When mentioning Hebrew as a language, for many non-Israelis the Bible would be the first thing that comes to mind. However, Modern Hebrew, while only around for a bleep in the history of oral language, has shown a great deal of transformation. Through youth cultures, large immigrant populations and mandatory military service, a myriad of slang terms have come in and out of the national conscience. Below I provide some humorous examples with the Romanization of the Hebrew in italics.
zeh zeh= he or she is ‘the one’
-literally translating as ‘this this’, the expression is used in a romantic sense to indicate one has found their soul-mate.
Sof ha’olam smola= end of the world
The English equivalent would be something like using “the middle of nowhere” to describe a place one considers desolate and out of the way.
Karahana=wild partying
ex. After my MLC 110 culture presentation the karahan will start.
Not only will mastering these slang phrases introduce learners to new linguistic concepts, but they will duly impress the native speakers one is communicating with.
Source:
http://info.jpost.com/C005/Supplements/CafeOleh/hebslang.html
Comments