Yinglish

Yinglish is a humorous means of describing the distinctive way certain ultra-Orthodox Jews in America speak English among themselves. Their spoken (but not written) language contains varying amounts of Hebrew language and Yiddish and uses English words as literal translations of their Yiddish original and not necessarily in the sense that other English speakers would. Famous features of Yinglish include expressions such as "eating by ..." instead of "eating at ..." and the frequent use of Hebrew verbs conjugated with the English to be (for example, "to be misyaesh" for "to give up"). In some instances, the language is spoken in a lilting Eastern European accent, reflecting the singsong melody of Talmud-study in a yeshiva, even though the speakers might be second and even third generation Americans.

While no serious research has been conducted on Yinglish, it seems to be one means for an insular community to maintain its sense of identity within itself, while adopting external cultural norms such as language.

See: The Joy of Yiddish by Leo Rosten

See also: Engrish, Yeshivish