The primary mandate of the Academy of the Hebrew Language is “to direct the development of Hebrew by setting its lexicon, grammar, characters, orthography, and transliteration, as determined by Hebrew’s nature, requirements, potential, and daily and academic needs.” Academy decisions, as published in the official government gazette, are binding upon “all academic and educational institutions, all divisions and branches of the government, and on local municipalities.”
The Scientific Secretariat is charged with setting norms for Modern Hebrew, and the work of its various committees – grammar, general and professional terminology, and words in daily use – is overseen by several academic secretaries. The Scientific Secretariat is also responsible for preparing the proposals presented to the Academy plenum, for finalizing their wording, and for publishing plenum decisions.