Hebrew language

==Current status==
[[File:Academy of the Hebrew Language.JPG|thumb| [[Academy of the Hebrew Language]]]]

Modern Hebrew is the primary official language of the State of Israel. {{as of|2013}}, there are about 9 million Hebrew speakers worldwide,<ref name=israel-hayom-hebrew-speakers>{{cite news|last=Klein|first=Zeev|title=A million and a half Israelis struggle with Hebrew|url=http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=8065|access-date=2 November 2013|newspaper=[[Israel Hayom]]|date=18 March 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131104001556/http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_article.php?id=8065|archive-date=4 November 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> of whom 7 million speak it fluently.<ref name=esl.fis.edu>{{cite web|title=The differences between English and Hebrew|url=http://esl.fis.edu/grammar/langdiff/hebrew.htm|work=[[Frankfurt International School]]|access-date=2 November 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131106053751/http://esl.fis.edu/grammar/langdiff/hebrew.htm|archive-date=6 November 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=ucl.ac.uk>{{cite web|title=Hebrew – UCL|url=http://www.ucl.ac.uk/clie/learning-resources/sac/hebrew|work=[[University College London]]|access-date=2 November 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131106121157/http://www.ucl.ac.uk/clie/learning-resources/sac/hebrew|archive-date=6 November 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=studentsabroad>{{cite web|title=Why Learn a Language?|url=http://www.studentsabroad.com/handbook/why-learn-a-language.php?country=Israel|access-date=2 November 2013|archive-date=3 November 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131103100127/http://www.studentsabroad.com/handbook/why-learn-a-language.php?country=Israel|url-status=live}}</ref>

Currently, 90% of Israeli Jews are proficient in Hebrew, and 70% are highly proficient.<ref name=CBS>{{cite news |url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4335235,00.html |title=CBS: 27% of Israelis struggle with Hebrew – Israel News, Ynetnews |newspaper=Ynetnews |publisher=Ynetnews.com |date=21 January 2013 |access-date=9 November 2013 |last1=Druckman |first1=Yaron |archive-date=15 April 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130415064200/http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4335235,00.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Some 60% of Israeli Arabs are also proficient in Hebrew,<ref name=CBS/> and 30% report having a higher proficiency in Hebrew than in Arabic.<ref name=bhol/> In total, about 53% of the Israeli population speaks Hebrew as a native language,<ref>''The Israeli Conflict System: Analytic Approaches''</ref> while most of the rest speak it fluently. In 2013 Hebrew was the native language of 49% of Israelis over the age of 20, with [[Russian language|Russian]], [[Arabic language|Arabic]], [[French language|French]], [[English language|English]], [[Yiddish language|Yiddish]] and [[Judaeo-Spanish|Ladino]] being the native tongues of most of the rest. Some 26% of [[1990s Post-Soviet aliyah|immigrants from the former Soviet Union]] and 12% of Arabs reported speaking Hebrew poorly or not at all.<ref name=CBS/><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/131811 |title=Some Arabs Prefer Hebrew – Education – News |date=13 June 2009 |publisher=Israel National News |access-date=25 April 2013 |archive-date=4 December 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141204213105/http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/131811 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Steps have been taken to keep Hebrew the primary language of use, and to prevent large-scale incorporation of English words into the Hebrew vocabulary. The [[Academy of the Hebrew Language]] of the [[Hebrew University of Jerusalem]] currently invents about 2,000 new Hebrew words each year for modern words by finding an original Hebrew word that captures the meaning, as an alternative to incorporating more English words into Hebrew vocabulary. The [[Haifa]] municipality has banned officials from using English words in official documents, and is fighting to stop businesses from using only English signs to market their services.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4333113,00.html |title=Keeping Hebrew Israel's living language – Israel Culture, Ynetnews |newspaper=Ynetnews |publisher=Ynetnews.com |date=2013-01-17 |access-date=25 April 2013 |last1=Silverman |first1=Anav |archive-date=24 April 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130424065851/http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4333113,00.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2012, a [[Knesset]] bill for the preservation of the Hebrew language was proposed, which includes the stipulation that all signage in Israel must first and foremost be in Hebrew, as with all speeches by Israeli officials abroad. The bill's author, MK [[Akram Hasson]], stated that the bill was proposed as a response to Hebrew "losing its prestige" and children incorporating more English words into their vocabulary.<ref>{{cite web |last=Danan |first=Deborah |url=http://www.jpost.com/NationalNews/Article.aspx?id=297627 |title=Druse MK wins prize for helping preserve Hebrew &#124; JPost &#124; Israel News |publisher=JPost |date=28 December 2012 |access-date=25 April 2013 |archive-date=18 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130318150927/http://www.jpost.com/NationalNews/Article.aspx?id=297627 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Hebrew is one of several languages for which the constitution of South Africa calls to be respected in their use for religious purposes.<ref name="auto"/> Also, Hebrew is an official national minority language in [[Poland]], since 6 January 2005.<ref name="auto1"/>
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