Mensch, Bentsh, and Pasken: Echoes of Yiddish in Contemporary American English

Sarah Bunin Benor

Abstract

This talk describes the range of Yiddish-influenced English in America – from the addition of a few Yiddish words among Jews with weak connections to organized Jewish life to the “Yeshivish” of strictly Orthodox Jews, which is filled with words from Yiddish, Hebrew, and Aramaic, as well as Yiddish influences in grammar and pronunciation. When we look at findings from a large-scale survey, we see that some Yiddish influences are decreasing, as we might expect, but others are surprisingly increasing. The use of Yiddish-influenced English is demonstrated through songs.

Biography

Sarah Bunin Benor is an Associate Professor of Contemporary Jewish Studies at Hebrew Union College – Jewish Institute of Religion (Los Angeles campus) and Adjunct Associate Professor in the Linguistics Department at the University of Southern California. She received her Ph.D. from Stanford University in Linguistics in 2004. She teaches about the social science of American Jews, as well as about language and culture. In addition to her recent award-winning book, Becoming Frum, she has published many academic papers and given lectures around the country about Jewish languages, linguistics, Yiddish, and American Jews. Dr. Benor edits the Journal of Jewish Languages and the Jewish Language Research Website, both of which she founded. In her spare time, she enjoys family time with her husband, Mark, and their three young children, Aliza, Dalia, and Ariella.