Sharon Avni, at The Blogs

Sharon Avni

Feb 25, 2021, 5:58 PM

Effie the sassy gym bubbe and her very special Hebrish

Effi Hertzke, 81 (left) and Rafi Reshef. (Screenshot)

Despite her thick American accent, the immigrant grandma interviewed on TV had no problem communicating. Linguists call it translanguaging.

About Me

Sharon Avni is a professor of Linguistics and Academic Literacy at CUNY. She is the co-author of Hebrew Infusion: Language and Community at American Jewish Summer Camps, which won the 2020 National Jewish Book Award in education and Jewish identity.