On time and timelessness – the Historical Dictionary

 

This last week, the Israel Translators Association organized a fascinating online lecture on the historical dictionary in Israel. For those unfamiliar with the term, this type of dictionary documents the meaning, use and spelling of words throughout history, using both handwritten and printed texts. As the Hebrew language is one of the most ancient tongues, its history is especially rich and varied. From the points raised by Ayelet Harel, the presenter and a former researcher at the National Dictionary, it was clear that despite its historical focus, the work was intended for the present and future as evidenced by the choice of technology and its intended use. Furthermore, the results of this work clearly demonstrate that the opus will never end and its approach also applies to all languages.

It was quite remarkable that the organizing founders of the dictionary immediately considered the future. From the start in the 1950s, they have chose to use the most advanced digital methods available to record the texts intended to be analyzed in the future. These methods included, at various times, punch cards, and CDs and now involve direct online search. Keeping in mind the complex, costly, and time-consuming nature of advanced digital records at any time but especially in the past, the decision shows the importance placed on long-term thinking. In the same vein, current researchers, often two or more staff members, do not use AI so as to ensure that the final result accurately reflects the use of any term in the text.

Likewise, in its approach, the project took the long-term approach and began by creating a corpus of texts in Hebrew throughout the history of written Hebrew. Early texts, through the invention of the printing press, are often have illegible or unclear. The compilers took care to reflect and note this ambiguity in the material entered into the databank. It also chose to enter a wide variety of texts in order to provide a sufficient basis to identify the development of the Hebrew language over its history.  Researchers then carefully examined the meaning of and spelling of each Hebrew word in a given text, comparing it to the concordance. Today, a researcher or simply any curious person can go to the dictionary site and view the history of any given word from the Bible to today. The slow and steady approach has created a treasure of knowledge for future generations.

Given the nature of language, this tracking of language will always be relevant because language development is a never-ending process. Every generation selectively modifies the use and even spelling of the words. For example, in English, the “gay 90’s” referred to the optimistic time before the 20^th century (alas, not realized), not a trend in sexual relationships. In terms of spelling, people consider “shoppe” rather quaint while few people today get upset with “thru”. As languages are dynamic, tracking their changes will always be timely.

Clearly, the Hebrew historical dictionary is neither the only nor even first such project. Most languages have etymological sources and keep digital records of their language. While for some, the view of the past may seem a useless and merely an intellectual pursuit, like all history, language paints a picture of the world that was, elucidates the world that is and provides an indication of the world that will be. The historical dictionary is both of timely and timeless value.