The Joys of Yiddish is the delightful, bestselling book about Yiddish, the Robin Hood of Languages. Yiddish reflects the vitality of life itself, and this book celebrates how Yiddish influences the English language we use every day. Leo Rosten has wedded scholarship to humor and gives the reader an enchanting, new kind of dictionary. Each entry, from beatnik to schmaltz, is defined, its etymology traced, its pronunciation made easy, its nuances captured with exuberant precision. Peppered with folklore, Jewish humor, ...
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The Joys of Yiddish is the delightful, bestselling book about Yiddish, the Robin Hood of Languages. Yiddish reflects the vitality of life itself, and this book celebrates how Yiddish influences the English language we use every day. Leo Rosten has wedded scholarship to humor and gives the reader an enchanting, new kind of dictionary. Each entry, from beatnik to schmaltz, is defined, its etymology traced, its pronunciation made easy, its nuances captured with exuberant precision. Peppered with folklore, Jewish humor, anecdotes, folk sayings, jokes, and bits of history, this guide takes a humorous and relaxed approach everyone can enjoy.
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Actually the book is much more than a dictionary. I read it 20-30 years ago. Bought it as gift for a Jewish woman born in Vienna who was taught to avoid Yiddish. In avoiding Yiddish it seems she also missed out on the joys of Yiddish, a lot of humour, common sense and the spiritual meaning of Jewish rituals.
peerSr
Oct 7, 2010
dissapointed
but my fault, I did not know it is actualy a dictionary, I was awaitng something like H*Y*M*A*N K*A*P*L*A*N
Robby
Aug 9, 2007
Very informative and funny!
Lots of insight into everyday Jewish life, with many funny stories.
