Language Learning as a Practice of Remembrance: Points of Contact with Yiddish

It is not always easy to answer the question of why one should study a language, the use of which is limited to specific contexts and communities.
And the learning process itself can turn into a quest. The importance of active support, interaction, and theoretical and practical research into a language defined as "endangered" and "post-vernacular" is self-evident, yet it eludes us when we try to justify it more fully.

We invite you to a lecture by researcher Tetiana Nepypenko, where we will explore the meaning of each of these contemporary epithets for Yiddish—endangered language and post-vernacular—as well as the language of a vast number of historical sources, the language of literary and cultural heritage, inscribed in the public sphere and vulnerable within it. We will discuss the development of the language and its deep roots in Ukrainian soil (specifically, using the example of local dialects and speech patterns); we will examine how Yiddish interacted with local languages and how to find traces of these interactions in the present day.

We will also discuss observations from translation practice—how to bring a text to life? What can it reveal about the spaces of memory? How to avoid falling into the trap of purely imagological studies? And how to encourage the reader to engage in further dialogue?
Petro Dolhanov will mogerate the event.

"Weaving the Heritage" series is a public program of the "REHERIT 2.0: Common Responsibility for Shared Heritage" project. "REHERIT 2.0 is implemented by the Center for Urban History and the Regional Development Center of the PPV Economic Development Agency with the financial support of the European Union.

This publication was created with the financial assistance of the European Union. Its content is the sole responsibility of the partners of the REHERIT 2.0 project and does not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union.

Credits

Cover image: Marcus Shpet. Various Typefaces [Yiddish], 1858, A Town Near Lviv / “Jewish Marriage Contracts: A Collection of Ketubot from the Lviv National Art Gallery,” exhibition catalog for “Jewish Marriage Contracts” by the Center for Urban History and the Lviv National Art Gallery