A goy who speaks Yiddish : Christians and the Jewish language in early modern Germany / Aya Elyada.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Elyada, Aya, 1977-

Series:

Stanford studies in Jewish history and culture..

Stanford Studies in Jewish History and C

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Christian literature, German--History and criticism.

Christian literature, German.

Christian scholars--Germany--History.

Christian scholars.

Christianity and other religions--Judaism.

Christianity and other religions.

Judaism--Relations--Christianity.

Judaism.

Yiddish language in literature.

Yiddish language--Study and teaching--Germany--History.

Yiddish language.

Yiddish literature--Study and teaching--Germany--History.

Yiddish literature.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (282 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Stanford, California : Stanford University Press, c2012.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

This book explores the unique phenomenon of Christian engagement with Yiddish language and literature from the beginning of the sixteenth century to the late eighteenth century. By exploring the motivations for Christian interest in Yiddish, and the differing ways in which Yiddish was discussed and treated in Christian texts, A Goy Who Speaks Yiddish addresses a wide array of issues, most notably Christian Hebraism, Protestant theology, early modern Yiddish culture, and the social and cultural history of language in early modern Europe. Elyada's analysis of a wide range of philological and theological works, as well as textbooks, dictionaries, ethnographical writings, and translations, demonstrates that Christian Yiddishism had implications beyond its purely linguistic and philological dimensions. Indeed, Christian texts on Yiddish reveal not only the ways in which Christians perceived and defined Jews and Judaism, but also, in a contrasting vein, how they viewed their own language, religion, and culture.

Contents:

Front matter

Contents

List of Illustrations

Preface and Acknowledgments

Note on Spelling and Translations

Introduction. A Jewish Language in a Christian World

Introduction. Christian Hebraism and the Study of Yiddish in Early Modern Europe

One. Yiddish in the Judenmission

Two. “From the Jews’ own books” Yiddish Literature, Christian Readers

Three. Blasphemy, Curses, and Insults Yiddish and the Jews’ “Hidden Transcript”

Four. Ancilla theologiae

Conclusion. The Study of Yiddish and Christian-Jewish Relations in Early Modern Germany

Introduction. Yiddish in the Socioeconomic Sphere

Five. The Merchants’ Tongue

Six. The Thieves’ Jargon

Conclusion. Yiddish as Antilanguage

Introduction. Between Hebrew and German: The Depictions of Yiddish in Christian Writings

Seven. German of the Jews

Eight. Yiddish and German in the Judenmission

Nine. Christian Hebrew and Jewish Yiddish in Early Modern Germany

Conclusion. Yiddish-Speaking Orientals: Language Shift and the “Verbesserung der Juden”

Conclusion

Notes

Bibliography

Index

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780804782821

0804782822

OCLC:

813286339