Personal

Ruth Aronson (later Berman) grew up in Cape Town, South Africa. She received a B.A. degree summa cum laude from the University of Cape Town in Languages and Literature (1954), the M.A. degree from Columbia University, New York, in General and Applied Linguistics (1964), and the Ph.D. from Hebrew University, Jerusalem, in Hebrew Language and Linguistics (1973).

Aronson immigrated to Israel in 1954. She was married to Yitzchak (Isadore) Berman of Moshav Beit Herut, with whom she had one daughter. Berman now resides in Tel Aviv with her partner, Israel Prize laureate, architect Yaacov Yaar.

  • Language acquisition
  • Later language development
  • Modern Hebrew
  • Cross-linguistic comparisons
  • Functional linguistics
  • Discourse analysis
  • Genre theory
1973 Ph.D., Hebrew University, Jerusalem - Hebrew Language and Linguistics
Dissertation: Verbal nouns in Modern Hebrew [in Hebrew] [Supervisor: Uzzi Ornan]
1964 M.A., Columbia University, New York - Linguistics, 2nd Language Learning
Dissertation: British linguistic theory and language learning [Supervisor: R.L. Allen]
1960-1962 Graduate Studies in Educational Research, Hebrew University, Jerusalem
1959 Diploma in Applied Linguistics, with distinction, University of Edinburgh
Dissertation: A comparative analysis of English verb usage in fiction and the sciences [Supervisor: M.A.K. Halliday]
1954 B.A. with distinction, University of Cape Town - Languages & Literature
2015 - Current Coordinator, Young Scholars’ Forum in Linguistics, Israel Academy of Science and Humanities
2013 - Current Member of the Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities
2012 - 2013 Member, ad hoc Committee for Evaluation of Linguistics Studies in Israel, Council for Higher Education, Israel
2011 - 2015 Academic Consultant, Open University Israel course on Language Acquisition in Normally-Developing and Language-Impaired Populations
2011 - 2012 Chair, Committee on Grants in Language and Linguistics, Israel Science Foundation
2009 - Current Expert Consultant, Grup de Recerca per a l’Estudi del Repertori Lingűistic (GRERLI), section of Grup de recerca consolidat (GRC), University of Barcelona - sponsored by Grups de Recerca de Catalunya (SGR)
2006 - 2009 Chair, Advisory committee on Language and Literary, Israel Initiative for Applied Education Research
2004 - Current Professor Emerita, Tel Aviv University
2001 - 2003 Senate representative, Tel Aviv University Steering Committee
1997 - Current Tel Aviv University Chair in Language Across the Life Span
1989 - 2003 Professor, Linguistics, Tel-Aviv University
1983 - 1989 Associate Professor, Linguistics, Tel-Aviv University
1979 - 1982 Senior Lecturer, Linguistics, Tel-Aviv University
1979 - Current Linguistics Consultant, Open University, Israel
1970 - 1979 Lecturer, Linguistics, Tel-Aviv University
1968 - 1973 Head, English Language Teaching Materials Unit, Tel-Aviv University
Consultant, English language programs, Educational Television, Israel
1965 - 1969 Instructor, English Language and Linguistics, Tel-Aviv University
1962 - 1964 Division Head, English as a Second Language, UN International School, New York
1960 - 1962 English Counselor, Israel Ministry of Education
Research Assistant, Hebrew University School of Education
1956 - 1958 Teacher of English as a Second Language, Beersheva High School
2000 - 2001 Research Associate, Laboratoire dynamique du langage, Université Lumière Lyon2
1999 - 2000 Distinguished Visiting Professor, University of Barcelona
1995 Visiting Professor - University of Southern California, Linguistics
1994 Visiting Professor, Harvard Graduate School of Education
1985 - 1986 Visiting Associate Professor, Near Eastern Studies
Research Associate in Cognitive Science, University of California at Berkeley
1982 - 1983 Fellow, Institute of Advanced Studies, Hebrew University
1977 - 1978 Visiting Lecturer, Near Eastern Studies, University of California at Berkeley
2013 Honorary Doctorate, University of Haifa
2012 EMET Prize for Science, Art, and Culture - Linguistics
2010 - 2013 Israel Science Foundation [ISF]
Grant for study of Clause-combining in Hebrew from early childhood to adolescence with Bracha Nir-Sagiv, Haifa University
2009 - 2010 Tel Aviv University Keren Idud research-support fund
2007 - 2010 Israel Science Foundation [ISF]
Grant for study of the Morphology-semantics interface in the mental lexicon
2004 - 2007 German-Israel Foundation for Research and Development [GIF]
Grant for study of Advanced learner language: Cross-linguistic perspectives, with Christiane von Stutterheim, University of Heidelberg
2004 - 2007 U.S.-Israel Binational Science Foundation [BSF]
Grant for study of Developing language and discourse abilities in pre-adolescence: A cross-linguistic study of different populations, with Marilyn Nippold, University of Oregon, and Dorit Ravid, Tel Aviv University
2002 - 2003 Israel Foundations Trustees, Grant for study of Sociolinguistic variation in developing text production abilities, with Dorit Ravid
2001 - 2003 Israel Ministry of Education Grant for study of Linguistic register, with Dorit Ravid
2000 Bousière du gouvernement français au Laboratoire dynamique du langage (Egide), Université Lyon 2 et CNRS
2000 Academic Achievements Award, South African Zionist Federation
1997 - 2000 Spencer Foundation, Chicago, Illinois, Major Research Grant, Principal Investigator – International Project (seven countries) on Developing literacy in different contexts and in different languages
1996 - 1998 Israel Academy of Sciences, Basic Research Fund [ISF]
Grant for study of The oral/literate continuum, with Dorit Ravid
1994 Tel Aviv University "Keshet" (upgrading of infrastructure)
Grant for Hebrew child language data-base coding and analysis
1993 - 1996 Max-Planck Research Award of the Alexander von Humboldt-Stiflung and the Max-Planck Gesellschaft, with Dr. J. Weissenborn
Grant for Crosslinguistic study of acquisition of verb-argument structure
1988 - 1991 U.S.-Israel Binational Science Foundation [BSF]
Grant for study of Lexical productivity, with E. V. Clark, Stanford University
1988 - 1990 Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft [DFG]
Grant for study of Continuity and discontinuity in acquisition of French, German, and Hebrew, with J. Weissenborn
1988 - 1991 German-Israel Binational Science Foundation [GIF]
Grant for study of Crosslinguistic acquisition of word order, with J. Weissenborn, Max-Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, Nijmegen
1987 Grants for crosslinguistic study of Temporality in narrative, with D. I. Slobin
1986 National Science Foundation [NSF]
1982 - 1984 US - Israel Binational Science Foundation [BSF]
Grant for study of Aquisition of tense/aspect, with D. I. Slobin, UC Berkeley
1981 - 1982 Child Development Studies, Yael Anna Foundation
Grant for adaptation of language assessment scale
1980 - 1982 Israel Academy of Sciences, Basic Research Fund [ISF]
Grant for study of Language loss, with E. Olshtain, Tel Aviv University
1970 - 1972 Memorial Foundation for Jewish Culture, grants for doctoral research
1963 American Council of Learned Societies, grant to participate in Linguistic Institute
1958 - 1959 British Council, Israel, scholarship for postgraduate study in Applied Linguistics, University of Edinburgh
1954 University of Cape Town, distinguished graduate award;
French Embassy, Cape Town, French studies medal
Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities Life member since 2013
Linguistic Society of America Honorary life member since 2011
Spanish Association for Study of Language Acquisition Honorary life member since 2010
Israel Academy of Sciences and Rothschild Foundation, Applied Education Research Initiative on Language and Literacy Chair, Advisory Board, 2006 - 2009
US - Israel Educational Foundation [Fulbright] Board of directors, 1992 - 1994
International Association for the Study of Child Language President 1993-1996
Executive Committee 1987-1993
Tel Aviv University Unit for Human Development & Education Founding member, Advisory Board
Israel Center for Educational Technology Advisory Board – dictionary
Israel Association of Applied Linguistics Founding member
Israel Association of Theoretical Linguistics Founding member

Hebrew Linguistics; Israeli Journal of Literacy and Language; Journal of Child Language; Linguistics; Languages, Interaction and Acquisition; Narrative Inquiry; Oxford Research Encylopedia of Linguistics; Trends in Language Acquisition Research; Written Language and Literacy

Applied Linguistics, Applied Psycholinguistics, Brain and Language, Cognitive Development, Cognitive Processes, Cognitive Psychology, Developmental Psychology, Discourse and Society, Discourse Processes, Encyclopedia of Applied Linguistics, First Language, Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, Journal of Child Language, Journal of Narrative Inquiry, Journal of Pragmatics, Journal of Speech & Hearing Research, Language Learning, Language and Memory, Lingua, Linguistics, Morphology 2000, Multingual Matters, Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Linguistics, Pragmatics & Cognition, Reading and Writing Text

United States Israel Binational Science Foundation (BSF), European Science Foundation (ESF), German-Israel Foundation for Research and Development (GIF), Israel Academy of Sciences, Israel Foundations Trustees (Ford Foundation Educational Fund), Kurt Leon Foundation, National Endowment for the Humanities (USA), National Science Foundation (USA), National Institute of Health (USA)