Ay Yay Yay!

     It doesn’t take a yiddisher kop to understand that language is connected to our culture and evolves alongside it. Nishme’r, languages that have been around for centuries are dismissed as mishegoss just because they’re primarily spoken and not often used in literary works. Maven are so quick to dismiss these languages as bubke that they fail to appreciate the beauty of an adaptive oral language like Yiddish. Many of my mishpocha use this language to shmooze with each other casually, but feel like schmos when talking to shiksas and shegetzes this way. Firstly, goyishers often use  parts of our language callously without realizing and appreciating the rich cultural origin of the words. It is cultural appropriation, nu? Oy, how can some words of a goyish language be adopted and basically re-dubbed “English” words but the rest of the language is not? Feh!  Standard goyisher english is really a combined oral language when you look at it, so why do goyim kvetch and plotz about other combined languages? Those who praise standard English yet denounce Yiddish and Black English and Chicano Spanish nach a mool are shmendriks and cause tsuris for those without standard English for their natural language. I kvell my haimish language although many kibitzers huck me about it. Fershtay? Those who speak yiddish mixed with a goyisher language should not be made to feel like they are hok a chaink.

   I found this assignment incredibly challenging. Writing about the philosophy of language in a mixture of yiddish and english was nearly impposible for me- not because the yiddish language itself is incappable of expressing the ideas, but because the extent of my knowledge of the language is not sufficient. Yiddish is a sarcastic and satirical language, used primarily by myself and my family as an impetus for humor and exagerration. I connect with my history through this language but like my ancestors, this language has always been one used mostly privately among family and friends that share Jewish culture. I think that in Europe this language has much more autonomy, but in the US much of the language has been unknowingly adapted into standard English and is therefore often overlooked as its own language. This makes me both happy and sad, as I know that I will always be able to express a part of my cultural heritage in Standard English- but most of it will go unappreciated. The pious attitudes scholars of standard english have towards other languages combining with standard English seem silly when I realize just how much our language is comprised of other languages. Although it was challenging, I really enjoyed writing this paragraph  because I was able to use some of my favourite words and expressions- ones that make me feel at home and smile (not to be cheezy or anything.) The Yiddish language expresses things with degrees of sarcasm and meaning that cannot be done through standard English. I would recommend you have a few good Yiddish insults in your pocket!