Not your typical copyright-free multilingual dictionary

Archive.org is one of my favourite places to perform a random search to see what turns up, and I've frequently posted on some of their good multilingual dictionaries and phrase books, usually in the major languages of the time: English, French, all the way to Russian and sometimes Dutch or Swedish or what have you. Today's find is a multilingual dictionary containing much rarer languages.

Any guesses? There are seven of them in total. Hint: they're all European.




Ready?



The languages are:


German,
Polish,
Russian,
Belarusian,
Lithuanian,
Latvian,
Yiddish.

No English. Here's the dictionary.

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Edgar Allan Poe's The Raver (Di Rob) in Yiddish now on YouTube

LibriVox has a ton of recordings of The Raven in other languages, and after listening to a few I found the Yiddish one to be particularly good so I uploaded it to YouTube with the transliteration to give it some more exposure. For German speakers just listening to it is much more effective than trying to get through the transliteration. Enjoy.

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Gospel of Luke excerpt in Gothic, Old German, Middle Low German, Yiddish, others

The book called Geschichte der deutschen Sprache I was lucky to find for just $4 at a second-hand bookstore is copyrighted and thus I can't type it out here, but one section at the end comparing various translations of a part of the Gospel of Luke can, and so I've typed it out here. It shows twelve different translations of the same passage (Joseph and Mary go to Bethlehem and she gets pregnant), mostly in High German at different stages in its history, but also Gothic, Low German, and Yiddish. Yiddish is especially interesting as the subject matter has resulted in a lot of Hebrew words even in such a short passage.

Note the small font for e two times in Yiddish as well - that's on purpose as the book has a small and slightly raised e which looks like it's probably a schwa. I was considering replacing it with a single apostrophe.

Gothic (Bible Translation by Bishop Wulfia, 350)

Urrann þan jah Iosef us Galeilaia, us baurg Nazaraiþ, in Iudaian, in baurg Daweidis sei haitada Beþlahaim, duþe ei was us garda fadreinais Daweidis, anameljan miþ Mariin sei in fragiftim was imma qeins, wisandein inkilþon. warþ þan, miþþanei þo wesun jainar, usfullnodedun dagos du bairan izai.

Old High German, 830

Fuor thō Ioseph fon Galileu fon thero burgi thiu hiez Nazareth in Iudeno lant inti in Dauides burg, thiu uuas ginemnit Bethleem, bithiu uuanta her uuas fon huse inti fon hiuuske Dauides, thaz her giiahi saman mit Mariun imo gimahaltero gimahhun sō scaffaneru. Thō sie thar uuarun, vvurðun taga gifulte, thaz siu bari.

Late Middle High German, 1343

Abir Jōsēph gīnc ouch ūf von Galilēa von der stat Nazarēth in Judēam in di stat Dāvīdis, di geheizen ist Bēthlehēm, darumme daz her was von dem hūse und von dem gesinde Dāvīdis, ūf daz her vorjehe mit Marīen ime vortrůwit zů einer hůsvrowin swangir. Und geschēn ist, dō si dā wāren, dō sint irfullit ire tage, daz si gebēre.

Early New High German (Martin Luther, 1522)

Da macht sich auff, auch Jospeh von Gallilea, aus der stadt Nazareth, ynn das Judisch land, zur stad Dauid, die da heyst Bethlehem, darumb, das er von dem hauße vnd geschlecht Dauid war, auff das er sich schetzen ließe mit Maria seynem vertraweten weybe, die gieng schwanger. Vnnd es begab sich, ynn dem sie daselbst waren, kam die zeyt das sie geperen sollte.

New High German, 18th century (1739)

Da machte sich aber auch Joseph auf, von Galiläa, aus der stadt Nazareth, in Judäa, in die stadt Davids, die Bethlehem heisset, weil er aus dem hause und familie Davids war, auf daß er sich aufschreiben liesse mit seiner braut Maria, die empfangen hatte. Und als sie daselbst waren, kam die zeit, daß sie gebähren solte.

New High German, early 20th century (1926)

So zog denn auch Joseph aus Galiläa aus der Stadt Nazareth nach Judäa hinauf nach der Stadt Davids mit Namen Bethlehem, weil er aus Davids Haus und Geschlecht stammte, um sich daselbst mit Maria, seinem jungen Weibe, die guter Hoffnung war, eintragen zu lassen. Während ihres dortigen Aufenthalts kam für Marie die Zeit ihrer Niederkunft.

New High German, mid-20th century (1963)

Da wanderte auch Joseph von Galiläa, aus der Stadt Nazareth, nach Judäa in die Stadt der Familie Davids, nach Bethlehem. Denn er gehörte zur Familie und zum Stamme Davids. Und er ließ sich in die Listen des Kaisers mit Maria zusammen, seiner Verlobten, eintragen. Maria aber war schwanger. Als sie in Bethlehem waren, kam die Zeit für sie, zu gebären.

Middle Low German / niederdeutsch, 1478

vnde ock ioseph de gynck vp van galilea van der stad nazareth in iudeam in de stad dauids de dar is geheten bethlehem darumme dat he was van dem huse vnde van dem ingesinde dauuids. dat he sick apenbarde ok mit maria siner getruweder swangeren husfrowen. vnde dat geschach do se dar weren. de dage worden voruult dat se geberen scholde.

New Lew German / niederdeutsch, 1960

Un ok Joseph reist' ut Galiläaland, ut dei Stadt Nazareth, nah Land Judäa nah David sin Stadt, nah Bethlehem. Denn hei stammt' jo her ut David sin Hus un Geslecht. Hei müßt sik ok ni upschriwen laten. Un sin Fru Maria nehm hei mit. Dei drög 'n Kind unner'n Harten, un as sei nu dor wiren, dunn wiren ok ehr Dag' dor.

Dutch, 1968

Ook Jozef trok op van Galilea, uit de stad Nazaret, naar Judea, naar de stad van David, die Betlehem heet, omdat hij uit het huis en het geslacht van David was, om zich te laten inschrijven met Maria, zijn ondertrouwde vrouw, welke zwanger was. En het geschiedde, toen zij daar waren, dat de dagen velvult werden, dat zij baren zou.

Afrikaans, 1967

En Josef het ook opgegaan van Galilea, uit die stad Nasaret, na Judea, na die stad van David, wat Betlehem genoem word, omdat hy uit die huis en geslag van Dawid was, on hom te laat inskrywe saam met Maria, die vrou aan wie hy hom verloof het, wat swanger was. En terwyl hulle daar was, is die dae vervul dat sy moes baar.

Yiddish

un jossef is oich aroifgegangen fun golil, oiss der schtot nazareth, këin jehudeh, in der schtot fun dowid, welche hëisst bëith lechem, wail er is gewen fun dem hois un mischpoche fun dowid (hamelech); as er sol sich losn registrirn zusamen mit mirjem, woss is gewen farknasst zu im, un is gewen mëubereth. un ess is gescheen, beschath sëi senen dort gewen, doss di teg fun ir kimpet senen derfilt geworn.

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Google Translate now available in 51 languages

Great news, especially since many of the languages included there are languages that are written about quite a bit here. One of the new languages is Icelandic. I wrote a post back in July that Icelanders should pester Google to add it but it looked like they were already working on the language, so good for them.

Another big one: Afrikaans.

Two Celtic languages have also been added: Welsh and Irish, so this is definitely big news for them considering how they have just started to thrive again over the past decade or so.

And the big surprise: Yiddish.

Wow.


In honour of that, here's the previous post automatically translated into Yiddish.

גרויס נייַעס, ספּעציעל זינט פילע פון די שפראַכן אַרייַנגערעכנט עס זענען שפראַכן וואָס זענען געשריבן וועגן גאַנץ אַ ביסל דאָ. איינער פון די נייַע שפראַכן איז איסלענדיש. איך האָב געשריבן אַן אַרטיקל צוריק אין יולי אַז יסעלאַנדערס זאָל דערגיין די יאָרן גוגל צו לייגן עס אָבער עס לוקט ווי זיי זענען שוין ארבעטן אויף דער שפּראַך, אַזוי גוט פֿאַר זיי.

נאָך גרויס איין: אַפֿריקאַנס.

צוויי סעלטיק שפראַכן האָבן אויך שוין צוגעלייגט: וועלש און איריש, אַזוי דאָס איז דעפאַנאַטלי גרויס נייַעס פֿאַר זיי קאַנסידערינג ווי זיי האָבן פּונקט סטאַרטעד צו טרייוו נאכאמאל איבער די פאַרגאַנגענהייט יאָרצענדלינג אָדער אַזוי.

, און די גרויס יבערראַשן: ייִדיש.

וואַו.


So what does that say? Let's feed it into here.

Gruiß nieַeß, ßpeziel sint pile pun di schprachn arieַngerechnt eß senen schprachn woß senen geschribn wegn ganz a bißl do. Iener pun di nieַe schprachn is ißlendisch. Ich hob geschribn an artikl zurik in iuli as ißelanderß sol dergien di iorn gugl zu liegn eß ober eß lukt wi sie senen schuin rbetn uif der schprach, asui gut far sie.

Noch gruiß ien: afrikanß.

Zwie ßeltik schprachn hobn uich schuin zugeliegt: welsch un irisch, asui doß is depanatli gruiß nieַeß far sie kanßidering wi sie hobn punkt ßtarted zu triew nchml iber di pargangenhiet iorzendling oder asui.

Un di gruiß iberraschn: iedisch.

Wau.

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Revival of Yiddish in Lithuania gets some media attention from Deutsche Welle

Here's an article in Deutsche Welle from about two days ago on Yiddish education in Lithuania. It's an okay introduction to the background of why some hope for a revival of the language, but it's severely lacking in numbers:

On the edge of what was once the Jewish Ghetto in Vilnius, Yiddish -- a language that had been all but left for dead -- is being revived.

Dov-Ber Kerler is part of the revival. In a rabbinic sing-song, he recites stories from a lost world. Fourteen students from six different countries hang on his every word. Many take notes, most of them writing in Hebrew letters.

They are students in the advanced class at the Yiddish Institute at the University of Vilnius.

How many students? When did the advanced class start? Is enrollment increasing?

The rest of it deals only with individual student interviews and what Vilnius used to be like before WWII, so in the end you don't really come out knowing any more on the status of the language than you did before you read the article. The German version of the article is the same.

Luckily, the New York Times published an article in 2007 on the revival of the language with much more detail than this one. It focuses more on the language's status in New York of course. It ends with the following sample:

Mr. Wex was asked in Yiddish whether he was Lithuanian or Galician, a reference to a historic rivalry between Jews from different regions of czarist Russia and the Austro-Hungarian Empire (areas that are part of modern-day Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Ukraine). Mr. Wex replied, without skipping a beat, “Yakh bin a poylisher, nisht ken litvak un nisht, got zol ophitn, ken galitsyaner.” (“I am a Polish Jew, not a Lithuanian or, God forbid, a Galician.”)

So perhaps I'll end this with a question: anybody have any hard numbers on the status of Yiddish now compared to let's say a few decades ago?

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