SOCIOLINGUISTICS IN ISRAEL: From Hebrew hegemony to Israeli plurilingualism

Israeli sociolinguistics is characterized by a transition from Ancient Multilingualism to Hebrew hegemony at the beginning of statehood and to present day plurilingualism. Israel’s 2018 Nation State Law made Hebrew the country’s only official language, with Arabic accorded ‘special status’. This contrasts with the country’s rich linguistic, religious and ethnic diversity where 50 native languages (including several sign languages) are spoken by immigrants, and Hebrew is native to only 51% of Israel’s citizens. Research on bilingual language development, identity, family language policy and bilingual education has become central to Israeli sociolinguistics. Research on Modern Israeli Hebrew and Colloquial Arabic, covering identity, language policy, diglossia and language contact, is surveyed. Separate sections are dedicated to processes of Hebraization and gradual shift to Hebrew in the Israeli Russian community, and to the role of English. The chapter concludes with a statement connecting multilingualism with unprecedented demographic changes where collective identity is challenged daily, stimulated by major social cleavages.