ha-ivrit'') was established by the [[Israel]]i government in 1953 as the "supreme institution for scholarship on the Hebrew language in the [[Hebrew University of Jerusalem]] of [[Givat Ram]] campus."<ref>[http://www.lprc.org.il/LPRC/images/PDF/phd_yitzhaki.pdf Minority Languages and Language Policy: The Case of Arabic in Israel] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426061017/http://www.lprc.org.il/LPRC/images/PDF/phd_yitzhaki.pdf |date=April 26, 2012}}</ref>{{Citation needed|reason=The reference linked does not actually have this quotation|date=May 2025}}

Its stated aims are to assemble and research the Hebrew language in all its layers throughout the ages; to investigate the origin and development of the Hebrew tongue; and to direct the course of development of Hebrew, in all areas, including [[vocabulary]], [[grammar]], [[writing]], [[spelling]], and [[transliteration]].

Since 2022, the Academy has been headed by Aharon Maman. It is composed of 42 members, in addition to having members who serve as academic advisors, as well as honorary members. Every person is entitled to query the Academy on language matters and to receive a formal reply.

==History<!--'Hebrew Language Committee' redirects here-->==
[[Image:Academy of the Hebrew Language.JPG|right|thumb|350px|The Academy of the Hebrew Language building at the [[Hebrew University]] Givat Ram campus]]
The Academy replaced the '''Hebrew Language Committee'''<!--boldface per WP:R#PLA--> (''Vaʻad ha-lashon ha-ʻIvrit'') established in 1890 by [[Eliezer Ben-Yehuda]], who was its first president. As Hebrew became the spoken language in Palestine and was adopted by the [[Education in Israel|educational system]], the Hebrew Language Committee published bulletins and dictionaries. It coined thousands of words that are in everyday use today.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=hZqpCrG3qw0C&pg=PA504 ''The New Jewish Encyclopedia'', ed. David Bridger]</ref>

Its successor, the Academy of the Hebrew Language, has continued this mission of creating new [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] words to keep up modern usage.

Although the academy's business is creating new words from Hebrew roots and structures to replace loanwords derived from other languages, its own name is a loanword, "akademya."<ref name="Hebrew Academy">{{Cite web |url=http://en.hebrew-academy.org.il/ |title=Hebrew Academy |access-date=2018-03-09 |archive-date=2018-05-16 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180516084203/http://en.hebrew-academy.org.il/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> It addresses this irony on its English website.<ref>
[https://eng.hebrew-academy.org.il/what-we-do/the-birth-of-a-word/ The birth of a word]</ref>

The Academy's mission, as defined in its constitution, is "to direct the development of Hebrew in light of its nature" ({{lang|he|rtl=yes|לכוון את דרכי התפתחותה של הלשון העברית לפי טבעה}}).<ref>[[Ghil'ad Zuckermann]] argues that this is an "oxymoronic" mission impossible: "If the '''nature''' of a language is to evolve in a specific direction, why '''direct''' it by language policing?", see Zuckermann, Ghil'ad (2008), [http://www.zuckermann.org/pdf/Realistic_Prescriptivism_Academy.pdf Realistic Prescriptivism: The Academy of the Hebrew Language, its Campaign of "Good Grammar" and Lexpionage, and the Native Israeli Speakers]. ''Israel Studies in Language and Society'' 1, pp. 135–154.</ref> The Academy sets standards for modern Hebrew grammar, orthography, transliteration, and punctuation based on the historical development of the language. It also writes a Hebrew Historical Dictionary.<ref>According to Zuckermann, "the Historical Dictionary Project is the Academy's most important contribution", see Zuckermann, Ghil'ad (2008), [http://www.zuckermann.org/pdf/Realistic_Prescriptivism_Academy.pdf Realistic Prescriptivism: The Academy of the Hebrew Language, its Campaign of "Good Grammar" and Lexpionage, and the Native Israeli Speakers]. ''Israel Studies in Language and Society'' 1, pp. 135–154.</ref>

==Organization==
The plenum consists of 42 members. In addition, the Academy employs 8 academic advisors, among them respected scholars of language, linguistics, Judaic studies, and Bible. It also has 9 honorary members. The Academy's decisions are binding on all governmental agencies, including the [[Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation]].<ref>[https://hebrew-academy.org.il/topic/al_haakademya/haverim/ Hebrew Academy membership (official site)]</ref>

==See also==
* [[Study of the Hebrew language]]
* [[List of language regulators]]
* [[Revival of the Hebrew language]]
* [[Historical Dictionary Project of the Hebrew Language]]
* [[Autoridad Nasionala del Ladino]], a language regulator for Ladino
* [[YIVO|YIVO (Yidisher Visnshaftlekher Institut)]], a language regulator for Yiddish
* [[Academy of the Arabic Language in Israel]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{official|http://en.hebrew-academy.org.il/}}. {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180516084203/http://en.hebrew-academy.org.il/ |date=2018-05-16 }}.
* [https://overseas.huji.ac.il/academics/hebrew-and-other-languages/study-hebrew-language-at-the-hebrew-university-of-jerusalem/ Rothberg International School The Hebrew University of Jerusalem]

{{Hebrew language}}
{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Academy Of The Hebrew Language, The}}
[[Category:Civic and political organizations of Israel]]
[[Category:Hebrew language]]
[[Category:Language regulators]]
[[Category:1953 establishments in Israel]]
[[Category:Organizations established in 1953]]
[[Category:Modern Hebrew]]