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.