Angelika Kratzer writes:
This is a call for papers for a fascinating conference by the “Emergence of Modern Hebrew Research Group” at the Mandel Scholion Interdisciplinary Research Center at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. Our alum Aynat Rubinstein is a current fellow at the Mandel Scholion Research Center and is also a member of the research group. This conference has a very interesting conception: you do not have to work on Modern Hebrew to participate. They are interested in a much wider range of topics:
1. Description and characterization of the revival of Hebrew, preferably with emphasis on the less studied aspects (morphology and syntax), and how the early language of the non-native speakers differed from that of the first native speakers.
2. Different forms of language contact and planned language change – e.g. revival, standardization, language maintenance – in the history of Hebrew and other languages: Arabic diglossia, revival of Syriac in the Galilee, Yiddish in Haredi communities, Welsh and Manx in Britain, revival of tribal languages in America, Australia, Scandinavia, revival of local Italian dialects, etc.
3. Theoretical models of language variation and change, and the role of language contact.
4. Theoretical work on the nature of heritage languages and creoles. Though Modern Hebrew differs from both, it is based on language skills that do not reflect ordinary linguistic knowledge.
5. The role of children: to what extent does the theory of language acquisition, and in particular bilingual language acquisition, inform the process of language revival? Are the same mechanisms operational in both situations?
