So, where did Yiddish come from? Per Wikipedia (and Ms. Epstein), Yiddish literally means "Jewish" in German. Yiddish originated in the Ashkenazi culture, which were the Jews that settled in what is now Germany following the First Crusades (which was way back in the Middle Ages--during the 11th Century). As the Jewish popluation spread to other parts of Europe, Yiddish continued to be used but various dialects emerged with increased Germanic influence in Western Yiddish and a more Slavic influence in Eastern Yiddish (coinciding with Western and Eastern geography in Europe). While speakers of both dialects could understand each other, distinct pronunciation was detectable.
By the time of the Holocaust, there were an estimated ten to eleven million Jews who spoke Yiddish worldwide and it was the most widely spoken Jewish language. Scholars believe that up to half of Yiddish speakers were killed during the Holocaust and survivors were resistant to teaching Yiddish to their children because of the horrific experiences tied to the time. Instead, they sought to assimilate their children (and themselves) into their new language(s) and culture(s) throughout the world. Israel itself banned the use and study of Yiddish until the late 1970's to the 1980's.
At present, it is believed that only one to two million people speak Yiddish fluently. Most Yiddish speakers are connected to Orthodox Jewish Communities such as Hasidic Jews (in New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago), where Yiddish is the first language learned in childhood, used in schools, and in many social settings.
That said, following are some helpful Yiddish phrases.
To say: Don't bother me.
Say: Drai mir nit kain kop. (pronunciation: dray meer nit kayn kop)
To say: Drop dead.
Say: Ver derharget. (pronunciation: gay klop zich kop in vant)
To say: Go bang your head against the wall.
Say: Gai klop zich kop in vant. (pronunciation: gay klop zich kop in vant)
To say: I hope I can come to you on joyous occasions and that you will come to me on crutches.
Say: Id zol hobn a zchut bay got, er zol dir tsunenen fun der erd. (pronunciation: id zol hob-en a zchut bay got, er zol dir tsu-nem-en fun der erd)
To say: May you choke on your next bite of your food.
Say: Dershtikt zolstu vern mit bisn. (pronunciation: der-shtikt zols-tu dir mit dem fat-en bis-en)
To say: May you run to the toilet every three minutes or every three months.
Say: Loyn zolstu in betchakis iede dray minut oder iede dray chadoshim. (pronunciation: loyn zols-tu in bet-chak-is i-ed-e dray minut o-der i-ed-e dray cha-do-shim)
To say: May a boil grow on your belly button.
Say: S'zol dir vaksn a geshver oyfn pupik. (pronunciation: s'zol dir vask-en a gesh-ver oyf-en poo-pik)
Enjoy.
