Yiddish Language Learning Software

There are thousands of human languages, many of which can be learnt by computer. In fact one company, The Transparent Language, offers computer-learning software for over one hundred languages ranging from Afrikaans (a language spoken by whites in South Africa) to Zulu (a language spoken by blacks in South Africa). They offer languages whose names start with 25 letters of the alphabet, O is the only exception. This article examines software associated with the Yiddish language but many issues and features can be carried over to numerous other languages.

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Yiddish was once spoken by approximately 11 million people mostly in Europe, Israel, North America, and South America. Present estimates are about 3 million speakers, many of whom are quite elderly. Yiddish developed from German dialects. Since the 13th century, written Yiddish has used a variation of the Hebrew alphabet containing 22 letters. Yiddish is written from right to left. Yiddish nouns are masculine, feminine, or neuter. Yiddish pronouns, articles, and adjectives change form for different cases. Yiddish verbs are conjugated to show person and tense. Furthermore pronunciation can vary sharply from one dialect to another. All these factors make it relatively difficult to learn this language.

Yiddish vocabulary has come from many sources, including German, Hebrew, various Slavic languages and, recently, English. Many Yiddish words have entered the English vocabulary. As with many other languages, vocabulary exchange is a two-way street.

One major aspect of learning a language is pronunciation. Computer software can be a great help in mastering this difficult task. Many software programs correct your pronunciation. Unlike human teachers, the program will never tire of hearing your mistakes. You can access these programs at your convenience and not spend any time in traveling to the teacher’s home. Remember, skilled Yiddish speakers and consequently teachers tend to be elderly. Do you feel like reviewing your lessons a half hour before bedtime? This is no problem for the computer but isn’t an option for your teacher who lives across town or even next door.

Yiddish language learning software.

Many software packages come with a variety of games, quizzes, and other learning materials. Sophisticated programs track your progress, analyze your errors, and make individualized suggestions. Additional features include audio tapes for practicing on the way to work, phrase books, and dictionaries.

Electronic translation is also available but at this point I personally question the quality of translating any language by computer. Learning Yiddish, or for that matter, any other language is hard. But the computer can improve the learning process.