Division of Languages and Literature and Jewish Studies Program Present
What is Yiddish?
Thursday, April 18, 2024
Campus Center, Weis Cinema
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm EDT/GMT-4
2:00 pm – 3:00 pm EDT/GMT-4
In Fall 2024, we will introduce a language class in Yiddish! But what is Yiddish?
Yiddish has no clear boundaries of either space or time. Some speak of the beginning of Yiddish at the end of the 19th Century, with the novels of Mendele Mokher Sforim. Some go back a further century to the stories of Rabbi Nakhman of Braslev. And some go back to the 13th and 15th centuries. Some people say that it’s a dead language, and some people would be quite upset by such an assertion. Some contradictory images of Yiddish are that it is the language of poor ignorant people, but that Yiddish has reached impressive cultural feats in literature and criticism, poetry, the theater, and even in the cinema. Some people think that Yiddish is a sad language, and others think that it is actually funny.Insight to Yiddish language, history, and culture (and the forthcoming Yiddish courses in 2024–25) will be provided in an information session on Thursday, April 18, at 2 pm, in Weis Cinema.
Download: What-is-Yiddish-Information-Session.pdf
For more information, call 352-222-1349, or e-mail [email protected].
Time: 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm EDT/GMT-4
Location: Campus Center, Weis Cinema