PURPOSE

It should be stated very clearly at the outset that this book is not intended as an elementary text for the study of the Bible or other Hebrew literature. It is also not intended as a reference grammar of Hebrew. There are a number of good books on the market to fulfill those needs. This book is intended as a manual, designed to teach a non-speaker of Hebrew to and comprehend with some degree of fluency an acceptable form of the modern Lanqua , Its relationship to a reference analogous to the relationship of a program of calisthenics to a textbook on physiology. The student is not supposed to read this book in order to find out about Hebrew; he is supposed to work at the material presented here until he can speak Hebrew, and he will have to work hard.

The goal of this course is performance. One "knows" Hebrew in the same sense that one "knows" how to drive a car. It is not necessary to be an automotive engineer or to know the technical terms for the of a car in order to be a good driver. Many excellent drivers even have notions about the mechanical of an automobile. Similarly, it is not necessary to be able to discuss accurately and comprehensively the grarnmar of a in order to it fluently and correctly. Intensive drillins will produce the habits. When the student in conversation easily and with a minimum of either "accent" or of conscious effort then he has achieved the goal of the course.

on the does not mean that reading and are to be ignored or downgraded in overall importance for the educated speaker. These latter skills are a separate problem which in the initial of study are treated as secondary. xiv

Many students who use this book will already be familiar with the Hebrew alphabet and writing system. For those who are not it is suggested that work on reading be postponed until Unit 10 is completed. Classes will of course, vary in their ability to absorb the material, and the instructor should feel free to adjust this schedule.

However, it is felt highly the basis of a large body of experience with many languages, including Hebrew, that the total competence of the student will be greater if he starts with the spoken language and then adds the written form rather than vice versa. students who already know how to read will profit greatly if they concentrate exclusively on the spoken language for at least the first ten units.

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