COURSES IN YIDDISH LANGUAGE AND CULTURE
Yiddish is spoken as a first language by almost 3 million Jewish people all over the world. The vocabulary of Yiddish is mostly Germanic (as seen in the two examples below) with borrowings from Hebrew, Aramaic, and English, among others.
Gey shlofn (Go to sleep)
Bay mir bistd sheyn (To me you are beautiful)Written from right to left like Hebrew, Yiddish also uses the Hebrew alphabet with certain modifications as seen in the banner (to the right) from the first issue of the Jidische Folkschtime (Yiddish People's Voice), published in Stockholm on January 12, 1917.
The department offers two years of Yiddish language Instruction, three quarters of Beginning Yiddish and three quarters of Intermediate Yiddish. Students will be introdcued to written and oral Yiddish, including basic vocabulary and grammar, using a language textbook (Weinreich) and simple literary and traditional texts. Six quarters of Yiddish Language Instruction will fulfill the WCAS language requirement.
German 111-1,2,3
Elementary Yiddish begins with an introduction to Yiddish language and culture. All four language skills—speaking, listening, reading and writing—are stressed to help students acquire basic Yiddish. The course is interactive (students are encouraged to speak Yiddish from the beginning) and enriched by films, songs and proverbs.German 112-1,2,3
Intermediate Yiddish is a continuation of the study of vocabulary and grammar through composition and conversation; and the history of Yiddish and its literature. Readings will be selected from traditional and modern textual sources.
Prerequisite: German 111-3 or equivalent.For questions about Yiddish language courses and placement, please contact Khane-Faygl Turtletaub, the Yiddish language instructor.
