Vocabulary in a speech: How do you say 'Dogari' in Hebrew?

Mezi Cohen sings about "Beautiful words without cover” as a reference to the way in which in Hebrew the high language is considered unreliable and unreal. in contrast Idan Reichel sings about how hard it is sometimes to find Words are more beautiful than these. Those who will be able to express exactly our thought. What he didn't include in the song is that when you are excited, for example because of love or because of a large audience, it becomes even more difficult to find beautiful words.

In recent years I have noticed how much men and women strive to find more beautiful, higher, more impressive words and in the end fall into the trap of unnecessary pressure. In front of an audience, the bar of requirements is higher, therefore the pressure increases, and the results decrease. And it's a shame - because a speech is not a poem.

And my recommendation, practically as well as metaphorically, is actually to take the speech "in a loop".

Why is it actually difficult to speak a high language?

when I teach speak in front of an audience in English They are very bothered by getting stuck searching for a word. The more respectable the audience, the more the pressure increases, because they expect higher words from themselves and such are simply harder to find. The experience of getting stuck is also disturbing enough that the very fear impairs the speech.

The reason for the difficulty is the gap between a 'passive' vocabulary, i.e. those I understand when I listen, and an 'active' vocabulary, i.e. those words that are available to me when I need to speak. Therefore, although there are techniques to increase the active vocabulary, there will always be a certain gap - and therefore there will always be words that we know but are unable to use in real time - and hence the stress.

Why is it more difficult to speak high in Hebrew?

The real problem is that there is really no high secular Hebrew. Hebrew is a very young language, which is a country where everyone knows everyone and there is no room for formality, so the higher language than the Bible was abandoned and a secular higher language was not created. Even our leaders - in politics, business or academia - speak in front of an audience with the same words they use every day andNetanyahu speaks 'Dogari'. Menachem Begin also occasionally used Aramaic, but also slang such as "jobniks" and "chachachaim". The prime ministers of the Sabers since then - from Rabin to Netanyahu - have all spoken 'Dogari'.

Therefore, those who try to speak a high language fail to do so not only because it is difficult to find high words under pressure, but because these words do not really exist.

But if I managed to speak high-high, is that okay?

So it's not. The irony is that a speech in high Hebrew does not convey depth and professionalism but rather detachment and inappropriate formality. Speeches like this always remind me of the ceremonies at school, and I don't know anyone who was able to get excited to hear the vice-principal read from the page her eloquent text.

(There are some virtuous individuals who are able to speak loudly and movingly, so for the benefit of the readers Amos Oz and Meir Shalev - you are exempt from this section. But not from the next one).

So in general it is also possible to speak Dogri?

Completely! The charm of Hebrew is its directness, which removes all unnecessary embellishments and gets straight to the point. As Israelis, we have all learned to recognize those who speak 'continuous bullshit' and we have very little patience for them. We measure speakers by the depth of their words - the ability to give clear examples or explanations that have logic behind them - and not by choosing 'Sabbath words'.

Does it also work in foreign languages?

Sorry, but not really. Bob the foreign languages definitely has a special vocabulary for formal expression. For example, in Russian and French it is customary to address an audience in the third person ('if the distinguished gentlemen') while in Arabic there is a distinction between literary Arabic that is used for important events and spoken Arabic that is used for everyday use. In addition, foreign languages often name a classier society than the Israeli society which respects and even demands this differentiation. Therefore, those who have to speak in front of an audience in English or in another language must definitely polish their vocabulary before going in front of an audience.

So if you want to improve your language, or learn to live with the language you have - contact 1-800-100-192