[Note: All Basque words are in Italics and Bold-faced Green]
YIDDISH LANGUAGE
DEVELOPMENT *
[Email contacts]
An ancient language form that originated in the North African
area of our most ancient civilizations has been studied by Nyland (2001). He found that many words used to describe names of places and
things in Yiddish seem to be closely related to the ancient language, which
is being called Saharan. It appears that the Basque language is a close relative to the
original Saharan. Following is a
discussion of this relationship:
The originators of the Romance languages and English used
mostly that half of the Basque language which begins with
vowel-consonant-vowel (VCV and VCCV),
but the linguists making up Yiddish used the entire Basque vocabulary (CV and
VC words), which allowed much more flexibility in word invention. Vowel
linking was not always maintained. It turned out that all Yiddish words,
supplied by Rosten, could be broken up into Basque roots, sometimes with
surprising results. In many words the meaning thus obtained with the Basque
dictionary was related to the translation shown in Rosten's book. A few of
the Yiddish words in Nyland’s (2001) translation
include disagreeable language, however, that is no reason to omit them here. It is surprising the ease with which many Yiddish words
were translatable from Basque, as shown below. Some words took more time or
defied the decoding process entirely, which is understandable because, with
popular use over centuries, words do change. Many of the Yiddish words were
the same as in Hebrew or showed only slight changes in spelling. How old
Yiddish is, is a good question, but it appears that Yiddish is older than
German, possibly dating back to the time that the blond Khazars of the Lower
Wolga region accepted Judaism, which would date the language to the 7th to
9th century. It may well be that the Benedictine linguists used Yiddish and
Hebrew vocabulary and syntax to help them in the construction of the German
language during the 9th and 10th centuries. One firm conclusion may be drawn from the following list of
translations and that is that Yiddish was assembled out of the astonishingly
versatile Basque language, which was distorted and manipulated. The list
gives first the Yiddish word followed by the English translation in brackets
as supplied by Leo Rosten. After this are shown the components of the word,
separated by hyphens, and the Basque words these components represent with
their translations. Any vowels and "h"s removed in the language
invention process are shown as dots. The "sh" in Basque is spelled
"x". MISC. YIDDISH
WORDS DECODED WITH THE BASQUE DICTIONARY
Nyland (2001) suggested that the clearest
manner in which to show the derivation of a word is: Ashkenazim However, when dealing with large numbers of words,
this notation would take too much space, so the following shorthand notation
is used. am ha-aretz (ill-mannered person), am.-.ha-aretz: ama (mother,
Priestess) ahalgegabe (shameless) arretzin (unacceptable):
"The Priestess' shamelessness is unacceptable". apikoros (skeptic, atheist), apik-iku-oroz: apika (perhaps) ikur (sign) orozale (ambition):
"Perhaps a sign of ambition". Ashkenazim (Germany), ash.-kena-azim: axola (caring,
worrying) kena (to take away,
to loose) azima (character,
identity): "Worried about loosing our identity". averah (unethical act), abera: aberats (wealthy):
"Wealthy". aydem (son-in-law), aide-em: aidetu (to become a
relative of) eme (female):
"He became a relative of the female (member of the family)". ayin harah (evil eye), aien-aharra: aiene (lament) aharra (disturbance):
"(We) lament the disturbance". baalshem (Master of the Good Name), bala-shem: balakatu (to flatter) xeme (native son):
"To flatter the native born son". badchanim (jester, entertainer), bad.-.ka-anim: badaezbada (eventual) akabu (death) anim (animal):
"The eventual death of the animal". (just what did that
"jester" do?) balbatim (master of the house), bal.-.bant-im.: balaztatu (to control) abantaila (privileged) imatz (dwelling,
house): "Privileged to control the house". balabatish (responsible), bala-aba-ati-ix: balaztatu (to control,
operate) abantaila (privileged) ateka (small door) ixi (quietly):
"Privileged to open and close the small door quietly". baleboss (head of the household), bala-abots: balaztatu (to control) abots (voice):
"The voice controls". balmalocha (craftsman), bal-.ma-aloka: baliarazu (to make
valuable) ama (mother) alokai (payment):
"He makes something valuable for mother for payment". bar mitzva (man of duty), bar-imi-itz-.ba: ibarretshe (house in the
valley) imini (to place) itz (obligation) -aba (work): "He
has a work obligation at the house in the valley". batlanim (misfit, lazy person), bat-lan-im: bat (one) lan (work) imatz (house):
"One for the work house". behama (ignorant person), beha-ama: beha (to observe, to
stare at) ama (mother):
"He stares at mother". ben (son), ben: ben (honest,
trustworthy): "Trustworthy". bentsh (to bless), ben-tsh: ben (honest) tshalo (applause):
"Honesty is applauded". berrieh (woman with remarkable energy), berri-eh.: berri (new) ehule (weaver):
"New weaver". besdin (house of judgement), bes-din: bestemunduku (exceptional) adin (judgement,
justice): "Exceptional justice". bes midrash (house of study), bes-imi-ido-orraz: bestemunduku (outstanding) imitatu (to imitate, to
copy) idoro (to discover) orraztari (editor, collection):
"Outstanding copy of the discovered collection". blintzeh (filled pancake), balintz-eh: balintz (requirement) ehotza (act of
eating): "Must be eaten" (come and get it!). bnai brit (sons of the covenant), ben-.nai-barrit: ben (honest) anaiarte (brotherhood) barritu (to reform):
"Honest brotherhood (promoting) reform". borderkeh (female boarder), border-ke: bordari (settler,
colonist) kementsu (energetic):
"Energetic settler". bonditt (bandit), bon-.dit: bonbon (lavish
spending) aditugabe (unheard of):
"Unheard of lavish spending". cabala (tradition), kabal-la: kabal (cattle) -la (like):
"Like cattle". chasidim (pious man), kasi-idi-im.: kasik (almost) idi (ox) imintziogabe
(expressionless): "Almost like an expressionless ox". chassen (man-of-the-hour), kasu-un: kasu (circumstance) une (moment):
"Momentary circumstance". chasseneh (wedding), kasu-une: kasu (pay attention)
une (a moment):
"Pay attention for a moment". chaver (friend, comrade), kabe-er: kabe (without) eragozkor ((hindering,
obstruction): "Without obstruction". chazzen (a seer), gaz-zen: gaz (with) zentzu (common sense):
"With common sense". chedar (room), kedar: kedarketa (smoke
stained): "Smokestained". chevra (comradship), keb-bara: kebelar (tobacco) bara (slow):
"Smoking slowly". chillul chashem (profaning God's name), chillul:
.kil.-.lu-ul.: akilarre (witch) alu (vulva) ule (hairy):
"The witch's hairy vulva". chashem: kash-em: kashkartu (to degrade
oneself) ema (prostitute):
"Self-degrading prostitute". chloppeh (to knock, to bang), kalo-ope: kalonje (priest) oper (time off,
away): "When the priest is away". chmallyeh (severe blow), kamel-li-eh.: kamelu (camel) libratu (to set free,
to run away) ehizibilatu (to beat):
"To beat the run-away camel". choleria (plague), kol-eri-a: koldar (coward) eri (illness) a (the): "The
coward's illness". chollileh (God forbid that should happen), koli-ile: kolitza (belltower) ilintitu (To set on
fire): "Burning of the bell tower". chometzdik (fermented), kome-etz.-.dik: komenigarri (beneficial) etzaldi (rest) adikor
(understandable): "That he needs beneficial rest is
understandable". (Needs to sleep it off). chozzerai (junk, trash), koz-erai: koz (intended for) erain (scattering,
disposal): "Intended for disposal". chutzpa (audacity), kutz.-.pa: kutzaketa (profanity) apalatu (to humiliate):
"Using profanity to humiliate". cockamamy (mixed up), kok-ama-mi: kok (bellyfull) ama (mother) mi (my):
"Bellyfull from my mother". darshan (preacher), darj-anai: adarjo (to pull one's
leg, tease) anaia (religious
brother): "To tease the preacher". dayan (rabbinical judge), dai-an.: daiteke (he can be) anaia (religious
brother): "He can be a religious brother". diaspora (exile, dispersion), .di-as.-.po-ora: adibide (advice) asagotu (to go far
away) apokeria (filthy deed) oraintxe (right now):
"The advice is to go right now, far from the filthy deeds". dovid ha Melech (expected Messiah), .do-obid/.ha/me-ele-ek.: adoratu (to worship) obidientzia (obedient) ahal (I hope) Mesias (Messiah) ele (story) ekarri (to bring):
"With obedient worship I hope to bring the story of the Messiah". dreck (wet dirt, crap), .d.-.re-ek.: adarka (goring) areztatu (to cover with
sand) eki (as much as
possible): "Cover the gore with sand as much as possible". dresske (hand-me-down garment), dar-eske: darama (to take) eske (alms):
"Taking alms, begging". elohim (YHVH), elo-ohi-im: elorritsu (troublesome) ohitu (to be
accustomed to) imitapen (imitation):
"He is accustomed to troublesome imitation". (He is jealous: Exodus
34:14). eppes (a little, something), epe-ez: epe (time limit) eza (shortage):
"Shortage of time". eretz Yisroel (the land of Israel), eretz-Israel: eretz (on the side
of): "On the side of Israel". farbissen (unpleasant), .far-bizi: ifar (north) bizi (to live):
"To live in the north". farblondjet (wandering aimlessly), .far-.bel-ond.-jet: ifar (northern) abel (herdsmen) ondo (harvest
colored) jetshi (descend):
"The strawhaired northern herdmen descend (on us)". farchadat (dizzy, confused), .far-kada-at.: ifar (northern) -kada (to hit) -at (direction,
from): "Northern storm hits us". farshtinkener (all stunk up, farting), .far-tink-ener: ifar (north) tinkatu (to press, to
push) ener (when):
"When the north (wind) pushes, blows". flayshedig (meat of all sorts), .f-.lai-shede-ig: afa (happy) alai (rejoicing) shede (to reach the
goal) iges (shelter);
"Happy rejoicing when the shelter is reached". folks-mensh (man of the people), bolk-men-sh: boladak (groups of
people) men (power) sh (little bit):
"A little bit of power to the people". fress (to gorge, devour), .fa-arrez: afa (happy) arrezkero (from then on):
"Happy from then on". frosk (slap), .f.-.rotz-k.: afa (happily) arrotsu (jovial) -ko (slap):
"Happy jovial slap". frum (pious), .f.-.ru-um.: afa (happy) arrunt (simple) ume (child):
"(Like a) simple happy child". galitzianer (Jew from Galicia), gali-itz-ia-ner: gali (wheat) itz (promise) iaio (cheerful) onera (maturing):
"The cheerful promise of the maturing wheat". galut (exile), gal-ut: galdos (pasture
ground) utzi (to leave
behind): "To leave the pasture ground behind". Gan Eden (Garden of Eden), gan-eden: gandoa (pasture) eden (poison);
"Pasture of poison". ga'on (genius), ga-on: garai (outstanding) onbide (example):
"Outstanding example". gelt (money), geld: geldi (little by
little): "(Saving) little by little". gesundheit (health), gizond.-haiet: gizondu (to grow up,
old) haietara (to them):
"Good growing old to you". get (divorce), ge-et: gehitu (to reproduce) eten (to cut):
"Cut reproduction". golem (shapeless), gol-em: golo (goitre) emendatu (to enlarge):
"The goitre enlarges". goniv (thief), ganib: ganibetada (knifing):
"Stick-up with a knife". gott (god), gotor: gotor (support,
strength): "Support and strength". goy (nation), goi: goian (in heaven, on
high): "On high". gozlin (swindler), goz-lin: gozagaitz (disagreeable) linburtu (flatterer):
"Disagreeable flatterer". graub (uncouth), g.-.raub: gabe (without) araubide (discipline):
"Without discipline". habdala (separation), abe-edala: abere (brutal) edalari (alcoholic):
"Brutal alcoholic". haftarah (end, conclusion), af.-.tera: afa (happy) atera (to pull out):
"Happily (to have been) pulled out". haggadah (tale telling), aga-ada: agariz (publicly) adarjo (to make fun
of): "Publicly made fun of". haimish (home), hei-im-ish: hei (shelter) imatz (woven
branches) ishi (quiet):
"Quiet shelter of woven branches". halakha (law), ala-aka: alabear (destiny, fate)
akabu (ultimate):
"Ultimate fate". halevai (I wish I had), aleba-ai: alebanatu (to shell out
grain) ai (grief,
suffering): "Give out grain to ease the suffering". hamantash (pocket), amanta-ash: amantal (apron) ashola (caring,
collecting): "Collecting apron". haskalah (education, knowledge), aska-ala: askar (bright) alabear (future,
destiny): "Bright future". hatikva (the hope, national anthem), .atik-ba: batik (special) abagadune (occasion):
"Special occasion". hok a tshynik (to talk nonsense), oka-tshai-nik: oka (bubbling over)
tshaire (air) onik (harmless):
"Bubbling over with harmless air". hotzeplots (God only knows where), hotz-pilotz: hotz (cold) pilotz (plenty):
"Plenty cold. Jehova (YHVH, YHBH), YHaBaliH/ihabali (to be afraid
of): "To be afraid of". judesmo (Ladino Jew), jud-esmo: judas (traitor) esmoil (cruel):
"Cruel traitor". kabotz (to beg), kabe-otz: kabe (without) otzan (shame,
humility): "Without shame". kaddish (holy), kad-itz: kada (blow, hit,
killing) itzi (denounce):
"Denounce the killing". kalikeh (cripple), kali-ike: kalifikaezin (unknown) ikergai (topic of
investigation, cause): "Unknown cause". kalleh (bride), kale: kaleratu (to throw out
into the street): "Throw her out into the street!" |