Overview of Yiddish speech therapy
Contents:
Prevalence of ESL | Speech therapy in the native
language | Speech therapy in Yiddish | Materials
As of 2008 there were
over five million ESL children
in the United States’ school
system and their
numbers have risen by 57 percent
over the past ten years. While the total enrollment in K-12 has risen by a mere 20
percent between 1989
and 2005, the percent of ESL enrollment
in K-12 has risen by a whopping 140
percent!(1) (see figure 1) In a
survey conducted in 2007, 69% of SLP’s reported having at least one non-English
speaker in their caseload (2).
The
Yiddish speaking population in the United States is currently around 150,000.(3)
Given their strong emphasis on family values
and fertility their numbers are expected to increase exponentially. Nationwide, only 21 percent of non-Orthodox
Jews between the ages of 18 and 29 are married.
But in orthodox
Jews that number
is an astounding
71 percent!(4) Although the
author is not
aware of any
reliable data on
the Yiddish speaking
segment, he is confident
that it is above 90 percent. Orthodox
couples typically have at least four children per couple, and having more than
ten children is not at all uncommon. In
the New York City area, for example, the Orthodox make up 32% of Jews over all.
But they make up 61% of Jewish children.
Because the Orthodox
are so fertile,
they will soon
be the dominant group in
New York Jewry.(4) Given that Yiddish
parents are passionate about providing good education for their children, it is
to reckon that the demand for speech therapy in Yiddish will surge.(5)
Speech therapy in the native language
SLP’s still
possess many tools
they can use
even when there
is a mismatch
in the client’s/clinician’s languages.(6) In a
survey conducted in
2007, 130 SLP’s reported having administered
assessments of ESL children, yet only one of them reported being
able to speak a language other than English.(2) Clearly these clinicians found some way to work around
their language differences. When faced
with a choice between getting no
speech therapy and
getting speech therapy
in English, the
scale tips in
favor of the
latter.(6) Still, giving an ESL child intervention in his dominant
language, when possible, is significantly more effective,(6)(7) and
is required by ASHA’s code of ethics.(7)(1) Clinicians may attempt to
minimize the effect of their language mismatch by making good use of
non-verbal communication, this
is not completely
effective. A recent study showed enhanced
understanding of the language and culture is necessary to provide valid
intervention for children from diverse cultural backgrounds even when the
clinician uses non-verbal communication methods (picture books etc.)(8) Intervention in the
child’s dominant language makes the child feel more relaxed in the therapy
session which better simulates his typical communications which results in
improved generalization.(9)
Some clinicians
claim intervening in
English is actually
advantageous to the
child’s development since it
accomplishes two goals,
teaching them language/articulation skills
and teaching them English.
This argument is faulty at its source. Preliminary evidence show that a
child will grasp his second language faster and better when he has a strong first
language base.(9)
Although
every language is associated with a culture, Yiddish is much more than that; it’s
the life blood of its speakers.(10) Yiddish is lovingly
referred to by its speakers as “Mameh Lushon” (Lit. mother speech); it has
found a way into its speaker’s hearts and “became as precious and as nourishing
as mother’s milk.”(11) It took almost
2,500 years, from the Exodus until
around 1000 C.E., to form the ideas upon which Yiddish is
based into the
forms that give
birth to the
language. The common
definition of ‘language’ as “the words,
their pronunciation, and
the methods of
combining them used
and understood by a community”(12)
does not do justice to this revered vernacular.(11) A person may remember
the entire Yiddish dictionary by heart and still not understand a word of
Yiddish.(13)
Another important
point about Yiddish
is that its
raison d'être, is
the need or
desire by its speakers to speak
Yiddish, as distinct from Goyish,
Jewish instead of gentile. Rowdy kids
used to be told, “Fir zikh vi a yid, act like a Jew!” If the same kids answered
in English, they’d be asked, “Vos
reydstu goyish, why
are you speaking
Goyish?” The opposition could not
be plainer. Yiddish arose, at least in part, to give voice to a system of
opposition and exclusion.(13) The ‘enlightened Jews’ in the nineteenth century who opposed the use of Yiddish
because they saw it as a stumbling block
to Jewish ‘normalization’ were
absolutely right; Yiddish embodies the successful circumcision of every
German cultural assumption.(13)
These points
are important to
consider when providing
therapy to a
Yiddish speaking ESL. When you speak to him in English, you
are using that un-homey, icy language that is only used by ‘outsiders’ or when
you need to speak to ‘outsiders’.
Generalization is almost impossible given distance between the icy
therapy session and the cozy Yiddish speaking environment.
Following
are the guidelines I followed to create these materials:
- The materials mainly targets the
American Hasidic community, and is slightly geared towards boys.
- The materials sometimes uses
words that may not be used in the child’s immediate social circles. For
example a ‘room’ can be called "רום"
"צומער" or "שטוב". Using a
different word than the child knows already will serve to broaden his
vocabulary.
- I did not concern myself with
the ‘correct’ spelling of words. For example for butterfly I did not use
the ‘correct’ Yiddish word which is "פלאטערל" because most
children do not know what that means. I also did not spell the word
"באטערפליי"
because that is not
the way we pronounce it; rather I wrote "בארעפליי"
References
1) Cheng, L.-R. L., & Langdon, H. W.
(2009). Cultural due diligence: Infusing multicultural/multilingual (MMI)
information in CD &S training programs. Retrieved June 2, 2013, from http://www.capcsd.org/proceedings/2009/talks/Infusing%20Cultural%20and%20Linguist6ic%20Diversity%20within%20CSD%20Curriculum%20-%20L%20Cheng%20and%20H%20Langdon.pdf
2) Caesar, L. G., & Kohler, P. D. (2007, July). The state
of school-based bilingual assessment: Actual practice versus recommended
guidelines. Language, Speech & Hearing Services in Schools, 38(3).
Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.lbproxy8.touro.edu/docview/232583251?accountid=14375
3) Ethnologue.
(2013). Yiddish, Eastern. Retrieved June 4, 2013, from
http://www.ethnologue.com/language/ydd
4) Brooks,
D. (2013, March 7). The Orthodox surge. Retrieved June 4, 2013, from http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/08/opinion/brooks-the-orthodoxsurge.html?_r=1&&pagewanted=print
5) Berkowitz,
C. (2013). Understanding Yiddish culture. Retrieved June 4, 2013, from
http://www.yiddishslp.com/yiddish-culture.html
6) Kohnert,
K. (2008). Language disorders in bilingual children and adults. San Diego, CA:
Plural.
7) ASHA.
(2005). Cultural competence [Issues in ethics]. Retrieved June 2, 2013, from http://www.asha.org/policy/ET2005-00174.htm
11) Blech,
B. (2000). The complete idiot's guide to learning Yiddish. New York, NY: Alpha.
12) Merriam
Webster. (2013). Language. Retrieved June 5, 2013, from http://www.merriamwebster.com/dictionary/language
14)
Ballantyne, K. G., Sanderman, A. R., &
Levy, J. (2008). Educating English Language Learners: Building teacher capacity
roundtable report. Retrieved June 4, 2013, from National Clearinghouse for
English Language Acquisition website: http://www.ncela.gwu.edu/files/uploads/3/EducatingellsBuildingTeacherCapacityVol1.pdf
15)
Rosten, L. (1970). The joys of Yiddish: A
relaxed lexicon of Yiddish, Hebrew and Yinglish words often encountered in
English ... New York, NY: Pocket Books.
16)
Spinelli, C. G. (2008). Addressing the
issue of cultural and linguistic diversity and assessment: Informal evaluation
measures for English Language Learners. Reading & Writing Quarterly, 24,
101-1171.
Sources
14-16 are not directly cited in the text but were used to formulate the ideas.
