Unearthing Biblical Ashkenaz, the motherland of Ashkenazic Jewry and Yiddish

The Yiddish language — which consists of Hebrew, German, and Slavic elements and is written in the Aramaic alphabet— has been spoken at least since the 9th century AD, but its origins have been debated by linguists for several centuries. While some have suggested a <a href="http://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-arts-and-culture/books/165247/yiddish-ashkenazi-woodworth" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">German origin</a>, others believe a <a href="http://www.tabletmag.com/jewish-arts-and-culture/books/165247/yiddish-ashkenazi-woodworth" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">more complex beginning for the language</a>, starting in Slavic lands in Khazaria — the Middle Age Khazar Empire that covered present-day southern Russia, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, and parts of the Caucasus — and followed by Ukraine, and finally Germany. Although the language adopted a German vocabulary it retained its Slavic grammar — which is why Yiddish is often referred to as “<a href="http://germslav.byu.edu/perspectives/2001/5-Yiddish.pdf" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">bad German</a>”. The inability of linguists to reach a consensus has led some to decry that <a href="http://www.tabletmag.com/scroll/200977/study-claims-yiddish-originated-in-turkey" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">the mystery of where Yiddish came from will never be solved</a>. <a href="https://medium.com/@eranelhaik_51400/unearthing-biblical-ashkenaz-the-motherland-of-ashkenazic-jewry-and-yiddish-4c3dcf76e93b">Read More</a>