Rambam on Yiddish, Yeshivish and Other Jewish Languages

When the Jewish people were exiled in the days of wicked Nevuchadnezzar, they mixed with Persians, Greeks and other nationalities. Children were born to them in foreign lands. The language of these children was confused, a mixture of many languages. They were unable to express themselves adequately and accurately in any one language, as it is written: “Their children spoke half in the tongue of Ashdod; they could not speak Hebrew, nor any foreign tongue” (Nechemiah 13:24). When anyone of them prayed, his Hebrew vocabulary was too limited to express his needs or to praise God without mixing Hebrew with other languages. When Ezra and his Beis Din took notice of this they instituted the Shemonah Esreh in their present order: the first contain praise to God; the last three thanksgiving; the intermediate blessings contain petitions for the most essential needs of the individual and the community. They were to be set on everyone’s lips and learned… (Tefillah 1:4).

The development of Jewish languages as a result of galus is a very interesting topic that sheds light on different levels of assimilation and acculturation in various places at different times.

The Gemara in Jewish Aramaic is probably the best example of a Jewish language that comes close to Hebrew in lasting importance for all time.

Judeo-Arabic probably comes next in holiness because of the many classic works of the Geonim and Rishonim that were written by R. Saadia Gaon, and classics like Chovos ha’Levavos, Kuzari, Moreh Nevukhim and Rambam’s Commentary on the Mishnah, Sefer ha’Mitzvos and many Teshuvos and letters.

Ladino was used to write Me’am Lo’ez. Yiddish, on the other hand, was not used as the language for any classic seforim.

What distinguishes all of these Jewish languages from Yeshivish is the fact that they were all written in Hebrew letters. Until modern times -- and the level of acculturation to non-Jewish culture that came with it -- Jews did not think of writing in a goyish alphabet. Other alphabets were foreign to them and not for Jews even when they used the vernacular of the country in which they lived for speech. This tells something about the acculturated nature of Yeshivish that I think many would like to ignore or deny.

The Rambam’s remarks are a sad commentary on our times: “The language of these children is confused, a mixture of many languages. They are unable to express themselves adequately and accurately in any one language.”

In ancient times this produced something positive: The Shemonah Esreh. In modern times we have yet to see what hasgacha pratis will bring about that is positive from the current cultural environment.