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)