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Qazaqstan–Israel People, history, culture and practical cooperation between Kazakhstan and Israel

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Yiddish: a Germanic branch that absorbed a great many borrowed words

How Yiddish relates to the Germanic languages, where its 15-20 per cent Hebrew and Aramaic borrowing comes from, and what the figure of 11 million speakers refers to.

This is a translation. The original is Русский. Who prepared it and what was actually checked is stated below. Language review: not performed by a native speaker.

What it is

Yiddish belongs to the Germanic branch and took shape roughly between the 10th and 14th centuries. 1

How many people spoke it

By 1939 the number of Yiddish speakers was estimated at about 11 million people. 1

What its vocabulary is made of

15-20 per cent of Yiddish vocabulary is borrowed from Hebrew and Aramaic; there are Slavic borrowings as well. 1

About the numbers. The estimate of 11 million refers to 1939 and to the number of speakers, not to the number of people who consider Yiddish their mother tongue today. 1

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  • Идиш

    Википедия, русский раздел · ru · Type: reference article · primary · 25 August 2026 · Accessed: 15 September 2026

    Locator: pageid=16739;revid=154893447

    Conditions: CC BY-SA 4.0; версия страницы зафиксирована по oldid

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Item provenance

Version
1
Original
Русский
Language version
Translated from: Русский
Translation
Qazaqstan-Israel editorial desk (machine-assisted draft, no language reviewer)
Language review
not performed by a native speaker
Rights
Rights cleared
Version fingerprint
sha256:7ac8da9b2

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