Biblical/Ancient Hebrew Language

Elihoenai

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Is there a standard way to hand write the Biblical/Ancient Hebrew Language? In other words, is there a standard way to draw the individual letters?

I have been informed that there is Printed and Hand Lettering Forms. The printed form usually use Serifs and the hand lettering does not. For example, hand written Aleph = X. Is there a standard way to draw the X? Would you start with the first diagonal line drawn to the left and than draw the next diagonal to the right.?

This may be the first of many questions asked about the original language of the Scriptures.
 
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Elihoenai

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I've never drawn an Aleph like an X.

But you want this chart: Hebrew Handwriting Chart | Behrman House Publishing

Thanks for the link. It shows the steps to draw the letters by numbering them. In the chart that I have, the Aleph is X and Vav is |, for examples. The Vav in your link is the same as the one in our chart.

There are differences between the chart in the link you provided and the one we have. Is there a Universal Standard for Hebrew letters in hand written form?
 
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Dave-W

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upload_2018-1-12_7-14-18.png
 
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Radagast

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Elihoenai

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That chart looks like its from ancient-hebrew.org and it does not have the hand written form for the letters.

Still useful because it shows the differences between early to late Hebrew letters, if correct. Is there any member on this forum that can confirm the authenticity of the letters between the ages, as shown in this chart?
 
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Elihoenai

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About Aleph = X you said:
Still seems odd to me. Is that for cursive handwriting or for hand-printed letters?

In the chart that we have, printed letters are for books and the Aleph is the same as the letter column in your chart and the Late Column in Dave-W posted chart. For handwriting, X is used for Aleph to make it easier and quicker to write Hebrew. I suppose you can call this handwriting style Cursive Hebrew.

Cursive Hebrew

Cursive Hebrew (Hebrew: כתב עברי רהוט‎ ktav ivri rahut) is a collective designation for several styles of handwriting the Hebrew alphabet. Modern Hebrew, especially in informal use in Israel, is handwritten with the Ashkenazi cursive script that had developed in Central Europe by the 13th century.[1] This is also a mainstay of handwritten Yiddish.[2] It was preceded by a Sephardi cursive script, known as Solitreo that is still used for Ladino[3] and by Jewish communities in Africa.

Cursive Hebrew - Wikipedia


About if there is a Universal Standard for Hebrew letters in handwritten form you said:
I wouldn't think so.

If there is no Universal Standard any group wanting to write Hebrew by hand can create their own equivalent letters to represent the Printed Form. This would explain the differences between your chart and ours.
 
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Radagast

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In the chart that we have, printed letters are for books

There is a difference between hand-printed (on the chart I posted) and printed in books. On the chart I posted, they are listed as "print" and "letter."

Modern Hebrew, especially in informal use in Israel, is handwritten with the Ashkenazi cursive script that had developed in Central Europe by the 13th century.[1] This is also a mainstay of handwritten Yiddish.[2] It was preceded by a Sephardi cursive script, known as Solitreo that is still used for Ladino[3] and by Jewish communities in Africa.

Cursive Hebrew - Wikipedia

I've seen the chart in Wikipedia. No cursive version of Aleph there looks like an X. I'm still interested to hear where that comes from.
 
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Elihoenai

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There is a difference between hand-printed (on the chart I posted) and printed in books. On the chart I posted, they are listed as "print" and "letter."

The chart you posted uses Ashkenazi/Yiddish Cursive. Does this mean the Ancient Hebrew Language is Bastardised?

Yiddish Alphabet Video
Yiddish Alphabet Video | Yiddish Book Center

Yiddish

Yiddish (ייִדיש, יידיש or אידיש, yidish/idish, lit. "Jewish", pronounced [ˈjɪdɪʃ] [ˈɪdɪʃ]; in older sources ייִדיש-טײַטש Yidish-Taitsh, lit. Judaeo-German)[3] is the historical language of the Ashkenazi Jews. It originated during the 9th century[4] in Central Europe, providing the nascent Ashkenazi community with a High German-based vernacular fused with elements taken from Hebrew and Aramaic as well as from Slavic languages and traces of Romance languages.[5][6] Yiddish is written with a fully vocalized version of the Hebrew alphabet.

Yiddish - Wikipedia


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I've seen the chart in Wikipedia. No cursive version of Aleph there looks like an X. I'm still interested to hear where that comes from.

James C. Bangsund uses a Bespoke version of Hebrew Cursive developed for teaching students in Tanzania. These students have English as 3rd and 4th language, therefore, the teacher states that the emphasis is on clarity and simplicity when teaching Biblical/Ancient Hebrew.
 
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Messianic_Friend

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שלום. Shalom, hope this helps:

1215poster_ktav_yad-600x600.jpg

Edit: Just wanted to add that you don't have to follow the arrows if you feel more comfortable writing differently. I am a native Hebrew speaker and actually don't write some letters like the arrows above show, as long as you get the letter clear, it doesn't really matter.
 
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Heber Book List

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שלום. Shalom, hope this helps:

1215poster_ktav_yad-600x600.jpg

Edit: Just wanted to add that you don't have to follow the arrows if you feel more comfortable writing differently. I am a native Hebrew speaker and actually don't write some letters like the arrows above show, as long as you get the letter clear, it doesn't really matter.

Are the arrows for a left-handed writer? Some are not so easy to do, following the arrows, for a right handed person.
 
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Dave-W

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Are the arrows for a left-handed writer? Some are not so easy to do, following the arrows, for a right handed person.
I am told that if you are used to writing right to left, that works just fine. But as most of the western world writes left to right, the motions seem backward.
 
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Heber Book List

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I am told that if you are used to writing right to left, that works just fine. But as most of the western world writes left to right, the motions seem backward.

Writing from R to L, using my right hand (I am R handed), it was difficult for some of the letters, others were easier if I used my L hand. :)
 
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Elihoenai

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שלום. Shalom, hope this helps:

1215poster_ktav_yad-600x600.jpg

Edit: Just wanted to add that you don't have to follow the arrows if you feel more comfortable writing differently. I am a native Hebrew speaker and actually don't write some letters like the arrows above show, as long as you get the letter clear, it doesn't really matter.


That chart is Ashkenazi/Yiddish cursive. It's the same as Radagast chart in the Script Column and the Yiddish Alphabet Video I posted. This cursive is useful if you plan to write and read Yiddish. We are learning to write with a different Hebrew Cursive.

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That chart is Ashkenazi/Yiddish cursive. It's the same as Radagast chart in the Script Column and the Yiddish Alphabet Video I posted. This cursive is useful if you plan to write and read Yiddish. We are learning to write with a different Hebrew Cursive.

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Hi, I am not quite sure what you mean by Ashkenazi/Yiddish cursive. I am Israeli and this is the universal Hebrew alphabet in Israel (both for Ancient and Modern Hebrew), I do not know or speak Yiddish.
 
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Elihoenai

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Hi, I am not quite sure what you mean by Ashkenazi/Yiddish cursive. I am Israeli and this is the universal Hebrew alphabet in Israel (both for Ancient and Modern Hebrew), I do not know or speak Yiddish.

Hi,

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Revival of the Hebrew language

The revival of the Hebrew language took place in Europe and Israel toward the end of the 19th century and into the 20th century, through which the language's usage changed from the sacred language of Judaism to a spoken and written language used for daily life in Israel. The process began as Jews started arriving in Palestine in the first half of the nineteenth century and used Hebrew as a lingua franca.[1] · [2] However, a parallel development in Europe changed Hebrew from primarily a sacred liturgical language into a literary language[3] which played a key role in the development of nationalist educational programs.[4] Modern Hebrew, along with Modern Arabic, are official languages in Israel, even continuing after the Israeli Declaration of Independence in 1948. More than purely a linguistic process, the revival of Hebrew was utilized by Jewish modernization and political movements, and became a tenet of the ideology associated with settlement of the land, Zionism[5] and Israeli policy.

Revival of the Hebrew language - Wikipedia


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Messianic_Friend

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Hi,

If you are a Native, you are a Native!

Sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel!


Revival of the Hebrew language

The revival of the Hebrew language took place in Europe and Israel toward the end of the 19th century and into the 20th century, through which the language's usage changed from the sacred language of Judaism to a spoken and written language used for daily life in Israel. The process began as Jews started arriving in Palestine in the first half of the nineteenth century and used Hebrew as a lingua franca.[1] · [2] However, a parallel development in Europe changed Hebrew from primarily a sacred liturgical language into a literary language[3] which played a key role in the development of nationalist educational programs.[4] Modern Hebrew, along with Modern Arabic, are official languages in Israel, even continuing after the Israeli Declaration of Independence in 1948. More than purely a linguistic process, the revival of Hebrew was utilized by Jewish modernization and political movements, and became a tenet of the ideology associated with settlement of the land, Zionism[5] and Israeli policy.

Revival of the Hebrew language - Wikipedia


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The late Ancient Semitic alphabet is about identical to the Modern Hebrew one, any native Israeli will be able to clearly state the letter.

alphabet_chart.gif


It is also very similar to Imperial Aramaic and identical to the Maalouli Aramaic Aramaic alphabet - Wikipedia
 
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AbbaLove

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Kind of reminds me of the difference between the era of my Great-Grandfather's beautiful cursive penmanship (only had an 8th grade education), and today's plain Jane handwritten penmanship taught in elementary school as used by today's professional educators.
 
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Elihoenai

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The late Ancient Semitic alphabet is about identical to the Modern Hebrew one, any native Israeli will be able to clearly state the letter.

alphabet_chart.gif


It is also very similar to Imperial Aramaic and identical to the Maalouli Aramaic Aramaic alphabet - Wikipedia


This is the same chart posted by Dave-W.

Indeed, the late and modern letter is very similar. Although there are drastic differences between the letters Kaph, Lamed and Samech. Apparently, the Modern column is the Printed Form of the letter and the Cursive, that is not in the chart, is the Handwritten Form.

Is there Universal Consensus about the development of the Hebrew Letters and their meanings from early to late periods? Perhaps, with the Spirit you don't require Universal Consensus for confirmation of authenticity.

Assuming authenticity, obviously the meaning represented by the picture is lost from Early to Late. The modern Aleph does not resemble the head of an Ox.


Modern Hebrew


Alphabet

"Modern Hebrew is written from right to left using the Hebrew alphabet, which is an abjad, or consonant-only script of 22 letters based on the "square" letter form, known as Ashurit (Assyrian), which was developed from the Aramaic script. A cursive script is used in handwriting...."

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_Hebrew#Alphabet
 
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