Yiddish facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Yiddish |
|
|---|---|
| ייִדיש, יידיש or אידיש yidish/idish/yidish | |
| Pronunciation | or |
| Native to | Central, Eastern, and Western Europe |
| Region | Israel, North America, other regions with Jewish populations |
| Ethnicity | Ashkenazi |
| Native speakers | (1.5 million cited 1986–1991 + half undated)e18 |
| Language family |
Indo-European
|
| Writing system | Hebrew alphabet (Yiddish orthography) |
| Official status | |
| Recognised minority language in | |
| Regulated by | no formal bodies; YIVO de facto |
| Linguasphere | 52-ACB-g = 52-ACB-ga (West) + 52-ACB-gb (East); totalling 11 varieties |
Yiddish is a language used by some Jews. At first, it was a dialect of German that Jews began to use in Europe about 1000 years ago. It was and still is used in the United States, especially in New York, and other countries that Jews have moved to.
Most of its words come from German, and Yiddish also has many words from Hebrew and Slavic languages, especially Polish, and some words from French, Hungarian and Latin. Yiddish usually uses the Hebrew script.
In the whole world, Yiddish is spoken by about 3 million people, mainly Hasidic Jews.
European Charter
In the Netherlands and Sweden, Yiddish is protected by the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages.
Related pages
Images for kids
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The calligraphic segment in the Worms Machzor. The Yiddish text is in red.
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American World War I-era poster in Yiddish. Translated caption: "Food will win the war – You came here seeking freedom, now you must help to preserve it – We must supply the Allies with wheat – Let nothing go to waste". Colour lithograph, 1917. Digitally restored.
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Map of the Yiddish dialects between the 15th and the 19th centuries (Western dialects in orange / Eastern dialects in green).
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NEP-era Soviet Yiddish poster "Drive to the Collective Farm!"
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The Jewish Autonomous Oblast in Russia
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Banner from the first issue of the Yidishe Folksshtime ("Yiddish People's Voice"), published in Stockholm, January 12, 1917.
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A typical poster-hung wall in Jewish Brooklyn, New York
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A 2008 election poster in front of a store in Village of New Square, Town of Ramapo, New York, entirely in Yiddish. The candidates' names are transliterated into Hebrew letters.
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See also
In Spanish: Yidis para niños
