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
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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
edit- ^ "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