Do American Jews Speak a "Jewish Language"?: A Model of Jewish Linguistic Distinctiveness

Abstract

This paper is a comparative analysis of Jewish languages that began in medieval times and the language used in one post-Emancipation Jewish community: the English-speaking Jews of the United States. Using the notion of a distinctively Jewish linguistic repertoire, this paper presents a broad understanding of the scope of Jewish linguistic studies. A comparative analysis shows that American Jewish language includes most of eleven features common among diaspora Jewish languages. And an overview of sociolinguistic variation shows that American Jews differ linguistically not only from non-Jews but also among themselves, especially according to levels of religiosity and textual knowledge. Finally, this paper demonstrates that studying a contemporary Jewish community can enhance our understanding of the past.