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Abstract
This article is an introduction to linguistic phenomena which have their origins in the Israeli army and are subsumed under the term Zahalit. The first part illustrates what Zahalit looks like with several examples. The examples are taken from written sources as well as from interviews with Hebrew speakers conducted by the author. Characteristic traits of Zahalit include abbreviations and acronyms along with metaphoric and metonymic constructions. Some of its linguistic properties, as well as common perceptions of Hebrew speakers of Zahalit, are displayed and the argument is made for these phenomena to be viewed as part of a single variety of Modern Hebrew. In the second part, the main functions of Zahalit are reviewed. It satisfies not only the communicational and professional needs of the Israel Defense Forces’ (IDF) soldiers, but carries an implicit ideology and can fulfill political, as well as social and psychological functions. In fact, its functions can be understood as a continuum between professional language, secret language, and slang. Details regarding the social implications of Zahalit in Israel are given in part three. The role of the IDF in Israeli society and its impact on everyday life are discussed. Linguistic spillovers from the military to civilian society can be explained by the fuzzy boundaries of these two spheres and the influence that the IDF has on an individual’s everyday life.
Keywords: Israeli army, Zahalit, linguistic variation, sociolinguistics