"Getting Here Is a Schlep" - But, How Much of a Comeback Will Yiddish Have?

 Schlep

Chutzpah

Gelt

Goy

Klutz

There was a time in urban neighborhoods on the East Coast when those Yiddish words were embedded in Americana. That's the way we talked. 

Then the growing affluence of the post-WW II economy made us more white-bread in how we jaw-jawed. We strived to be middle-class to have access to those goodies. After all, we wanted to get out of downtown Jersey City, New Jersey and relocate to the suburbs. So we talked the way they did on the medium of television, especially the 6 o'clock news. In addition, given the time was the WASPing of American institutions Yiddish came across as way too ethnic. Try to get ahead in large corporations if you didn't look, walk and, you bet, talk like a WASP. 

That was then.

Currently, reports The Washington Post, Yiddish as a language is having a comeback. What's driving that is a pushback against the increase of antisemitism. Way back in 2021, influential law firm Paul Weiss went up against that bias. However, the prejudice has only worsened.

Language is an identity marker. Those talking Yiddish signal their religious/cultural roots. But it is unlikely that such terms will catch on again and dominate talk. There is too much competition from the language of youth and of other kinds of influencers. 

Also, with so much employment insecurity linguistic conformity has hardened in the workplace. Who the hell would risk defaulting into Yiddish? No, we talk like the boss or those hiring us on contract. They are scared too. They will talk the talk of the Knowledge Economy. 

I help with all your communications. That ranges from coaching to strategy and research to writing and editing. Complimentary consultation. Please contact Jane Genova at 203-468-8579 (texting and phone) and janegenova374@gmail.com.


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