Yiddish as a Second Language: Difference between revisions

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This trope goes back quite a ways in American entertainment, almost to the point of being a [[Dead Horse Trope]], without passing through the stages of Clever Idea -> Trope -> [[Subverted Trope]] -> [[Discredited Trope]]. (Mainly because its roots are another fifty years back, in [[Vaudeville]].) The characters—some portrayed as being Jewish, [[Ambiguously Jewish|some not]]—will pepper their dialogue with words and phrases in Yiddish (or more specifically, in Yinglish). Translations and subtitles are not provided, and meanings must be inferred from context. This occurs in both dramas and sitcoms, sometimes without regard to the setting city of the show, though it most often appears in shows set in [[Big Applesauce|New York]], where it's most common in actual speech, and [[Los Angeles]], where ''schmooze''—a Yiddish word if ever there was one—is a way of life. The criminal argot of East End [[London Gangster]]s has also absorbed a few Yiddish words.

Thanks to this trope, however, several Yiddish terms have become a standard part of American English vernacular. Concentrated in large American cities and spreading out worldwide, common Yiddish terms like "putz," "schmooze," "[[Word Schmord]]," are slowly becoming standard English words. This trope evolved from the early movies and TV—censors were aggressive in editing out curses, sexual references, etc. However, most of these early censors did not speak Yiddish, so the writers, actors, and producers ([[You Have to Have Jews|who often did]]) used Yiddish curse words as a way of [[Getting Crap Past the Radar]].

Thanks to this trope, however, several Yiddish terms have become a standard part of American English vernacular. Concentrated in large American cities and spreading out worldwide, common Yiddish terms like "putz," "schmooze," "[[Word, Schmord]]," are slowly becoming standard English words. This trope evolved from the early movies and TV—censors were aggressive in editing out curses, sexual references, etc. However, most of these early censors did not speak Yiddish, so the writers, actors, and producers ([[You Have to Have Jews|who often did]]) used Yiddish curse words as a way of [[Getting Crap Past the Radar]].

If a character speaks in Yiddish as sole proof of Jewish authenticity, then they may be practitioners of [[Informed Judaism]]. If a senior character has the accent as well, they're an [[Alter Kocker]].