Hebrew for dummies
The one word I do not like is ‘dummy’; it implies that a person is stupid. Maybe I am just being a little oversensitive. I do have the same reaction when I hear or read the phrase Hebrew for dummies. I know there is a whole collection of “…for Dummies” books available to buy. Such as ‘DOS for dummies’, ‘MYOB for dummies’, and so on. Even so, the word still irks me.

I think we should deconstruct what the phrase is saying. Hebrew for dummies. Obviously, the word ‘Hebrew’ is the Semitic language that I am referring to. According to the Oxford Dictionary, a ‘dummy’ is a stupid person or a model of a person that is used to put clothes onto. Somehow, when a person writes Hebrew for dummies they are not referring to the model of the person, but rather to someone who is ‘stupid’. 

If you noticed I put the word ‘stupid’ into singular inverted commas, to make a statement that it is someone else’s reference, not mine. As mentioned earlier, I do not support the use of this language at all. I want to make the phrase Hebrew for dummies redundant! 
There are other ways to phrase this, such as ‘simple Hebrew’, ‘beginner Hebrew’, and the list goes on. Just not Hebrew for dummies. Many studies have been conducted showing how language can affect a person’s self-esteem. This is why we should not use negative language with children (or anyone for that matter).

Imagine saying to a child: “you’re a dummy!”. How do you think the child might feel? I know if it was said to me, I would feel terrible. The same can be said for the phrase Hebrew for dummies. Let us not use it. Let us find another term to support first-time learners.