The place of Modern Hebrew as a lingua franca of Jewish studies

The present study examines the macrosociolinguistic situation of Modern Hebrew in oral and written scientific communication among researchers in the various fields of Jewish studies in the international arena. An analysis of selective statistical data from the past four decades shows that during this period Modern Hebrew has been a lingua franca of Jewish studies alongside English, its importance varying in accordance with the fields of study and the modes of scientific communication. English, however, has been growing increasingly dominant at the expense of Hebrew, not only outside Israel but in Israel as well.