Co-presented by KlezCalifornia
The Politics of Yiddish’s Origins, with Kalman Weiser
Since at least the 19th century, linguists and historians have debated where Yiddish comes from and what that tells us about the origins and migrations of Ashkenazic Jews. Their answers often reveal as much about their politics as about Yiddish. This talk will explore the history of the Yiddish language and how theories about its development have been used to often contradictory ends.