In I got It!
Holy Language in an un-holy Land
In every place that Jews live, the local language will have a Jewish "flavor"
N. Leiberman 10/11/2009 10:00
The language spoken in Holland, similar to Flemish, contains many Jewish words – not that the natives of Holland are even aware of the fact that these words originate from the holiest of languages.
The infiltration of Hebrew words into the local language stemmed from the fact that for hundreds of years the country was inhabited by Jews, who set up thriving communities in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Harlem and Alkmaar – to name a few. Up until the end of World War II (1939 / 5699) the Jews constituted almost ten percent of the population of Amsterdam, Holland’s teeming capital. The Jews of Holland used the local language as their mother tongue, but threw in Hebrew words here and there until these words and phrases became interlaced into the language itself.
For instance, the verb ‘went’ in Flemish is ‘kasivieni’. Its source is the Hebrew word ‘hashivenu’ – from the verses recited when returning the Torah scrolls to the ark, and in eastern-Europe pronunciation it evolved into the word ‘hasivieni’.
‘Chaintia’ is the word used for ‘joke’ – using the Hebrew word ‘chen’. ‘Kopper’ is the term used to describe someone who isn’t very clever, because they generally come from the ‘kfar’ (village, in Hebrew) as opposed to the city. ‘Dallas’ is the Flemish word for poverty – from the Hebrew word ‘dallus’; and ‘chanaf’ is the term for a ‘ganav’ – thief. The letter gimmel here became a ches under the influence of the local dialect. Another interesting derivative is the Flemish word ‘tippelin’ – ‘beware’, as in the Hebrew ‘beware in case you fall – pen tipol’. A miser is called ‘kapsuns’, from the Hebrew word ‘kamtzan’.
Our holy language Lashon haKodesh, the language of the Torah, is the most ancient language in the world. Its individuality has been safeguarded throughout the centuries, more than any other language in history.
The infiltration of Hebrew words into the local language stemmed from the fact that for hundreds of years the country was inhabited by Jews, who set up thriving communities in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Harlem and Alkmaar – to name a few. Up until the end of World War II (1939 / 5699) the Jews constituted almost ten percent of the population of Amsterdam, Holland’s teeming capital. The Jews of Holland used the local language as their mother tongue, but threw in Hebrew words here and there until these words and phrases became interlaced into the language itself.
For instance, the verb ‘went’ in Flemish is ‘kasivieni’. Its source is the Hebrew word ‘hashivenu’ – from the verses recited when returning the Torah scrolls to the ark, and in eastern-Europe pronunciation it evolved into the word ‘hasivieni’.
‘Chaintia’ is the word used for ‘joke’ – using the Hebrew word ‘chen’. ‘Kopper’ is the term used to describe someone who isn’t very clever, because they generally come from the ‘kfar’ (village, in Hebrew) as opposed to the city. ‘Dallas’ is the Flemish word for poverty – from the Hebrew word ‘dallus’; and ‘chanaf’ is the term for a ‘ganav’ – thief. The letter gimmel here became a ches under the influence of the local dialect. Another interesting derivative is the Flemish word ‘tippelin’ – ‘beware’, as in the Hebrew ‘beware in case you fall – pen tipol’. A miser is called ‘kapsuns’, from the Hebrew word ‘kamtzan’.
Our holy language Lashon haKodesh, the language of the Torah, is the most ancient language in the world. Its individuality has been safeguarded throughout the centuries, more than any other language in history.
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