article

Bilingualism and dialect mixture among Lubavitcher Hasidic children

American speech • Tuscaloosa, Ala. • Published In 1968 • Pages: 182-200

By: Jochnowitz, George.

Abstract

This 1967 study, based on extensive interviews with primarily Lubavitcher informants, analyzes the Yiddish language usage of the children of this Hasidic group. In the first part of the article, Jochnowitz raises four significant questions regarding the use of Yiddish by the children. '1) Do the children exhibit as much diversity as their parents when speaking Yiddish or is there a general American Lubavitcher Yiddish developing? 2) If such a dialect is indeed developing, do the other Yiddish dialects heard in Crown Heights influence it? 3) Is the Yiddish of American-born Lubavitcher children closer to Standard Yiddish than to that of their parents? And 4) What role does English play in the Yiddish of these children?' (p. 186). The second part of this work analyzes the proficiency in English shown by the Lubavitcher children, and whether or not English actually shows signs of replacing Yiddish in this younger generation. The questions outlined above are discussed at great length in this document and well illustrated with many example from the linguistic structure of the Yiddish language.

HRAF PubDate

1996

Region

North America

Sub Region

Regional, Ethnic and Diaspora Cultures

Document Type

article

Evaluation

Creator Type

Ethnologist

Document Rating

5: Excellent Primary Data

Analyst

John Beierle ; 1995

Field Date

1967

Coverage Date

1967

Coverage Place

Lubavitch; Crown Heights, Brooklyn, N.Y., United States

Notes

George Jochnowitz

Includes bibliographical references

LCCN

27021844

LCSH

Jews