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Do you speak yiddish - poll
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Do you speak yiddish?
Yiddish and only yiddish is my first language  
 8%  [ 22 ]
Yiddish and English are my first languages (bilingual)  
 33%  [ 85 ]
Yiddish and another language than English are my first languages  
 2%  [ 6 ]
I speak Flamish/Dutch/German, so I understand yiddish  
 3%  [ 10 ]
I know a bit of yiddish from my family/school  
 17%  [ 44 ]
I actively learned yiddish as a second language  
 9%  [ 23 ]
I don't speak or understand yiddish  
 25%  [ 64 ]
Total Votes : 254



amother
Black


 

Post Sat, Oct 17 2020, 10:03 pm
I mostly understand simple yiddish. Mostly from hearing it around in general and specifically my father speaking with my grandfather. My husband learnt it as a second language with zero background. He is perfectly fluent and people think he's from Williamsburg or boro park. Until he speaks English. One guy told him, "your English didn't match your yiddish" lol. My yiddish got much better after marriage, but my house is still an English speaking one, because I have not become comfortable enough. My son in cheder speaks it like a native. My girls' school also teaches on yiddish, but I wouldn't call my girls fluent even though they are better than me. I do wish I knew it better.
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cbsp




 
 
    
 

Post Sat, Oct 17 2020, 10:51 pm
I didn't vote because my spoken yiddish is very limited although I do use some words exclusively in yiddish (daven, milchigs, fleishigs). I grew up with hentalach and feesalach and a keppie and my kids know that as well. Some colors and basic nouns as well (tish, messer, leichter...)

I can sometimes follow a yiddish speaker (say at a seudah or if relatives are conversing around me) but I'll more often than not miss a major word or two that changes the entire meaning or intent.

I can read yiddish laboriously and can understand 85% but still manage to miss the entire point.

I'm so happy that my skverer cousins have been slowly adding more English to their speeches (I guess for words that just don't have a yiddish teitch LOL )
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pause




 
 
    
 

Post Sat, Oct 17 2020, 10:56 pm
youngishbear wrote:
Yiddish was my first language until I started school at 6. I consider myself 100% bilingual now, but the choices are phrased in a way that confuses me.

Same.
I spoke and was spoken to only in Yiddish until first grade when we started learning English. I also speak to DH and my children mostly in Yiddish. However, by now I can express myself way better in English. Also, and it's pretty indicative of how primary any language is, I THINK in English probably since I became a teenager.
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dankbar




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Oct 18 2020, 1:19 am
My first language was Yiddish. My kids too. Among adult peers I speak in English mostly. I am bilingual & speak both English & Yiddish fluently. Poll doesn't reflect such an option as one being first language, or what you speak mostly today.
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jerusalem90




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Oct 18 2020, 1:43 am
I don't speak Yiddish at all. My parents know a few random phrases. Their parents spoke Yiddish.

Off topic, but a bunch of secular Israelis (especially men) will say that they speak/understand Yiddish when all the really know is a few words ๐Ÿ™„๐Ÿ™„๐Ÿ™„๐Ÿ™„๐Ÿ™„
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Chickensoupprof




 
 
    
 

Post Sun, Oct 18 2020, 2:21 am
First language is Dutch, and I had German for six years in high school. When I became frum I often went to chabad sluchim who where speaking Yiddish hence I speak the Lubavitcher Yiddish. I can follow almost everything what they say and I speak to the children there Yiddish I canโ€™t have an adult conversation in Yiddish though however I can get around in Antwerp with my Yiddish which is another Yiddish in Manchester I have an adress where I get robes from a satmar lady who finds my Yiddish ok. Reading is a lot more difficult for me but Iโ€™m trying to learn it, I donโ€™t speak ivrit though and I gusss Iโ€™m better in Yiddish then hebrew so basically Iโ€™m kinda haredi in that
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amother
Purple


 

Post Sun, Oct 18 2020, 3:43 am
amother [ OP ] wrote:
As a spinoff to diverse threads about yiddish speakers, I want to launch a poll about how many users on Imamother speak yiddish and a debate about the use of the language.

Do you speak yiddish?

What is your opinion?


I grew up speaking both Yiddish and English and I'm pretty fluent in both.
I believe in speaking to children (in my circles) Yiddish when they are young until about 4 and then bringing English into their lives.
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amother
Brown


 

Post Sun, Oct 18 2020, 3:47 am
amother [ OP ] wrote:
Would youlike your children to speak yiddish?

No Iโ€™d much rather they speak Hebrew fluently. I always hated Yiddish growing up and thought it was an ugly language.
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