About Spoken Languages
Every language is a source of unique knowledge and cultural expression. Smaller languages provide us with new perspectives on the world. They give words to cultural phenomena, show us how people communicate and how a community forms its identity.
In the lecture series ‘About Spoken Languages’ five academics shine their light on a smaller or less known (and sometimes not standardised) language.

From the Rhineland to Mokum: The Journey of Yiddish, from Its Origins to the Printing Press in Early Modern Amsterdam
What do the Bible in Yiddish, old Amsterdam printing houses, and the word mesjogge have in common? How did Yiddish — the language of home and street — come into being, and how did early modern Amsterdam grow into the center of the Yiddish printing press?
In this lecture, we take you from the first Yiddish texts in the Rhineland to the heyday of Amsterdam’s book printing industry. Through stories, prayers, proverbs, and early printed works, a vibrant culture comes to life — from living room to synagogue, from market to printing house. And even today, we still hear echoes of that past: words like mazzel, tof, goochem, and jatten reveal just how deeply Yiddish has penetrated the Dutch language.

Dr. Daniella Zaidman-Mauer
Dr. Daniella Zaidman-Mauer received her PhD from the University of Amsterdam with her dissertation Plague and Piety: Yiddish Medical Literature in Early Modern Europe. She teaches Yiddish language skills as well as early modern and modern Yiddish literature at the University of Amsterdam. Through her research and teaching, she brings the rich world of Yiddish to life — from early modern remedies and printing presses to modern stories and culture.

Language of instruction: Dutch

This lecture is part of the series About Spoken Languages.
Other lectures in this series:

9 January: Cappadocian, Pontic, Pharasiot by Prof. Dr. Mark Janse
27 March: Catalan by Dr. Eva J. Daussá
10 April: Palestinian Arabic by Dr. Nina van Kampen
22 May: Frisian by Dr. Alexia Kerkhof

€18 per lecture | entire series €80
Student rate*: €6 per lecture | entire series €25

Entry is not possible after the lecture has started.

*The student rate applies to students enrolled at a university or university of applied sciences. Select ‘Invoice’ as the payment method and indicate in the ‘Additional remarks’ field that you are a student.