When Yiddish Was Written in Latin Letters

Bibliographic Data

ID17823944
AuthorsOren Cohen Roman (0000-0002-9630-4046, University of Haifa, corresponding author)
Year2024
Volume12
Issue1
Pages27-60
Publication date2024-04-30
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Jewish Languages (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2213-4387 • E-ISSN: 2213-4638
PublisherBrill (PUBLISHER • NL)
DOI10.1163/22134638-bja10043
OpenAlexW4396597077
LanguageDE
Citations received1
References cited14

Although Yiddish was traditionally written in Hebrew letters, texts in this language were also recorded using Latin characters in various circumstances, times, and places. These texts offer valuable information regarding pronunciation traditions and shed light on the processes of cultural history and sociolinguistics that acted as catalysts to their preparation. Various studies have discussed this phenomenon, yet they usually focus on one specific reason for using the Latin alphabet, such as ideological Romanization or linguistic adequacy. The following article offers for the first time a descriptive survey of the entire corpus, from the Early Modern Era to the present day. Paying close attention to the orthography used and the variety recorded, this article discerns within the studied corpus distinct categories reflecting the religious, linguistic, and ideological backgrounds of the texts’ authors and intended readers as well as technical factors pertaining to print. It also highlights the crucial role of the Hebrew alphabet in Yiddish culture

Alphabet · Art · Hebrew · Ideology · Judaism · Linguistics · Literature · Orthography · Phenomenon · Political science · Politics · Pronunciation · Romanization · Sociolinguistics · Sociology · Yiddish · Computer Science · Historical and Linguistic Studies · Historical Linguistics and Language Studies · History · Language, Linguistics, Cultural Analysis · Philosophy · Artificial Intelligence

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