The Origins of Yiddish Language Began on the Silk Road

Invented by Ashkenazi Jews, Yiddish includes Hebrew, Turkish, Slavic, and Farsi influences. Most scholars and linguists agree that Yiddish descends from an old Germanic language, elements of which are still present in Yiddish today. Recent research coming from the University of Sheffield and the University of Tel Aviv have found that the origins of the dialect may have begun on the Silk Road. Using DNA evidence, the researchers have discovered the ancestral home of the Ashkenazi.

Using Geographic Population Structure, also known as GPS, scientists traced the origins of the Ashkenazi to four towns in northeastern Turkey. The Ashkenazi populated Iskenaz, Ashkuz, Eskenaz, and Ashanaz, as early as 1,500 years ago. Researchers believe the names of the towns themselves play an important role in identifying the origin of the Ashkenazi, as they may be ancient translations of the word “Ashkenaz.”

Geographically, the towns were nearby a major intersection of the Silk Road, indicating that traders from the area invented a predecessor of Yiddish to speak among themselves to control the trade. Researchers also assume that it began as a language of commerce on the Silk Road because there are over two hundred and fifty words used to indicate buying and selling, or in the exchange of commerce. Using the new information, historians have theorized that the Ashkenazi continued to use the language as they spread out from northeastern Turkey and settled various places around the Eurasian continent, picking up certain aspects of the languages in the places they settled, creating the form of Yiddish spoken today.