Saturday, March 27, 2010

Talk Dirty: Yiddish by Ilene Schneider

Some people absolutely adore trains while others are crazy about insects. Some love puzzles and others live for sports. We all have the one thing that really gets us going, the one thing we hold above all of our other passions. Mine just happens to be language, all of it. Spoken, written, foreign, colloquial, I love it all. I find it utterly fascinating that the linear patterns we put onto a page can weave through our thoughts and create such overwhelming reality that we positively forget that which is physical and what only lives in our imaginations. I also find it intriguing that throughout our worldly languages there are reoccurring phrases and sayings that take root in countries we may not even be able to locate on a globe. Their etymology ranges from a simple folk tale to an epic battle that has spanned generations.
My older brother recently came to visit my family as well as attend a friend’s wedding in our area of residence. During his stay, he came into the knowledge that a good friend of mine practices the Jewish faith. Being the absolute hilarity that he is, my brother sent for my birthday Talk Dirty: Yiddish so as to “entertain my Jewish friends.” Little did he know that my Jewish friend speaks Hebrew or that I would actually appreciate the opportunity to learn about a language and a culture that I know very little about. Ilene Schneider is one of only six female rabbis in America and jumped at the suggestion of writing about the colloquial street language of the Yiddish speaking population. Not only is this book a naughty word dictionary, it also provides a history of Yiddish and Jewish people as well as an etymology for many of the sayings and popular phrases within the Yiddish culture.
Written clearly and with plenty of very useful explanation, Talk Dirty: Yiddish was one of the most educational and truly beguiling gag gifts I’ve ever received and I would definitely recommend it to anyone wishing to learn about their roots or merely to swear in public and not get reprimanded.

No comments:

Post a Comment