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Liber Vagatorum

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Liber Vagatorum How Yiddish Became the Criminal Language Kristen Gill, Hannah Lee, Rakela Miller Thesis Percep@ons of Yiddish as the Criminal Language During the 16th century, Jews became associated with the criminal language Beggars Vocabulary: Word Origins This pie chart shows the breakdown of work origins listed in the vocabulary sec@on of Mar@n Luther’s because of the misinterpretaon of Yiddish words used in the beggars cant as a 12 book. The sec@on acted as a dic@onary during this @me period so that people who did not speak the part of the Hebrew language. For example in Mar@n Luther’s book, The Book of Hebrew various languages incorporated into the beggars cant could understand the words. These beggars came Vagabonds and Beggars, beggars cant was presumed to come from the Jewish German from all over bringing various words with them. In Mar@n Luther’s preface it says, "Truly, such Beggar's people which can be seen in the vocabulary sec@on of the book where Yiddish 65 French Cant has come from the Jews, for many Hebrew words occur in the Vocabulary, as anyone who words that beggars used are actually cited as being from Hebrew descent. Yiddish understands that language may perceive." These Hebrew words, however, are actually Yiddish, which 134 Lan is a fusion language that uses words derived from Hebrew. The beggars considered 2 shows the misinterpretaon of Yiddish words used by beggars as a part of the Hebrew language. “outsiders” were wanderers from all over and spoke a variety of languages. Thus, 6 None Addi@onally, this chart shows that the vast majority of words cited in this text used by beggars are of they adopted Yiddish words to be used as part of a “secret” language so that the German or an unknown descent. German words were oQen newly created words with a secret meaning. beggars considered “outsiders” could communicate safely without being understood by others. This shows how although not all Jews were beggars, they were discriminated against through this language associaon. These words also This is @tle page from the show how close the contact between Jews and Chris@ans must have been. original copy of Marn Luther’s Liber Vagatorum. Significance Today As you can see, there is a spelling mistake “Lieber Yiddish was widely believed to be the “secret language” not only of Jewish Vagatorum.” It should be merchants but also of Jewish criminals, beggars, paupers, and vagrants, a liber, the Lan word for percep@on further reinforced by the linguis@c affinity between Yiddish and book, while Vagatorum Rotwelsch, the secret language of the German underworld. Jewish criminality was literally means wanderers associated with the serious poverty in early modern Germany, where the Jews (Book of Wanderers). This were among the poorest of the poor. Their dire economic situaon drove growing woodcut shows, some numbers of Jews to commit crimes ranging from pocket picking to burglary, theQ, scholars have pointed out, and disposal of stolen goods. From the beginning of the eighteenth century, a beggar’s family, though it Above is the @tle page of Paul Einert’s increasing interest in Jewish criminals and criminality brought aen@on to Yiddish is unknown whether this is Above is a @tle page of a pirated and Entdeckter Jüdischer Baldober. This publicaon literature on the thieves' language. Crime-related Yiddish literature depicted Jews a actually a family, but reworked edi@on of the Liber included a list of many examples of criminal with acvies such as banditry during the period. Early modern criminological rather a group of different vagatorum called the Rotwelsch vocabulary. Furthermore, this publicaon literature stressed the link between Yiddish and the thieves' jargon that also found types of beggars: a man grammar. The @tle page is en@rely dis@nguished the Jewish-oriented vocabulary clear expression in the Chris@an literature on Yiddish. This connec@on con@nues to with a peg leg, a woman, wriRen in “Rotwelsch” and from the non-Jewish jargon. The publicaon of be seen during the 20th century in Jewish-American organized crime with and a single-handed boy. someone has translated it, which is these words were used for the purpose of organizaons such as the Yiddish Black Hand. Because of this and the shown by the handwriRen text. dis@nguishing Jewish criminals. misinterpretaons of old texts, the mispercep@ons of Yiddish as a criminal language con@nues to effect Jews in the 21st century. Timeline and Distribu@on of the Criminal Language 15th Century: Gypsies, who 13th Century: Rotwelsch “live in great freedom, … 18th Century: glossary of 16th Century: Mar@n served the various groups of plunder, rob, and steal … and words published that Luther’s Liber Vagatorium... 18th Century: Many reports the German underworld as a commit many other 17th Century: Poets using dis@nguished between jargon Book of Vagabonds and including a list of criminal secret code for concealing misdeeds,” appeared in criminal language as literary derived from hebrew and Beggars: With a Vocabulary vocabulary published by their affairs from outsiders, Germany for the first @me. devices Yiddish (Jewish oriented) and of their Language including police officials especially poten@al vic@ms The very first Gypsies, “other” jargon that was non- “Hebrew” words and the police according to Wagenseil, Jewish related originated from German Jews .
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