Jewish Culture and Languages, two scientific papers

Yiddish, a Language through the Ages

Introduction

What a shlemazel we have at our hands, a real mishmash! This is not only an example of Yiddish words assimilating English, it also accurately describes what the history and origin of the language looks like to the unprepared student. Yiddish is the third most important literary language of Jews and became the alternative to Hebrew which was, as a sacred language, too holy for everyday conversation. 1

First of all it is important to realize that there is nothing like 'The language' or 'The culture' of Jewish people despite what the etymology of the word "Yiddish" suggests. "Yid" is the old German name for "Jew", the ending "-ish" marks the former word as belonging to a larger concept. Therefore "Yiddish" can be literally translated as "Jewish". However, the first distinction has to be drawn between Ashkenazim and Sephardim. The two groups settled in different parts of Europe and early on developed their very own culture and language which is as dissimilar as any two cultural groups tend to be. 2

Originally Yiddish referred to the language of Jewish settlers in Eastern Europe. By now the observant listener can hear Yiddish in many other places. Within the last two centuries Jews emigrated to far away countries and took their language and culture with them. Most people know at least a few Yiddish customs or words from movies, television or through conversation. It is often difficult to pinpoint where exactly one picked up these odd little tidbits of knowledge but it seems as if Jewish culture and Yiddish managed to perpetrate our society without us even noticing. It is not too surprising that especially Yiddish words found a place in other languages as they often describe a very specific concept, usually not without humor. 3

Despite most people having heard about Yiddish at some point often enough the notion about what exactly Yiddish looks and sounds like and where it has its roots are vague. This is probably due to the fact that Yiddish emerged within other languages far away from the country where its speakers originally came from. It never existed on its own, cut off from the other cultures around it. Though written in Hebrew letters publications often featured small additions in Latin letters, usually in transcripted Yiddish or the language which was spoken in the region. But how was this language able to develop amidst foreign cultures and languages and how did it spread all over the world only to be found even in American English? 4

2.1 Influence of Jewish history on Yiddish

The history of Jews has always been subject to changes, persecution, and tragic events. This began almost as soon as Jews started to emigrate. They were not welcome in every part of Europe and prejudice against the newcomers due to cultural and religious differences was common. Seeing that they were distrusted and discriminated against in their new homes it was essential to Jews to protect their identity and business from their non-Jewish neighbors by communicating in a language others would not understand. This also helped to preserve a feeling of community and shared culture amongst Jews living in a region. 5

It is no wonder that Jews have a strong wish for community. Their fate has been to be repeatedly expulsed from areas and their culture to be violently oppressed during difficult economic times. So where does language factor in? Most countries and nationalities identify strongly through their shared language. Great Britain and the United States of America have English as their national language just like their history is tied up yet both take pride in their specific differences in language. German offers an extensive field of studies concerning the language, from varieties in Grammar to historic literature. Jewish immigrants were forced to learn and adopt a new language whenever they moved to another country to flee from prosecution or find a better fate and new work. 6