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Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 1
stranger
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OP
stranger
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 1 |
I think comedian Billy Cyrstal would disagree with Singer's assessment of Yiddish. He told an NPR reporter a few years ago that Yiddish is a cross between German and Phlegm.
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Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 2,154
Pooh-Bah
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Pooh-Bah
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 2,154 |
 PS welcome Joe
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Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 5,400
Carpal Tunnel
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Carpal Tunnel
Joined: Oct 2000
Posts: 5,400 |
I grew up in a neighborhood with many yiddish speakers, and could understand the gist of spoken yiddish --age 18 or so, i went to a play at 92nd st Y(MHA)and understood enough to get the jokes--but there are fewer and fewer yiddish speakers, (and i have less contact with those that do speak yiddish)
NY(C) english is filled with yiddish expressions--we schelp things (in tote bags perhaps), we nosh (on knishes) , we kibbitz, and even a irish man (conan o'brien) is a mensch--(when he is not a fool!)
we know the difference between a schmer, and smear, when we ess a bagel..(there is a ny bagel store, Ess a Bagel (yiddish for eat a bagel)--and we know what's kosher!
and while movies and television have made some of these words know in most american english, they still remain common only in areas with current/former yiddish speaking populations.
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