Customer Reviews

Yiddish: An Introduction to the Language, Vol. I

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is an excellent text. I'm quite grateful to Sheva Zucker for writing a new text on Yiddish, since the others that are still in print are dated, and don't seem to have been especially relevant to begin with.

The vocabulary introduced in the very first lesson is relevant and usable, which is unfortunately high praise for a language text. I don't know why, but language text writers think you need to know how to say things like "Is it customary to tip the wine steward?" or "May I accompany you on the harpsichord?" and it is not until the very last chapter that you learn the verb "to be."

Similar praise for her vocabulary lessons; in addition to covering useful topics, they are lively, and just right: not too much, not too little, and they never become drudgery.

I'll admit that I was a step ahead on the vocabulary, because my Hebrew is good, so I knew the loan words; howsoever, by the third chapter, I was eavesdropping on the older members of my congregation, and by the time I'd finished the book, I was helping them with their subjunctive verbs. All right, I'm kidding about the last one, but before I'd finished the book, I was already making conversation.

You'll probably find, as I did, that people are ready to talk with you, and put up with imperfect Yiddish as you improve, because they love to see more people learning the language. This makes the concept of a self-teaching text viable, so don't let the idea scare you. If you are regularly involved in a community with some Yiddish speakers, then this self-teaching text will speed by.

Heck, I even wrote Sheva Zucker a thank you note.

Four and two-thirds stars.

I have studied other languages with beginners' textbooks (as well as intermediate and advanced)- Russian, Polish, German, French - and I find that this book is excellent!
The other reviewers' descriptions of the book's flaws are accurate. I teach a small (9 students) Yiddish class in an orthodox synagogue using this text, and we're having a great time. I do point out the many differences between this book's secular tone and the Brooklyn Yiddish-speaking community's customs, as well as alternative accents and spellings. (YIVO has taken over Yiddish spelling, and this book is according to their standard. The fact is that most people whose native language is Yiddish do NOT spell according to the YIVO standard. But the differences are easy enough to get around. Zucker, however doesn't even mention the idea of variant spellings until somewhere in the second volume.)

One thing that I LOVE about this book is that transliteration is not permitted to be a crutch. Yiddish should not be written only in transliteration. Yiddish needs its "alef-bays" to be authentic.

Some of the poems and songs, etc., while being authentic, moving, and charming, do indeed go against the grain of the orthodox (who comprise the majority of people who actually speak Yiddish in their daily lives), but this book was not written for the orthodox alone. I do not feel that Zucker is in any way disrespectful to orthodox tradtion. She very capably presents Yiddish as a language and a culture that, while inextricably connected to Judaism, is not used exclusively for religious purposes.

Personally, I think that my fellow religious Jews should get a life and realize that diversity is a good thing... and even if you can't accept that it is a GOOD thing, at least understand that it is a fact of life. Hitler's troops didn't ask whether you were orthodox or reform, ashkenazic or sephardic, religious or secular.

There is probably no one left in the world today (over the age of 5, that is), who speaks ONLY Yiddish, so you can have fun with Yiddish even if you're not 100% perfect. Certainly most native Yiddish speakers mix in alot of English words, just as in bygone days they mixed in Russian, Polish, Hungarian, and even French words, depending on where they were.

It is perfectly normal on the streets of Hassidic Williamsburg to hear a matronly grandmother who survived the Holocaust say to her "eynikel" (grandchild): "Zay careful! Jump nisht auf di stairs" (Be careful! Don't jump on the stairs). and NOT "Pavolye! Shpring nisht oyf di trep!" If you go into a fruit store in overwhelmingly orthodox Boro Park and ask for "fershkes, malennes, un truskafkes" you might not get the peaches, raspberries, and strawberries you need without providing an English translation first... even though the clerk's native language is Yiddish. And in 20-odd years of life among people who spoke ONLY Yiddish in normal conversation, I never once heard Zucker's "bulbes" for potatoes... they were kartofel, kartoshkes, zhemnyakes, or even peteytas... never "bulbes".

I can feel the YIVO crowd cringing... but I'm sure that Yiddish purists felt the same when Polish words for "be careful... see pavolye above"..."hat" (kapelush) "faucet" (kran) "blizzard" (zaverukhe) etc etc etc crept into Yiddish centuries ago.

The notion that Yiddish must be a "standard language" perhaps was relevant when it was one of the most widely spoken languages in pre-holocaust Eastern Europe, but nowadays, secular Yiddish culture and its quaint insistence on "klal yidish" (Standard Yiddish) and standardized spelling is at best an exercise in nostalgia (although I admit it's good for beginners to have a 'home base' for spelling, grammar, and vocabulary). The vast majority of people who bring up their children in the Yiddish language are religious people who have no use for Yiddish secular culture, including its rich literary masterpieces, songs, and plays.

Zucker's book is a great self-teacher, but for real live Yiddish with real live people who actually speak it in their real lives... you won't get the whole picture.

Nevertheless, I recommend the book highly.

This book, which I have completely read is obviously the product of some very hard work. It has a great deal of variety in its content compared to other language self-study books. The author's special talents include incorporating humor and engaging the reader actively. However, the book, despite being one of the best language textbooks that I have read, (I have previously studied Russian), does not fully consider the sensibilities of her religious readers. A large majority of the Yiddish speaking population today is either religious or chasidic. Many of these people will find things in this book that come close to offending their sensibilities and must take this into account before purchasing. I do reiterate that this is a very well designed and thorough introduction to Yiddish.

This is a very helpful introduction to the Yiddish language. It has lots of exercises and written assignments to help you use the language. My only critique is its lengthy vocabulary lists. There may be over twenty words per list, and it becomes cumbersome to process. A reader needs to develop a practical way to learn the words. (Personally, I write them in sentences or in short stories. It is a fun way to learn vocabulary!) I'd also recommend two other books, THE COMPLETE IDIOTS GUIDE TO LEARNING YIDDISH and 201 YIDDISH VERBS. (This latter book is a must!)

Adequate for individual learners, probably a bit more valuable for classroom use. This is one of the better Yiddish textbooks I've encountered, though learners completely unfamiliar with the concept of noun declension may struggle somewhat. I also wish there were supplementary audio materials available.

Having completed both Book 1 and Book 2, I can tell you that this book is total garbage. This is not the way to learn a language. You don't learn a language by doing mind-numbing grammar exercises and memorizing a lot of vocabulary that is irrelevant to daily conversation. And while all the cultural baggage is nice to know, it doesn't help any with mastering the language. The CDs suffer from a similar flaw. It's too bad that the folks at Pimsleur, who really understand how to teach a language, don't offer a course in Yiddish.

Don't waste your time with this one.