The Yiddish Literature of Russian Jew
Origins and Character of Yiddish
Novelist Maurice Samuel discusses the origin and characteristics of the Yiddish language. He examines the roots of the language, which he defines as neither European or Asian, but rather an Indo-European language with Germanic traits. Samuel discusses the process of Yiddish becoming a recognized language, acknowledging the common scholarly perspective that Yiddish was jargon used by Jews rather than an official language. He also discusses the shift in Jewish writing from Hebrew to Yiddish and details the finding of the oldest Yiddish literary work. The lecture is followed by audience questions.
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