Re: [tied] Question

What do you understand by "pre-Yiddish"? The language of the Ashkenazic
Jews developed from early Middle High German, especially the Bavarian
dialect of the Regensburg area, with some East Central German influence.
It's a West Germanic language with a strong Semitic lexical admixture
(from Hebrew and Aramaic), but no "Caspian Sea" (let alone Bantu)
elements. This is hardly surprising: until the 11th century there was a
rich Jewish culture in Western Europe and just isolated spots of Jewish
settlement in the East. Some of the Khazarian Jews did disperse in
Eastern Europe after the collapse of the Khazar state, but they did so
in small numbers and their contribution to the formation of Yiddish was
minimal at best. I've no idea why you think Yiddish has been resistant
to change. After the mass migration of Ashkenazic Jews to Poland and
Lithuania, Yiddish became relatively separated from mainstream German
and so lacks many German innovations, but it has innovated on its own,
as well as borrowing from Slavic languages.

Piotr

01-11-03 00:45, vanzalas wrote:

> What is the contribution of pre Yiddish to European languages? I
> rather unusual assume that population who speak later Yiddish did not
> live traces in absorbed languages. Literature give picture of quick
> creation of Yiddish and after 1200AD the Yiddish language do not
> change substantially or the language change process is rather slow.
> Even if given take fact that Yiddish speaking population moved to
> other language area. It present that the Yiddish is fully established
> language rather resistant to changes. Is it possible that rather
> small group may affect larger population if power structure was
> correct propitious? Is the old Yiddish similar to other languages,
> existing around Caspian Sea.
>
> There is rather very contradictory information. Some sources suggest
> some braoun or hazel-eyed population influence and creation of
> Germanic branch from those migrated groups. Other Hebrew or even
> Bantu roots.
>
> There are any traces ethnic or linguistic after abandoned 50
> thousands men Hannibal army who failed to conquer Rome? Did they all
> die? Perhaps part deserted or live distributed in small groups in
> hard to reach or unimportant areas like Albania or Schwartzwald. Why
> the mare Negro, Schwartzwald. Not every forest is called dark even if
> is dark and dense. Some quite opposite are called White even if there
> are the wildest remaining complexes of European forests.