Linguistics professor Sharon Armon-Lotem paused awkwardly when asked for tips on teaching Hebrew to diaspora kids.

One of the leading experts on the acquisition of Hebrew as a second language, she said, "It's very difficult to give parents the real answer, not the nice one."

Dr Armon-Lotem believes that even when some children have day-to-day need for Hebrew, such as when their families move to Israel, their attitude towards learning the language can be lukewarm; when they live in the diaspora, the challenge is especially hard.

"The whole challenge of teaching children who are not really interested and who live in a 'non-supportive environment' - meaning there's no one to immerse them in the language - is to make it fun, to singing songs and to get them engaged in lessons," she said. "But the outcome will not be that they truly know the language."

Parents who really want their children to master Hebrew need to try to create an "immersion atmosphere" in their home, in which children constantly see and hear Hebrew, with Hebrew-language books, games and DVDs.

Ivrit in class

A concerted effort is under way to improve the quality of modern Hebrew teaching in Jewish schools in the UK through the Jewish Curriculum Partnership (run by Partnerships for Jewish Schools).
● Its Ivritbeclick programme is designed primarily for 7 to 11 year-olds, with some material for younger and older children.
● A four-year, million-pound investment, launched by the JCP last year with Israel's Centre for Educational Technology, will offer a world-class programme of Ivrit for 11 to 14-year-olds.

This need not go as far as parents talking to each other in Hebrew - though this is an option, even if parents pass on mistakes and language gaps.

"If this is important for you, then you have to create an emphasis at home and not expect others to do it. Just like if good manners are important, then you teach this at home," she said.

Immersion in a language is not just about the extent of exposure to it but also about parents transmitting the value they attach to it.

"One possibility is for the parents to have some command of Hebrew and show its importance," she said. "If you want to help children acquire a language, you have to do more than say it is important, and act to show your own engagement with it."

Initially, Dr Armon-Lotem believes, emphasis should be placed strongly on the spoken language rather than reading or writing. "Starting from reading and writing is almost impossible, so I would start with speaking and getting to know some words."

In her view, it is hard to give children a meaningful start in Hebrew with an hour here and an hour there. She questions the wisdom of teaching it to non-native speakers of around five or six, as is currently common, unless their parents haver created an exceptional level of immersion.

"As long as it's language games, it's ok - not necessarily useful but harmless - but teaching reading and writing is a waste of time," she said.

In many cases, current methods aimed at teaching the very young are "not working," she claimed.

She challenges the conventional wisdom that younger is always better, saying that when children are living in a non-Hebrew speaking environment, it can be preferable to wait.

She is convinced that the mind is "more ready to learn the system" around the age of 10. The best that can be hoped for in starting young for most diaspora children is "creating motivation for later".