Do you know from Yiddish?
A controversial new hypothesis has surfaced about its origins, but does it stand up to the data? And are you using Yiddish words without even knowing it?
Daniel Midgley speaks with lexicographer Ben Zimmer on this episode of Talk the Talk.
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Full interview
Here’s the rest of my discussion with Ben Zimmer. More about glitch, and the surprising history of meh. It takes us through Mad Magazine arriving (as is so often the case) at The Simpsons.
Cutting Room Floor
Citizen Ben to the rescue! When there are speed cameras, he’s the hero we need.
Who’s better on Australian accents, Siri, or Android? We talk a bit more about how parsers do their thing, and Kylie goes full potato on Hurricane Monica, who apparently was a very destructive cat. Plus: Daniel’s excellent Otto impersonation.
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Show notes
Google to Developers: Here’s How to Stop Making Dumb Chatbots
https://www.technologyreview.com/s/601440/google-to-developers-heres-how-to-stop-making-dumb-chatbots/
Google is giving away the tool it uses to understand language, Parsey McParseface
http://www.theverge.com/2016/5/12/11666414/google-parsey-mcparseface-tensorflow-open-source-language-tool
Announcing SyntaxNet: The World’s Most Accurate Parser Goes Open Source
http://googleresearch.blogspot.com.au/2016/05/announcing-syntaxnet-worlds-most.html
Professor reveals to students that his assistant was an AI all along
http://www.smh.com.au/technology/innovation/professor-reveals-to-students-that-his-assistant-was-an-ai-all-along-20160513-gou6us.html
History & Development of Yiddish
http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/History/yiddish.html
Yiddish Language and Culture
http://www.jewfaq.org/yiddish.htm
The Secret Slang of the Diamond District
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/26/magazine/the-secret-slang-of-the-diamond-district.html?_r=0
Articles for Elhaik’s research — this is not well-accepted by linguists!
Uncovering ancient Ashkenaz – the birthplace of Yiddish speakers
https://theconversation.com/uncovering-ancient-ashkenaz-the-birthplace-of-yiddish-speakers-58355
Was Yiddish A Secret Language Invented On The Silk Road?
http://www.vocativ.com/310611/yiddish-silk-road/
Yiddish may have originated in Turkey, not Germany
http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2016-04/20/yiddish-origin-turkey-dna-analysis
Articles against Elhaik’s research — closer to correct
Asya Pereltsvaig: Is Yiddish to Be Traced to Turkey?
http://www.languagesoftheworld.info/bad-linguistics/yiddish-traced-turkey.html
Jordan Kutzik: Don’t Buy the Junk Science That Says Yiddish Originated in Turkey
http://forward.com/opinion/339676/dont-buy-the-junk-science-that-says-yiddish-originated-in-turkey/
The Yiddish Handbook: 40 Words You Should Know
http://www.dailywritingtips.com/the-yiddish-handbook-40-words-you-should-know/
Old Jews explaining Yiddish words will make your day
http://www.jewishjournal.com/cache/old_jews_explaining_yiddish_words_will_make_your_day.html?/videojew/item/old_jews_explaining_yiddish_words_will_make_your_day
Ben Zimmer: The Hidden History of “Glitch”
https://www.vocabulary.com/articles/wordroutes/the-hidden-history-of-glitch/
Ben Zimmer: A History of Meh, from Leo Rosten to Auden to The Simpsons
http://www.slate.com/blogs/lexicon_valley/2013/09/06/meh_etymology_tracing_the_yiddish_word_from_leo_rosten_to_auden_to_the_simpsons.html
Metalinguistic shmetalinguistic: The phonology of shm-reduplication
http://www.academia.edu/209796/Metalinguistic_shmetalinguistic_The_phonology_of_shm-reduplication
Rules Shmules: 5 Phonetic Pitfalls of Shm- Reduplication
http://mentalfloss.com/article/51600/rules-shmules-5-phonetic-pitfalls-shm-reduplication
Oy Vey: Yiddish Has a Problem
http://www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2014/09/yiddish-has-a-problem/379658/
[Ads-l] HuffPost interview query: “Dumpster fire” (Reply from Barry Popik)
http://listserv.linguistlist.org/pipermail/ads-l/2016-May/142337.html
New words added to OxfordDictionaries.com: dumpster fire
http://blog.oxforddictionaries.com/2016/05/dumpster-fire/
Google Trends: dumpster fire
https://www.google.com/trends/explore#q=dumpster%20fire
Our National Dumpster Fire
http://www.weeklystandard.com/our-national-dumpster-fire/article/2002272
Who What Why: Sheldon Adelson’s Newspaper Is a Dumpster Fire
http://whowhatwhy.org/2016/05/07/sheldon-adelsons-newspaper-dumpster-fire/
Image credit: http://cdn1.tabletmag.com/wp-content/files_mf/1258494161language_111709_380pxD.gif
Transcript
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