A Jewishlanguage based on
German once spoken throughout Central and Eastern Europeby AshkenazicJews. The name comes from a combination of the German words, "Jud" (Jew) and "Deutsch" (
German). Sometimes referred to as a dialect of
German, and sometimes denigrated as the "Ebonics of the Austro-Hungarian Empire", Yiddish does have its own unique qualities which differentiate it from standard
German. Unfortunately, most Yiddish speakers were killed in the Holocaust, and emigration of the Jews of Central Europe and Eastern Europe resulted in the near-disappearance of the language. Today it can only be heard in isolated pockets in certain big cities worldwide. It is probably the most endangered European language right now. However, Yiddish words have heavily influenced American
English,especially that of New York, and to a lesser extent have made it into Cockney. The use of Yiddish words like
schmuck,
putz, shyster, etc. by comedians, in particular, has spread Yiddishisms throughout the Anglosphere. Even though the Yiddish language is in a severe and probably irreversible state of decline, certain Yiddish words will always be with us, kein ahora.