Review of Jo Ann Hackett, A Basic Introduction to Biblical Hebrew (original) (raw)

Abstract

Biblical Hebrew, language pedagogy, textbook, verb paradigm, classroom instruction teachniques, weak verb, inflection, syntax, grammar, perfect, imperfect, terminology, converted imperfect, prefix form, suffix form, consecutive preterite, pedagogy of the verb, ve-qatal, volitive forms, transliteration.

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In the past two decades more than two dozen different textbooks have been published, either in print or online, each promising to lead the student to the promised land of Biblical Hebrew competence, each taking a different path to do so.’ One of the newest and most distinctive in its approach is that of Jo Ann Hackett, who long served at Harvard University as Professor of the Practice of Biblical Hebrew and Northwest Semitic Epigraphy and who recently relocated to the University of Texas at Austin as Professor of Middle Eastern Studies and Religious Studies. Her volume, A Basic Introduction to Biblical Hebrew, is divided into thirty chapters and is designed for either a fast-paced, one-semester course or a full-year course.” Each chapter includes an explanation of the chapter topic, examples of the grammatical concepts in action, and exercises for students. The book is accompanied by a CD containing a number of valuable resources, including audio files and text files. The audio files cover vocabulary for each chapter, the main paradigms in the book, recitations of Hebrew-to-English exercises for all chapters, and a reading of Gen 22:1-19. The text files include vocabulary lists, Hebrew-to-English exercises, textbook appendices A-D, verb paradigms, and an answer key for the English-to- Hebrew and Hebrew-to-English exercises.

In the past two decades more than two dozen different textbooks have been published, either in print or online, each promising to lead the student to the promised land of Biblical Hebrew competence, each taking a different path to do so.’ One of the newest and most distinctive in its approach is that of Jo Ann Hackett, who long served at Harvard University as Professor of the Practice of Biblical Hebrew and Northwest Semitic Epigraphy and who recently relocated to the University of Texas at Austin as Professor of Middle Eastern Studies and Religious Studies. Her volume, A Basic Introduction to Biblical Hebrew, is divided into thirty chapters and is designed for either a fast-paced, one-semester course or a full-year course.” Each chapter includes an explanation of the chapter topic, examples of the grammatical concepts in action, and exercises for students. The book is accompanied by a CD containing a number of valuable resources, including audio files and text files. The audio files cover vocabulary for each chapter, the main paradigms in the book, recitations of Hebrew-to-English exercises for all chapters, and a reading of Gen 22:1-19. The text files include vocabulary lists, Hebrew-to-English exercises, textbook appendices A-D, verb paradigms, and an answer key for the English-to- Hebrew and Hebrew-to-English exercises.

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