Daytshmerish

Daytshmerish (דײַטשמעריש) is a Yiddish term for Germanized variant or orthography of Yiddish. Daytshmerish Yiddish is spelled and enunciated as אידיש, iddish instead of יידיש, Yiddish.

History

The term was coined in the 19th century to describe the style of Yiddish spoken by educated German speakers in a derogatory manner. Educated Jews saw Yiddish as a lower-class 'Zhargon' (jargon) language that could be 'improved' by inserting German terms.^[1]

According to the Yiddish scholar Dovid Katz, "prejudices and misconceptions" concerning Yiddish were promulgated by both antisemites and well-meaning Jewish assimilationists during the 19th century, who both regarded Yiddish as a degenerated form of German. According to Katz, critics of Yiddish often highlighted the German, Slavic, and Hebrew syncretism of Yiddish to allege that the language was impure and corrupted.^[2]

Sholem Aleichem ("Shalom Alechem") is widely credited with elevating the prestige of Yiddish language as a cultured language in its own right.^[3]

References

^ "Daytshmer Nightshmare". The Forward. 2010-04-07. Retrieved 2024-01-24.
^ "Ber Borokhov, Pioneer of Yiddish Linguistics" (PDF). Dovid Katz. Retrieved 2023-05-13.
^ Aleykhem, Sholem (2010-12-14), "Vegn zhargon oysleygn [About Spelling Zhargon ( = Yiddish)]", Never Say Die!, De Gruyter Mouton, pp. 654–662, doi:10.1515/9783110820805.654, ISBN 978-3-11-082080-5, retrieved 2024-01-24

[1] "Daytshmer Nightshmare". The Forward. 2010-04-07. Retrieved 2024-01-24.

[2] "Ber Borokhov, Pioneer of Yiddish Linguistics" (PDF). Dovid Katz. Retrieved 2023-05-13.

[3] Aleykhem, Sholem (2010-12-14), "Vegn zhargon oysleygn [About Spelling Zhargon ( = Yiddish)]", Never Say Die!, De Gruyter Mouton, pp. 654–662, doi:10.1515/9783110820805.654, ISBN 978-3-11-082080-5, retrieved 2024-01-24

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