Kernerman Dictionary News • Number 12 • July 2004
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Modern Hebrew Dictionaries The past
decade has seen the appearance of a great number of monolingual modern Hebrew
dictionaries, each with a different linguistic approach and editorial aims.
Besides these, there are dictionaries of proverbs and idioms (e.g. Lashon
Rishon [First Tongue], 2000; Nivon Ariel [Ariel
Dictionary of Idioms], 2001), clichés (Medabrim bi-Klisha'ot [Talking
in Clichés], 2002), a thesaurus (Mila be-Mila [Word in/by Word],
2000), rhymes (Ħaruzim le-Khol 'Et [Rhymes for all Times],
2001), loan words (Leksikon Lo'azi-'Ivri [Foreign-Hebrew
Lexicon], 2000), obsolete words (Milon ha-Milim ha-Ovdot [Dictionary
of Obsolete Words], 1996), slang (Sleng Tsva'i [Military Slang],
1994; Leksikon Shotrim ve‑Ganavim [Cops and Robbers Lexicon],
1997; Sleng ve-Humor [Slang and Humor], 2003) and professional dictionaries, all
published within the past ten years. The following nine dictionaries will be
the focus of our discussion, listed here chronologically with their
abbreviations – first the five general dictionaries, followed by the four
junior ones. General
Dictionaries Milon ha-Hoveh [Dictionary of Contemporary Hebrew, literally: Dictionary
of the Present/Participle] by Shoshana Bahat and Mordechay Mishor.
Jerusalem: Maariv and Eitav, 1995. 815 pages; henceforth H. Rav-Milim [A Comprehensive Dictionary of Modern Hebrew,
literally: Multi-Words] by Yaacov Choueka and the Rav-Milim Team. Tel
Aviv: C.E.T, Miskal and Steimatzky, 1997. 6 volumes, 16+1955 pages; CD‑ROM
for Windows 98; online: http://www.ravmilim.co.il; RM. Milon Sapir ha-Merukaz [The Concise Sapphire Dictionary] by Eitan
Avneyon. Tel Aviv: Hed Artzi and Eitav, 1997. 1126 pages; also CD‑ROM;
SM. Milon Sapir [The Encyclopedic Sapphire Dictionary] by Eitan
Avneyon. Tel Aviv: Hed Artzi and Eitav, 1998. 7 volumes, 2926 pages; 3 volumes,
2002; S. Milon Even-Shoshan Meħudash
u-Me'udkan li-Shnot ha-'Alpayim [Even
Shoshan's Dictionary – Renewed and Updated for the 2000s], edited by
Moshe Azar and a team. Tel Aviv: Am Oved, Kineret, Zmora-Bitan, Dvir and
Yediot Aharonot, 2003. 6 volumes, 2200 pages; ES. Junior
Dictionaries Rav-Milim ha-Tsa'ir [Young Rav-Milim: An Annotated and Illustrated
Dictionary of Contemporary Hebrew for the Young] by Yaacov Choueka and
the Rav-Milim team. Tel Aviv: C.E.T, Miskal and Steimatzky, 1996. 2 volumes, 8+1022
pages; also CD‑ROM; RMH. Milon ha‑Hoveh: Milon Kis
Shimushi la‑Lomed [Practical
Pocket Learner’s Dictionary of Contemporary Hebrew] by Haya Gil. Tel
Aviv: Maariv and Eitav, 1996. 512 pages; HK. Milon Sapir le-Bet ha-Sefer [Sapphire School Dictionary] by Haya Gil and
Orna Ben‑Natan, chief editor Eitan Avneyon. Tel Aviv: Hed Arzi and
Eitav, 1999. 624 pages; SB. Milon-Kis Ariel [Ariel Pocket Dictionary] by Maya Fruchtman.
Qiryat Gat: Korim, 2001. 1030 pages; A. Except for ES, all these dictionaries are
entirely new. ES is a revised version of (ha-)Milon (he-)Ħadash
[(The) New Dictionary], written by Avraham Even-Shoshan and
first published in 1948, revised in the late 60s by Even‑Shoshan,
updated in the 80s, and now revised by Moshe Azar and a team.
Entry
Form S is the only dictionary that presents each of the
meanings on a new line; all the other dictionaries, including SM and SB,
have all the meanings assembled together within one paragraph. H includes in this paragraph derived
words, such as dati [religious] in dat [religion],
as well as sub-entries; in the other dictionaries derivatives appear as
independent lexical items, except for RMH which lists only gerunds as
a sub-entry of the verb; other sub-entries appear separately, following the
explanations (see discussion below). Roots
and Verbs Until
recently, there was a clear difference in Hebrew dictionaries between the
representation of verbs and all other words. The verbs were listed as sub-entries
of the (tri)consonantal root, whereas other words were listed in their
alphabetical order. Among the new dictionaries, ES continues the old
practice, whereas H started a
revolution in listing all the verb forms alphabetically like any other word,
and all the other dictionaries (except ES) use this system. Thus, for
example, ES has under the root TBL, in the letter Tet [T],
the following verbs: taval [immersed, dipped], nitbal
[was dipped], tibel [dipped – especially food in
liquid (Mishnaic use)], tubal [was dipped], hitbil
[dipped; baptized], hutbal [was dipped; was
baptized], and also tovley shaħarit [Essenes; morning
bathers (Talmudic use)], and tovel ve-sherets be-yado [religious
hypocrite]. H and the other
dictionaries list the verb entries alphabetically, though there is a
difference in their listing, as will be described in the Tenses section.
Hence, the above verbs appear under the letter Tet, as tovel or
taval, including tovel ve-sherets be-yado (but not tovley
shaħarit); nitbal under the letter Nun [N];
no metabel, nor tibel and metubal, nor tubal
(because they represent archaic use); matbil and mutbal under
the letter Mem [M], hitbil and hutbal under the
letter He [H]. Tenses Contrary
to the traditional way of listing verbs in their past tense forms, H was the pioneer in positing the
present (participle) forms as the main lexical entry for all the verbs.
Mordechay Mishor, one of its editors, presented the theoretical background
for this system in an article published in Hebrew Computational
Linguistics 24 (1987, see also in this issue http://kdictionaries.com/kdn/kdn12-3-2.html).
One of the arguments was that since every verb in its present tense form can
potentially become a noun or an adjective, it is more economical for a
dictionary to list the present form and catch both the nominal and the verbal
functions at the same time. S follows the same system. RM,
ES, RMH and A continue the old tradition of bringing the
past tense singular form as the base form. The latter system has an advantage
for the user, because it shows instantaneously the verb pattern in which the
verb is conjugated (the binyan). Hence, if we pursue the previous
example, taval is conjugated in pa'al, nitbal in nif'al,
hitbil in hif'il, and hutbal in huf'al. Existing
nouns and adjectives from the same roots are listed separately. For example,
the verb hidrikh [guided; directed; instructed, coached]
is listed under He, whereas the noun madrikh [a guide; instructor,
counselor; manual) under Mem. H and its followers have one entry, madrikh, for both
functions. However, contrary to expectation, the phrase bi-zman hoveh
[in the present tense] precedes the nominal meaning in H and HK.
Vocabulary 1.
Although most of the dictionaries claim to be contemporary, they do include
obsolete items. Some of them give the old meaning rather than the
contemporary one. The example tovley shaħarit above appears only
in ES and the detailed S; the other dictionaries do not include
it at all. The phrase me-'et le-'et appears in all the dictionaries;
however, most of them give just the old meaning [24 hours], which is
still used in orthodox circles for a religious Halachic term, while
the current more widely-spread secular use [from time to time] is only
represented in RM, RMH, ES and A.
Historical
Information Only
SM, S and ES indicate for each word and meaning when it
was first used: in the Bible (unmarked in ES, <tn> in S,
SM and SB), in Mishnaic Hebrew (<t> in ES,
<tm> or <'r> in the others), in Medieval Hebrew
(<b> in ES, <yb> in the others), and in
modern Hebrew (<ħ> in ES, <'ħ> in
the others). New loan words are marked as well: <l> in ES,
<mš> in the others, but not old loan words that became part of
Hebrew, e.g. pardes [orchard (modern); fruit tree
ground (Biblical); (cf. paradise)]. The information about
the first appearance of a word or a meaning is totally unnecessary for the
layman, but relevant for researchers and for people who are interested in the
history of words. Etymology Only ES marks the word etymology consistently.
This information appears in parentheses next to the entry indicating: (1)
parallel words in other Semitic languages, i.e. Acadian, Aramaic, Arabic; (2)
a related root of the same word; and, (3) the source language of loan words
and their original form. This is semi‑scientific information that
resembles Webster or Oxford dictionaries. RM and RMH indicate
the language of origin only in loan words, e.g. profil [profile]
from Italian. All the other dictionaries do not have it. Sub-entries Sub-entries
include phrases and commonly used idioms that the lexical item shares with
other words. Except for H, all the
other dictionaries list sub-entries following the basic meanings of the item. H has the sub-entries in the same
paragraph with the meanings and derived words. All the sub-entries are
listed consecutively in one new paragraph after the explanations in SM,
HK and A. However, RM, S, ES and RMH
have each sub-entry in a separate line. As stated above, ES has all
the verb forms as sub-entries to the root. Examples H,
SM and A do not incorporate any examples after the definitions.
ES brings citations from the listed sources after each meaning in the
same font size as that of the meaning, and only the reference is marked by a
smaller font. At times, especially with new words, examples are given with no
indication of the source. RM, RMH, S, SB and HK
bring invented examples in either a smaller font or italics, though sometimes
citations and references are brought in SB. RM and RMH
in particular have examples for the sub-entries as well, whereas the other
dictionaries give them only occasionally. Illustrations H,
S and ES do not have illustrations. The junior dictionaries HK,
RMH and A include pictures to exemplify some of the lexical
items, and RMH has them in color. RM has a few illustrations as
well, in black‑and‑white. Orthography
and Vocalization Two
spelling systems are used in Hebrew, vocalized (ktiv ħaser) and
‘plene’ spelling (ktiv male, ktiv ħasar nikud). In vocalized
spelling it is not necessary to add the vowel letters Yod [Y]
and Vav [V] in word medial position, whereas in plene spelling
their addition is imperative. ES and A are the only
dictionaries that use full vocalized spelling. However, ES brings the
plene spelling after the vocalized word, whereas A lists plene
spelling in an index at the end of the dictionary. All the other dictionaries
use plene spelling. If there is no difference between the two spellings, the
vowels are added to the entry; if they are different, the vocalized form is
written immediately after the plene spelling. For instance, tigun [frying]
is written in vocalized dictionaries as <tgwn> טִגּוּן, whereas in the others it is written
<tygwn> טיגון followed by <tgwn> טִגּוּן; netiya – as <ntyh> נְטִיָּה or as <ntyya> נטייה followed by <ntyh> נְטִיָּה. HK and SB add the script
writing of the word following the vocalized form, e.g. טיגון , נטייה.
Grammatical
Information 1.
Parts of speech are indicated in all the dictionaries. H and HK do not have an abbreviation for verbs (that
appear in their present form), but the conjugation (feminine; past, future,
infinitive) that immediately follows the main entry indicates it is a verb.
Because only in nouns one finds gender distinctions, they are marked only for
gender (<z> for masculine; <n> for feminine). Like
verbs, adjectives are not marked at all, and if they do not belong to the
participle forms, only the feminine form is inflected, e.g. yahir (yehira)
[arrogant]. Other parts of speech are marked.
Register
Information The
general dictionaries and RMH indicate registers by assignment of
phrases like bi-lshon ha-dibur [colloquial], slang,
'aga [jargon], sifrutit (literary), maħshevim
[computers], refu'a [medicine]. This information is
missing in the other junior dictionaries, which provide just normative
practical vocabulary. Sources Only
ES and SB record in the beginning of the dictionary all the
literary sources that served in compiling the entries, with the
abbreviations. Most of their examples are based on these sources. Homonyms All
the dictionaries list homonyms as independent lexical entries. However, H
and HK are the only ones that include verbs and nominal forms in the
same present tense form, while all the other dictionaries use parts of speech
as well as sense variations to distinguish between homonyms, e.g. tsedek1
[justice; rightness], tsedek2 [Jupiter
(the planet)]; moreh1 [teacher],
moreh2 [teaches, instructs] (the latter is one
entry in H and HK). Appendices H has three appendices: 1. rules of plene spelling; 2.
past, future and infinitive verb forms, referring the reader to the lexical
entries; 3. a list of roots, and the words that are derived from them.
Cross
References S, SM, SB and HB refer the user from
the past tense form to the present form. All the dictionaries in groups H
and S, as well as RM and RMH, refer the user from
vocalized spelling to plene spelling, and from either loan or non‑normative
words to the Hebrew normative one. RM refers vocalized spelling to
plene spelling by the use of smaller letters in the lower margin of the page.
RMH refers gerund forms to the verb in which they are listed as
sub-entries. ES has cross references either for weak verbs, where the
root is unclear, e.g. hipil [dropped] > NPL, and for hitpa'el
verbs where the first radical precedes the t, e.g. histalek [gone]
> SLK, or when there is an equivalent proper Hebrew word for a
sub-standard or loan word. A has no cross references at all. Computerized
Devices As mentioned above, RM and RMH have
CD-ROMs that include all the information presented in the hard copy and much
more: there are games and puzzles in the CD version of RMH, as well as
audiovisual devices. The CD version of RM, which operates only on
Windows 98, includes synonyms, inflections, phrases, lists of words derived
in the same syllabic structure, ways to analyze each word, etc. The web site
enables the user, for a reasonable price, to access the most updated
information about the words, including their translation into English, in
addition to all the features mentioned in the CD. The CD-ROM that accompanies SM offers no more
information than the book. Other
Idiosyncrasies The
junior dictionaries aim at school children, and all except RMH are
published in a relatively small format to enable users to easily carry the
books to school. RMH is the most detailed dictionary, which gives
exhaustive grammatical information on roots, word families, pattern
formation, meaning of patterns, and some general information in boxes outside
the regular listing, e.g. the source of demokratya [democracy],
or ha-giben mi-noterdam [the Hunchback of Notre Dame].
As mentioned above, the CD has auditory options, games, and a lot of
additional information about the history of words and their use. In
Sum H is the most compact, handy and practical dictionary, in
spite of its awkward use of present tense entries. Its normative system and
definitions are good. RMH is the best junior dictionary, though for
school purposes A could be recommended. RM is the most updated
and thorough dictionary of contemporary Hebrew, especially because of its
computerized devices. ES remains the most reliable dictionary for
scientific purposes, particularly for those who need historical information
or those who like to rely on the authentic sources from which the word
derives.
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