Jodenhoeks: The Amsterdam Jewish Dialect and Its Influence upon the Dutch Language

Abstract

Until 1940 Amsterdam had a significant and largely lower-class Jewish population. The Yiddish and Portuguese languages of this community melted with Dutch and immigrant influences into a specific Amsterdam Jewish dialect. This idiom had a considerable influence on the Dutch language, especially after the death of its speakers during World War Two. Amsterdam and the Immigrant 'Nations9 The Protestants took over the government of Amsterdam on 26 May 1578. That day the old Catholic city government was put on a boat that sailed out of town. Instead of being executed, the Catholic burgomasters were put ashore less than a mile outside the city walls. A new government was installed with a majority of Dutch-Reformed members. No-one was injured or killed during the Alteratie ('Alteration'). Not only was the style of this revolution typical, but also the time: at least ten years after the start of the Dutch revolt against the Catholic Habsburg king of Spain. All those years it had been more profitable for the Amsterdam burghers to sell goods to the Spanish armies before they attacked rebellious cities nearby. But now, with the Northern part of the Low Countries in the hands of the rebels, competing harbours were threatening to take over Amsterdam trade. This matter-of-fact, businesslike way of looking at things probably helped Jewish and other immigrants to feel at home. The Spanish and Portuguese new Christians arriving from Antwerp, Southern France or the Iberian peninsula formed just one of many immigrant groups moving to a booming port city. It was during the late sixteenth century that this sleepy fishing village turned into one of the most important harbours in the world. Some immigrant groups * Justus van de Kamp (born Amsterdam, 1954) is a historian and lexicographer who teaches HOVO courses in history of Yiddish literature at the Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam. With Jacob van der Wijk he published an 800-page dictionary of Jewish words in the Dutch language 'Koosjer Nederlands' that was highly acclaimed in the Dutch media. European Judaism Volume 42, Number 2, Autumn 2009: 34-46 doi: 1 0.3 1 67/ej. 2009.420206 ISSN 0014-3006 (Print), ISSN 1752-2323 (Online) This content downloaded from 157.55.39.211 on Mon, 08 Aug 2016 05:33:53 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms