Date: Thu, 30 Oct 1997 07:03:29 -0500

From: RABINRL[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]BUFFALOSTATE.EDU

Subject: Re: ADS-L Digest - 28 Oct 1997 to 29 Oct 1997



Subject: The word Yid

From: "Ron Rabin" rabinrl[AT SYMBOL GOES HERE]buffalostate.edu

From my experience, the word Yid remains totally uncontaminated for

Jews by its use elsewhere as a epithet. The word Yid in Yiddish means

Jew, and in general discussion means "man" (generic) or "one," e.g.,

a man's lot in life, one does not cross the road so quickly. The word

has always meant Jew, just as Yiddish means Jewish (and is also the

name of the language).

Leo Roston's _The Joy of Yiddish_ is no great linguistic source. There

are so many pronunciation variations among Yiddish speakers that it just

cannot be said that a particular difference (Yid rhymes with "deed" or

"did" having different connotations) is generally meaningful.