Language
Agnon's writing often used words and phrases that differed from what would become established modern Hebrew. His distinct language is based on traditional Jewish sources, such as the Torah and the Prophets, Midrashic literature, the Mishnah, and other Rabbinic literature. Some examples include:
- bet kahava for modern bet kafe (coffee house / café)
- batei yadayim (lit. "hand-houses") for modern kfafot (gloves)
- yatzta (יצתה) rather than the modern conjugation yatz'a (יצאה) ("she went out")
- rotev (רוטב) meaning soup in place of modern marak (מרק)
Bar-Ilan University has made a computerized concordance of his works in order to study his language.
Read more about this topic: Shmuel Yosef Agnon
Famous quotes containing the word language:
“Great literature is simply language charged with meaning to the utmost possible degree.”
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“For all symbols are fluxional; all language is vehicular and transitive, and is good, as ferries and horses are, for conveyance, not as farms and houses are, for homestead.”
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