Brought into being by legislation in 1953 as the supreme institute for the Hebrew Language, the Academy of the Hebrew Language prescribes standard
for modern Hebrew grammar, orthography, transliteration, and punctuation
based upon the study of Hebrew’s historical development. The Academy’s plenum consists of 23 members and an additional 15 academic advisors, all outstanding scholars from the disciplines of languages, linguistics, Judaic studies, and Bible.
Its members also include poets, writers, and translators. The Academy’s decisions are binding upon all governmental agencies, including the Israel Broadcasting.
Authority As defined in its constitution, the Academy’s functions are:
1. to investigate and compile the Hebrew lexicon according to its historical strata and layers
2. to study the structure, history, and offshoots of the Hebrew language
3. to direct the development of Hebrew in light of its nature, requirements, and potential, its daily and academic needs, by setting its lexicon, grammar, characters, orthography, and transliteration.