Yinglish | Imamother

amother

Tue, Jul 08 2014, 8:19 am

DH and I were brought up speaking proper English and continue to do so, even though we live in a yeshivish community.
Our kids however can be identified culturally (as Brooklyn frummies)as soon as they open their mouths.
They do not speak Yiddish and do not sprinkle yeshivish lingo into their discussions, but their syntax, articulation, mannerisms and their working vocabulary are not consistent with their intelligence.

Anyone else experience this or worked on this?

the world's best mom

Tue, Jul 08 2014, 10:30 am

What does that have to do with Yinglish? Where did their way of speaking come from? Do they have language delays, or are they talking like the people in their schools? I would have an easier time understanding if you would give some examples of how they talk.

amother

Tue, Jul 08 2014, 11:02 am

Kids like to fit in. If everyone talks a certain way, especially kids their age that they associate with, they will try to mimic it.
I know American kids who move to Isreal who take on an Isreali accent right away and vice versa. Same goes with every community or area. As long as kids are only hearing their parents they use one accent, but once they mingle with others, they may take on another one.

Do I make any sense?

Scrabble123

Tue, Jul 08 2014, 11:34 am

I remember my step grandfather once asked me to say the word dentist. I said it. He then asked me to say the word running. I did.

He told me that I spoke like a Jew. He said that Jewish people annunciate every letter properly, but that it is something that will die out as the generations become further from their frum and non English speaking grandparents. People tell me all of the time that I say every letter. I like it. I do not consider it particularly Jewish as many Jewish people I know mumble and stumble with their letters.

He also explained to me that even highly intelligent people above age 50 often speak with "Yiddish" syntax. Now that I know more and more Yiddish speakers, I know exactly what he was talking about. You can just consistently tell your child that in English something is expressed another way, and that his friends speak that way because their grandparents spoke Yiddish and the misunderstanding was verbally passed down through the generations. For example: by (Yinglish) & at (English). You can explain to him that in Yiddish the word "ba" is said, which was inaccurately passed down as by. I'm sure he'd rather speak properly than mistakenly, but you have to be able to accurately point out specifically what the error is.

Dolly Welsh

Tue, Jul 08 2014, 12:44 pm

Dissenter here, I say let it alone.

You may make them ashamed of themselves in some way.

Better they should be confident and proud. You chose their way of life. To say it's meshugah, too late it is. Mamash too late.

And very high English scores I got. You should only know.

malkacooks

Tue, Jul 08 2014, 1:21 pm

I personally think you should quietly and discreetly try to correct this if you can either by pointing it out or working with a speech instructor etc but only IF you want them to have a job in the outside world someday. I've worked for employers who have decided not to hire pp who have spoke "yinglish" after job interviews b\c to them it did not make a good impression of a intelligent worker. These pp were not anti semetic or anything just that it gave a bad impression.