The Story of Yiddish

Download or read book The Story of Yiddish written by Neal Karlen and published by William Morrow Paperbacks. This book was released on 2009-03-31 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A delightfully unconventional tale of a people, their place in the world, and the fascinating language that held them together. Yiddish is an unlikely survivor of the ages, much like the Jews themselves. Incorporating antique German dialects and elements from more than a dozen other tongues, the Yiddish language bears the imprint of the many places where European Jews were briefly given shelter. Neal Karlen's unique, brashly entertaining, yet thoroughly researched telling of the language's story reveals that Yiddish is a mirror of Jewish history, thought, and practice—for better and for worse.