Polish influence on Yiddish as described in Max Weinreich’s History of the Yiddish Language – overview and attempts at verification Cover Image

Wpływy polskie w jidysz według History of the Yiddish Language Maxa Weinreicha – przegląd i próby weryfikacji
Polish influence on Yiddish as described in Max Weinreich’s History of the Yiddish Language – overview and attempts at verification

Author(s): Michał Gajek
Subject(s): Language studies, Language and Literature Studies, Theoretical Linguistics, Morphology, Syntax, Lexis, Historical Linguistics, Western Slavic Languages, Philology
Published by: Instytut Slawistyki Polskiej Akademii Nauk
Keywords: Yiddish; Polish language; language contact; Polish linguistic influence; Max Weinreich;

Summary/Abstract: The Article concentrates on the findings regarding Slavic influence on Yiddish, described in the newest English-language edition of Max Weinreich’s History of the Yiddish Language – a canonical title for modern Yiddish studies. Its first task is to acquaint Polish readers with M. Weinreich’s propositions and findings on the general character of Polish-Yiddish and Slavic-Yiddish language contact. This will also be taken as an opportunity to briefly review the research on this subject conducted by Polish scholars. Additionally, the article will elaborate (albeit not exhaustively) on the attempts to question and verify M. Weinreich’s theories which may prove interesting from the point of view of Slavic studies. Its second, equally important task is to describe chosen examples of the results of Slavic influence, in which Polish played a significant role, as they present themselves in the lexicon, morphology, word formation and syntax of Yiddish.

  • Issue Year: 2016
  • Issue No: 51
  • Page Range: 88-118
  • Page Count: 31
  • Language: Polish