Pastrami, Verklempt, and Tshootspa: Non-Jews’ Use of Jewish Language in the United States

Abstract

AbstractJews in the United States use many Hebrew and Yiddish words in their English conversation. To what extent do non-Jews pick up these linguistic markers? This paper explains how Yiddish words have become part of the broader American lexicon through social networks, the media and entertainment, commodification, and metalinguistic discourse. Yiddish words like kibitz, bupkis, and schmuck acquired a comedic valence and an association with New York through their use by second- and third-generation Jewish entertainers. Some words, like klutz, maven, and pastrami, have become so entrenched in English that most Americans are not aware of their Jewish origins. The word chutzpah became part of political discourse, but its continuing association with Jews sometimes leads to controversy. Recently, non-Jews’ notion of Jewish language has expanded from Yiddish as a source of humor to the more serious use of Textual Hebrew in the religious domain and Modern Hebrew in Israeli-oriented contexts.Non-Jews’ use of Jewish language represent diverse orientations toward Jews: from respect to romance, from humor to hatred. Those who are “Jew-adjacent” – friends, spouses, co-workers, etc. – tend to use Jewish English in respectful ways. Politicians speaking to Jewish groups use Hebrew and Yiddish strategically, yielding diverse reactions across the political spectrum. Some devout Christians study Hebrew and use elements of Jewish English because Jesus was a Jew. An insidious use of Jewish language is white nationalists mocking Jews with words like goyim and Shoah. These phenomena are discussed in historical context and in comparison to out-group use of language associated with other ethnic groups.KeywordsNon-JewsJewish languageYiddishHebrewAmerican JewsPoliticsMediaComedyFoodOut-group language use