University of Massachusetts Amherst, United States
Prof. Dr. Shmuel Bolozky, Emeritus
Professor Emeritus
Department of Judaic and Near Eastern Studies
Official University Profile: University of Massachusetts Amherst – Shmuel Bolozky
Expertise: Modern Hebrew Linguistics; Hebrew Phonology; Hebrew Morphology; Hebrew Grammar; Word Formation; Corpus Linguistics; Hebrew Language Pedagogy; Biblical Hebrew; Applied Linguistics.
CURRICULUM VITAE
Academic Profile
Prof. Dr. Shmuel Bolozky is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Judaic and Near Eastern Studies at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He is internationally recognized as one of the leading scholars of Modern Hebrew linguistics, particularly in the fields of Hebrew phonology, morphology, and word formation.
A linguist by training, Prof. Bolozky has devoted his academic career to understanding the structure and development of Israeli Hebrew. His research combines theoretical linguistics with practical language instruction, demonstrating how linguistic analysis can significantly improve the teaching and learning of Hebrew as a second language.
He is widely known for his influential publications on Hebrew grammar and morphology, including Measuring Productivity in Word Formation and the widely used 501 Hebrew Verbs. He also co-authored A Reference Grammar of Modern Hebrew, one of the standard reference works for students and scholars of the language.
QUALIFICATIONS
1965
B.A. in English Literature and Middle Eastern Studies, Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
1968
M.A. in English Language, University of London.
1972
Ph.D. in Linguistics, University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign.
ACADEMIC POSITIONS AND APPOINTMENTS
Professor Emeritus, University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Professor, Department of Judaic and Near Eastern Studies, University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Associate Director for Hebrew, National Middle East Language Resource Center.
President, National Association of Professors of Hebrew (NAPH).
Associate Editor, Encyclopedia of Hebrew Language and Linguistics (Brill).
Member of the editorial boards of Hebrew Studies, Shofar, and Journal of Higher Hebrew Education.
RESEARCH
Prof. Bolozky’s research focuses on the structure and evolution of Modern Israeli Hebrew. His scholarship investigates phonology, morphology, lexical productivity, and the mechanisms of Hebrew word formation, while also exploring how linguistic theory can enhance Hebrew language instruction.
A significant aspect of his work concerns corpus linguistics and the construction of Hebrew language databases, which have supported both linguistic research and language pedagogy. His studies on phonological change, derivational morphology, and lexical productivity have become important references in contemporary Hebrew linguistics.
He has also published extensively on Biblical Hebrew, Hebrew lexicography, and the relationship between spoken Israeli Hebrew and earlier stages of the language.
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Modern Hebrew Linguistics
Israeli Hebrew
Hebrew Phonology
Hebrew Morphology
Word Formation
Hebrew Grammar
Corpus Linguistics
Hebrew Lexicography
Biblical Hebrew
Language Teaching Methodology
Applied Linguistics
Semitic Linguistics
ACADEMIC LEADERSHIP
Professor Emeritus, University of Massachusetts Amherst.
President, National Association of Professors of Hebrew.
Associate Director for Hebrew, National Middle East Language Resource Center.
Associate Editor, Encyclopedia of Hebrew Language and Linguistics.
Editorial Board Member of several leading journals in Hebrew linguistics and Jewish Studies.
PUBLICATIONS
Selected Publications
Measuring Productivity in Word Formation: The Case of Israeli Hebrew. Brill, 1999.
501 Hebrew Verbs. Barron’s Educational Series, 1996; revised edition, 2008.
A Reference Grammar of Modern Hebrew. Cambridge University Press, 2005. (Co-author with Edna Amir Coffin.)
Dictionary of Hebrew Nouns.
Israeli Hebrew Morphology.
Numerous articles published in Hebrew Studies, Journal of Linguistics, Linguistic Inquiry, Lingua, Language Sciences, Glossa, The Modern Language Journal, Hebrew Linguistics, Afroasiatic Linguistics, Shofar, and other leading journals in linguistics and Hebrew language studies.