Table Of ContentTwo-tiered Relexification in Yiddish
W
DE
G
Trends in Linguistics
Studies and Monographs 136
Editors
Werner Winter
Walter Bisang
Mouton de Gruyter
Berlin · New York
Two-tiered Relexification
in Yiddish
Jews, Sorbs, Khazars,
and the Kiev-Polessian Dialect
by
Paul Wexler
Mouton de Gruyter
Berlin · New York 2002
Mouton de Gruyter (formerly Mouton, The Hague)
is a Division of Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co. KG, Berlin.
® Printed on acid-free paper which falls within the guidelines
of the ANSI to ensure permanence and durability.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Wexler, Paul:
Two-tiered relexification in Yiddish : Jews, Sorbs, Khazars,
and the Kiev-Polessian dialect / by Paul Wexler.
p. cm. — (Trends in linguistics : Studies and mono-
graphs ; 136)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 3 11 017258 5 (cloth : alk. paper)
1. Yiddish language — Lexicology, Historical. 2. Relexi-
fication (Linguistics) 3. Upper Sorbian language - In-
fluence on Yiddish. 4. Ukrainian language - 1300-1700
- Influence on Yiddish. 5. Ukrainian language - 1300-
1700 - Dialects - Pripet Marshes (Belarus and Ukraine)
6. Khazars - History. I. Title. II. Series
PJ5118.W49 2002
439'. 13028-dc21 200201651
Die Deutsche Bibliothek - Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Wexler, Paul:
Two-tiered relexification in Yiddish : Jews, Sorbs, Khazars, and
the Kiev-Polessian dialect / by Paul Wexler. - Berlin ; New
York : Mouton de Gruyter, 2002
(Trends in linguistics : Studies and monographs ; 136)
ISBN 3-11-017258-5
© Copyright 2002 by Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co. KG, D-10785 Berlin
All rights reserved, including those of translation into foreign languages. No part of this
book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechan-
ical, including photocopy, recording or any information storage and retrieval system, with-
out permission in writing from the publisher.
Cover design: Christopher Schneider, Berlin.
Printed in Germany.
Dedicated to the memory of my father, Harry Wexler (25.9.1901
Xmel'nyk, Vynnycka oblast', Ukraine-15.1.1999 Philadelphia),
who knew most of the languages from which Yiddish drew its
components and who took an active interest in the history of the
language and its speakers
Contents
Abbreviations and symbols ix
Introduction 1
Chapter 1 The Relexification Hypothesis in Yiddish 9
Chapter 2 Approaches to the study of Yiddish and
other Jewish languages 63
Chapter 3 Criteria for selecting German and Hebrew-
Aramaic and for retaining Slavic elements in Yiddish 79
3.1. Component blending in Yiddish 116
3.2. The status of synonyms in Yiddish 131
3.3. Constructing an etymological dictionary for a
relexified language 137
Chapter 4 Evidence for the two-tiered relexification
hypothesis in Yiddish: From Upper Sorbian to German
and from Kiev-Polessian to Yiddish 145
4.1. Sixteen observations about the relexification hypo-
thesis in Yiddish 148
4.2. German morphemes and morpheme sets fully
accepted by Yiddish 176
4.3. German morpheme sets blocked fully or in part in
Yiddish by the Slavic substrata 181
4.4. The status of individual German morphemes and
semantically related sets in Yiddish 349
4.5. Slavic gender and markers of plural and dual in
Yiddish 391
4.5.1. The assignment of gender in Yiddish nouns 393
4.5.2. The gender of Yiddish simplex nouns in
compound constructions 419
4.5.3. The assignment of plural suffixes in Yiddish 430
4.5.4. The Slavic "pseudo-dual" category in Yiddish 447
4.6. Unrelexified Upper Sorbian and Kiev-Polessian
elements in Yiddish 488
viii Contents
4.7. The Khazar component in the language and ethno-
genesis of the Ashkenazic Jews 513
Chapter 5 Future challenges 543
References 555
Index of names 631
Index of examples 638
Index of subjects 692
Abbreviations and symbols
acc accusative Iran Iranian
adj adjectival, adjective It Italian
adv adverb J Judeo-
ag agentive Κ Kiev
Ar Arabic Kar Karaite
Aram Aramaic Kh Khazar
arch archaic L Low(er)
Aus Austrian Lat Latin
Bav Bavarian Li Lithuanian
Bg Bulgarian lit literal
Bib Biblical Lus Lusatian
Br Belarusian m masculine
C Common, consonant Μ Middle
c(c) century (centuries) Mac Macedonian
Ce Central Mod Modern
Ch Church η neuter
coll collective Ν North(ern)
Cz Czech No Norse
dat dative nom nominative
dial dialect(al) 0 Old
dim diminutive Ρ Polessian
Du Dutch part. participial, participle
Ε East(ern) ±PD presence or absence of
Eng English the pseudo-dual
f feminine pej pejorative
Fr French Pers Persian
G German perfective
pf
gen genitive plural
pl
Gk Greek Pol Polish
Gmc Germanic Polab Polabian
Go Gothic Port Portuguese
Η High R Russian
He Hebrew Rom Romance
Hg Hungarian Rotw Rotwelsch
hum humorous RP1 first relexification
IE Indo-European phase
impf imperfective RP2 second relexification
inf infinitive phase
inst instrumental Rum Rumanian
intr intransitive S South(ern)
