Glossary
Hebrew, Aramaic, and Yiddish words
Most loanwords used in the book are included in the Jewish English Lexicon. On that site you can search for words, learn about their origins, and add new entries.
Linguistic terms used in the book
Loanword: Word originally from one language used in another language.
Matched guise test: Experiment that tests perceptions of language using 2 or more samples of recorded speech from the same speaker.
Metalinguistic: Talk about language.
Periphrastic verb: Verb phrase that uses a main verb (can be a loanword from another language) and a helping verb, especially “to be.”
Phonology: The sounds of speech and how they affect each other.
Phrasal verb: Verb phrase that uses a verb and a particle (e.g., “lay off,” “learn out”).
Prosody / prosodic cues: Speech rate, pauses, volume, pitch, intonation contours, etc.
Semantic / semantics: Meaning of language.
Syntax / syntactic: How words are arranged in sentences.
Variation / linguistic variation / sociolinguistic variation: How individual speakers exhibit linguistic differences from each other and in different situations.
You can find more in-depth definitions here and in some of the resources in the book's bibliography.
Most loanwords used in the book are included in the Jewish English Lexicon. On that site you can search for words, learn about their origins, and add new entries.
Linguistic terms used in the book
Loanword: Word originally from one language used in another language.
Matched guise test: Experiment that tests perceptions of language using 2 or more samples of recorded speech from the same speaker.
Metalinguistic: Talk about language.
Periphrastic verb: Verb phrase that uses a main verb (can be a loanword from another language) and a helping verb, especially “to be.”
Phonology: The sounds of speech and how they affect each other.
Phrasal verb: Verb phrase that uses a verb and a particle (e.g., “lay off,” “learn out”).
Prosody / prosodic cues: Speech rate, pauses, volume, pitch, intonation contours, etc.
Semantic / semantics: Meaning of language.
Syntax / syntactic: How words are arranged in sentences.
Variation / linguistic variation / sociolinguistic variation: How individual speakers exhibit linguistic differences from each other and in different situations.
You can find more in-depth definitions here and in some of the resources in the book's bibliography.