The Many Yiddish Terms that Have Become a Part of Our Speech
The Yiddish language, first believed to have spoken about 1,200 years ago, has contributed much to modern English. While many of the terms we use almost every day have somewhat colorful origins or translations, they have evolved to become part and parcel of the American lexicon. How did the Yiddish language originate and evolve? How did it come to the new world? What are some of the most endearing Yiddish terms that are commonly found in American language and culture?
The Origins of the Yiddish Language
Linguistics scholars typically pinpoint the origins of the Yiddish language to Central Europe, where the Ashkenazi community in the 9th century CE created a vernacular, or common, speech based on a blend of High German, Hebrew and Aramaic. Linguists say that there are a number of varieties of Yiddish, and that most also include some Slavic and even Romance language influences. Most written Yiddish employs the Hebrew alphabet. The term “Yiddish” is actually a contraction of “Yidish Taitsh,” loosely translated as “Jewish German.”
The term Yiddish was seldom used to describe the language until sometime in the 18th century. Even in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the language was more commonly named simply “Jewish.” It’s now an official language in Russia and recognized as a minority language in a number of countries, including Israel, Poland, Romania, Sweden and the Netherlands.
Scholars generally identify modern Yiddish as either Eastern or Western Yiddish. Eastern Yiddish tends to include more terms of Slavic origin and is generally found in Poland, Eastern Europe and the countries of the former Soviet Union.
How Did Yiddish Make Its Way to the United States?
It’s estimated that, when the great wave of immigration came from Europe to America in the 1880s and 1890s, there were as many as 10 million people worldwide who spoke some form of Yiddish. Between 1881 and 1910, more than 1.5 million Jewish people emigrated to the United States, with about 70% of them coming from Russia. In their native countries, they had been subject to both repression and censorship. When they came to the United States, that was typically not a problem. As a result, Yiddish-speaking people launched newspapers, opened theaters and built local cultures that brought Yiddish to the masses. Scholars say that, in the 1920s, there were a number of daily Yiddish publications with circulations of hundreds of thousands of readers. Bestsellers, box office extravaganzas and even Nobel laureates exposed the American public to the colorful Yiddish language.
Some Terms of Yiddish Origin that Are Common in Modern English
Some of the more common words derived from Yiddish include:
- Chutzpah—Use this word to describe someone with a lot of nerve, confidence or even arrogance. It can be a term of endearment, but it can also have negative connotations.
- Klutz—Typically used to describe a clumsy, foolish or awkward person, it’s a variation of “klots,” or wooden block
- Mensch—The literal translation from Yiddish is “man,” but it generally signifies more, that the person being described is a decent, honorable or reliable person. It’s usually a good thing to be called a mensch.
- Nosh—Originally a verb, it’s now commonly used as a noun as well. As a verb, it means to eat or nibble. As a noun, it’s the thing nibbled or eaten.
- Schlep—From the Yiddish “shlepn,” meaning to pull, jerk or drag, schlep has two slightly different meanings. One involves travel, as in “we schlepped all the way to my mother’s house.” The other involves toting things, as in “we schlepped our own luggage at the hotel.”
- Schmooze—The Yiddish root, shmuesn, simply means to talk or converse. In modern American usage, it’s commonly associated with engaging with someone you hope to impress or influence.
- Tchotchke—This mouthful refers to a little knick-knack or bric-a-brac, typically something of nominal value, often something that’s collectible.
Some Lesser-Known Yiddish Words and Phrases You Can Use to Impress Your Friends
The rich Yiddish language offers a number of other words and phrases that really dress up the ordinary:
- Refer to your roommate as your “shtub-mensch,” literally “house-person”
- Impress your date by referring to her as “zissele,” a Yiddish term of endearment
- Spice up that boring meeting by putting your presentation in a ringlheft (three-ring binder)
- What’s more bland than mashed potatoes? They take on a whole new aura when you call them by their Yiddish name—kashe bulbe!
- If you want to surreptitiously pan anything, simply say “nit azoy ay-ay-ay”—it’s “not so great…”
Gutterman’s and Gutterman Warheit—More than 125 Years of Serving the Jewish Community
At Gutterman’s and Gutterman Warheit, with funeral chapels in New York and Florida, we have more than five generations of experience helping individuals and families in the Jewish community with all issues related to funeral and burial matters. We understand the unique customs within the different Jewish traditions and can offer assistance and guidance on any issue, from preparation of the memorial to the selection of a casket or monument, from the particulars for sitting Shiva to the creation of a Yahrzeit calendar. We will also work directly with the Chevra Kadisha, ensuring that the body has been properly prepared according to Jewish law before interment.
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