(Yiddish: ) is a

dialect A dialect is a Variety (linguistics), variety of language spoken by a particular group of people. This may include dominant and standard language, standardized varieties as well as Vernacular language, vernacular, unwritten, or non-standardize ...

al feature characteristic of the Northeastern dialect of the

Yiddish language Yiddish, historically Judeo-German, is a West Germanic language historically spoken by Ashkenazi Jews. It originated in 9th-century Central Europe, and provided the nascent Ashkenazi community with a vernacular based on High German fused with ...

( NEY, , ), which is the replacement, or

merger Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are business transactions in which the ownership of a company, business organization, or one of their operating units is transferred to or consolidated with another entity. They may happen through direct absorpt ...

of the "hushing" (post-alveolar)

consonant In articulatory phonetics, a consonant is a speech sound that is articulated with complete or partial closure of the vocal tract, except for the h sound, which is pronounced without any stricture in the vocal tract. Examples are and pronou ...

s "ch", "sh" ( IPA: , ), with the "hissing" (alveolar) ones, "ts", "s" (IPA: , ). The name of the term is a

shibboleth A shibboleth ( ; ) is any custom or tradition—usually a choice of phrasing or single word—that distinguishes one group of people from another. Historically, shibboleths have been used as passwords, ways of self-identification, signals of l ...

: the phrase "" (in standard Yiddish) means '

Sabbath In Abrahamic religions, the Sabbath () or Shabbat (from Hebrew ) is a day set aside for rest and worship. According to the Book of Exodus, the Sabbath is a day of rest on the seventh day, Ten Commandments, commanded by God to be kept as a Holid ...

speech', hinting at the perception that this feature is substandard. In addition to the shibboleth, the use of the masculine article indicates NEY's tendency to use either the masculine or the feminine gender for nouns where Standard Yiddish uses the neuter. It is similar to the dialectical feature of Polish called , and there has been a hypothesis on the influence of on the development of .

References

Yiddish Phonology {{Phonology-stub

Further reading

References