Yiddish: Biography of a Language (Hardcover)
The most widely spoken Jewish language on the eve of the Holocaust, Yiddish continues to play a significant role in Jewish life today, from Hasidim for whom it is a language of daily life to avant-garde performers, political activists, and LGBTQ writers turning to Yiddish for inspiration. Yiddish: Biography of a Language presents the story of this centuries-old language, the defining vernacular of Ashkenazi Jews, from its origins to the present. Jeffrey Shandler tells the multifaceted history of Yiddish in the form of a biographical profile, revealing surprising insights through a series of thematic chapters. He addresses key aspects of Yiddish as the language of a diasporic population, whose speakers have always used more than one language. As the vernacular of a marginalized minority, Yiddish has often been held in low regard compared to other languages, and its legitimacy as a language has been questioned. But some devoted Yiddish speakers have championed the language as embodying the essence of Jewish culture and a defining feature of a Jewish national identity. Despite predictions of the demise of Yiddish-dating back well before half of its speakers were murdered during the Holocaust-the language leads a vibrant, evolving life to this day.
Jeffrey Shandler is Distinguished Professor of Jewish Studies at Rutgers University. A scholar of modern and contemporary Jewish culture, he has written, edited, or translated sixteen books. Shandler has served as president of the Association for Jewish Studies and is a fellow of the American Academy for Jewish Research.
"Yiddish: Biography of a Language (Hardcover) - lugha ya Kiyahudi iliyozungumzwa sana kabla ya Holocaust, lugha ya Kiyahudi inaendelea kuwa na jukumu muhimu katika maisha ya Kiyahudi leo, kutoka kwa Hasidim ambao ni lugha ya maisha ya kila siku kwa watendaji wa avant-garde, wanaharakati wa kisiasa, na waandishi wa LGBTQ wanaogeukia Kiyahudi kwa msukumo.""" Yiddish: Biography of a Language inatoa hadithi ya lugha hii ya karne nyingi, lugha ya kawaida ya Wayahudi wa Ashkenazi, kutoka chanzo chake hadi sasa. Jeffrey Shandler anaelezea historia ya Yiddish yenye pande nyingi kwa namna ya wasifu wa wasifu, akifunua ufahamu wa kushangaza kupitia mfululizo wa sura za mandhari. Yeye huzungumzia mambo muhimu ya Kiyidishi kama lugha ya watu wanaoishi nje ya nchi, ambao wasemaji wao sikuzote wametumia lugha zaidi ya moja. Kama lugha ya watu wa makabila madogo, lugha ya Kiyidishi imekuwa ikidharauliwa kwa mara nyingi ikilinganishwa na lugha nyingine, na uhalali wake kama lugha umekuwa ukishukiwa. Lakini baadhi ya wasemaji wa Kiyidishi wameunga mkono lugha hiyo kuwa ni sehemu ya utamaduni wa Kiyahudi na ni sehemu ya utambulisho wa taifa la Kiyahudi. Licha ya utabiri wa kupotea kwa lugha ya Kiyidishi - uliotangulia muda mrefu kabla ya nusu ya watu waliozungumza lugha hiyo kuuawa wakati wa yale Maangamizi Makubwa ya Wayahudi - lugha hiyo inaendelea kuishi kwa nguvu hadi leo. Jeffrey Shandler ni Profesa Mtukufu wa Mafunzo ya Kiyahudi katika Chuo Kikuu cha Rutgers. Akiwa msomi wa utamaduni wa Kiyahudi wa kisasa na wa kisasa, ameandika, kuhariri, au kutafsiri vitabu kumi na sita. Shandler ametumikia kama rais wa Chama cha Mafunzo ya Kiyahudi na ni mwanachama wa Chuo cha Marekani cha Utafiti wa Kiyahudi.