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- Title
A sociolinguistic study of Hebrew in Jordan: implications for language planning.
- Authors
Al-Haq, Fawwaz Al-Abed
- Abstract
This study aims to investigate changing attitudes toward the Hebrew language among students at Yarmouk University, Jordan, and attempts to answer the following questions: what are the prevailing attitudes in Jordan to the learning of Hebrew by Jordanians? How much importance do university students attach to learning the Hebrew language? What are the main incentives for students to learn Hebrew? And do students believe that learning Hebrew will aid the process of normalization between Arabs and Jews? A questionnaire was developed and distributed to 317 undergraduate students at Yarmouk University. The findings of the study reveal that attitudes toward Hebrew and toward Jewish culture are changing as rapidly as the availability of Hebrew learning opportunities is changing. The sample realizes that it is necessary to learn Hebrew for religious, political, and national purposes. Jordanian students show a spectrum of attitudes that strongly reflect the cultural confusion that has come after so many years of settled enmity. Finally, a strategic plan is proposed for the acquisition of Hebrew in Jordan.
- Subjects
JORDAN; HEBREW language; JEWISH college students; UNIVERSITIES &; colleges; SOCIOLINGUISTICS; LANGUAGE planning
- Publication
International Journal of the Sociology of Language, 1999, Vol 1999, Issue 140, p45
- ISSN
0165-2516
- Publication type
Article