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LANGUAGE CORNER
The Miracle Phone
Finding Hebrew words for modern technology is one of the most
challenging aspects of reviving this ancient language. A generous dose
of creativity usually is combined with a reliance on ancient texts. For
example, hashmal, the Hebrew word for electricity, was taken from
the opening chapter of Ezekiel, in which the prophet describes his
vision. He mentions the word hashmal three times, saying, “as
hashmal from within the fire” (Eze. 1:4). Nobody knows what
hashmal actually meant in the times of the prophet. Some translated
it as a color or even a certain kind of metal. In the Septuagint, the
Greek translation of the Bible from the third century BCE, it was
translated as electrum, the amber-colored alloy of gold and silver. The
fact that rubbing amber produces electrostatic phenomena was the source
of the English word electricity and consequently the Hebrew hashmal.
This resulted in strained formations in Hebrew like: hashmalai
for electrician and lehashmel for electrifying something.
Strained as they were, hashmal and its derivates were adopted
by the Hebrew-speaking world and are in wide use today. The radio and
the telephone were not as lucky. Officially, the word for radio is
maklet, but because nobody really knew what this meant, it soon
became a maklet-radio, and very quickly it returned to being
called radio by Hebrew speakers.
The telephone was named shah rahok – a speaker to afar. This
inconvenient construction was soon abandoned in favor of telephone and
the verb letalfen (to call) was born.
After the telephone went cellular and became wildly popular among
Israelis, Hebrew wording could not keep up with technology. First, the
cellular phone was called a pelephone, which literally means
miracle phone, just like the name of the company that first introduced
them to Israel. When additional cellular phone companies entered the
marketplace, they tried hard to eradicate this usage. Eventually, the
formal name became telephone cellolari, a name sufficiently
complicated that Israelis still say, “Call me on my pelephone,”
even if they use a different cellular phone company.
The introduction of SMS technology made the situation even more
complicated. The Hebrew term for the messages, mesarim miyadi’im,
was way too long. So the English term SMS was retained and deemed
perfectly good for daily Hebrew usage by the public. The only problem is
that it is impossible to write or conjugate in Hebrew. So the Academy of
the Hebrew Language, the official compiler of new words and arbitrator
of Hebrew usage, has suggested that we use misrar. It comes from
mesor (deliver). For a short SMS, the language academy suggests
using misron.
Modern Hebrew is still a work in progress, developing along with
Israeli society. The fate of the Hebrew terminology for cell phones and
their functions has yet to be determined. We will have to wait and see
if future generations of Hebrew-speakers will be sending each other
misronin or SMSim. By then, however, SMS may be as popular as
carrier pigeons and the language academy will be struggling with new
technologies.
Yadin Roman
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