|
Illustration: Tel-Aviv Beach
Yiddish speaking Jews, just like everyone else, enjoy a trip to the beach during the warm zumere khadoshem (summer months). For centuries, Yiddish speaking Jews, by law confined to live in specific areas, rarely were allowed near beaches. As a result of this, the word for beach often varies by the speaker's origin. The most common word for beach in Yiddish is plazhe, which is taken from French by way of Polish (compare to the French "plage"). The term breg-yam, literally meaning "sea coast," with yam (sea) originally stemming from Hebrew, is also commonly used in Yiddish to refer to a beach. The English word beach, albeit pronounced with a distinct Yiddish accent, is also heard in American Yiddish, especially among Hasidim from the New York area. Here are some other good beach terms to know in Yiddish:
ball (for play)
zamd
sand-castle
umbrella
ocean
knish
blanket
dolphin
seal
to swim
kite
men's bathing suit
balem or pilke
sand
zamd-shlos
shirem
okean
knish
koldre
delfin
yam-hunt (literally sea-dog)
shvimmen
flishlang
shvimkes
|
ShareThis
Send us your