Re: yiddish language decline?

[Robert Cohen <rlcm17...>]

>Unfortunately, neither my parents nor grandparents spoke Yiddish (except 
>for
>a few phrases here and there).

My parents, otoh, *did* speak Yiddish--and my mother actually spoke it well, 
I'm quite sure--but they spoke it precisely when they *didn't* want me to 
understand what they were saying!  I realize this sort of situation is far 
from unique, whether in re Yiddish or whatever other language the parents 
know and the children don't.

Result, in my case:  I grew up with an aversion to Yiddish (since it was 
used to exclude me, as it were).

My sister, otoh, eventually (though I think she began with the same 
attitude) took up Yiddish and has been studying it quite diligently for a 
while.

--Robert Cohen

_________________________________________________________________
Send and receive Hotmail on your mobile device: http://mobile.msn.com

---------------------- jewish-music (at) shamash(dot)org ---------------------+