| Yiddish: A Nation of Words Ballantine Book Edition Contributor(s): Weinstein, Miriam (Author) |
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ISBN: 0345447301 ISBN-13: 9780345447302 Publisher: Ballantine Books OUR PRICE: $18.05 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: August 2002 Annotation: About a thousand years ago, European Jews began speaking a language that was quite different from the various tongues and dialects that swirled around them. It included Hebrew, a touch of the Romance and Slavic languages, and a large helping of German. In a world of earthly wandering, this pungent, witty, and infinitely nuanced speech, full of jokes, puns, and ironies, became the linguistic home of the Jews, the bond that held a people together. Here is the remarkable story of how this humble language took vigorous root in Eastern European shtetls and in the Jewish quarters of cities across Europe; how it achieved a rich literary flowering between the wars in Europe and America; how it was rejected by emancipated Jews; and how it fell victim to the Holocaust. And how, in yet another twist of destiny, Yiddish today is becoming the darling of academia. "Yiddish is a history as story, a tale of flesh-and-blood people with manic humor, visionary courage, brilliant causes, and glorious flaws. It will delight everyone who cares about language, literature, and culture. |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Foreign Language Study | Yiddish - History | Jewish - General - Religion | Judaism - History |
| Dewey: 439.109 |
| Lexile Measure: 1130 |
| Physical Information: 0.87" H x 5.62" W x 8.54" (1.01 lbs) 336 pages |
| Themes: - Religious Orientation - Jewish - Ethnic Orientation - Jewish |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: About a thousand years ago, European Jews began speaking a language that was quite different from the various tongues and dialects that swirled around them. It included Hebrew, a touch of the Romance and Slavic languages, and a large helping of German. In a world of earthly wandering, this pungent, witty, and infinitely nuanced speech, full of jokes, puns, and ironies, became the linguistic home of the Jews, the bond that held a people together. Here is the remarkable story of how this humble language took vigorous root in Eastern European shtetls and in the Jewish quarters of cities across Europe; how it achieved a rich literary flowering between the wars in Europe and America; how it was rejected by emancipated Jews; and how it fell victim to the Holocaust. And how, in yet another twist of destiny, Yiddish today is becoming the darling of academia. Yiddish is a history as story, a tale of flesh-and-blood people with manic humor, visionary courage, brilliant causes, and glorious flaws. It will delight everyone who cares about language, literature, and culture. |