mame-loshn

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Pronunciations

mame-loshn (MA-meh LO-shen) listen
mame-loshn (MA-muh LOSH-in) listen

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Definitions

  • n. Mother tongue.

  • n. Yiddish.

Example Sentences

  • "Please call us to discuss the many naming opportunities available at Yiddishkayt. Name one of our education and outreach programs, or one of our upcoming events, as a powerful tribute to mameloshn." (source: the Yiddishkeit LA website donor page)

  • "As a bilingual child, whose mameloshn (mother tongue) was Yiddish, and whose beloved bobe (grandmother) spoke very little English, I flipped between one language and the other without pausing for breath, translating for others as the need arose." (source)

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Languages of Origin

  • Textual Hebrew
  • Yiddish

Etymology

  • מאַמע־לשון mame-loshn. "Loshn" is the Yiddish version of the Hebrew word "lashon," which means both "tongue" and "language."

      • Who Uses This

      • Older: Jews who are middle-aged and older
      • Ashkenazim: Jews with Ashkenazi heritage

      Regions

      • North America
      • Great Britain
      • South Africa
      • Australia / New Zealand

      Dictionaries

      • The New Joys of Yiddish, by Leo Rosten and Lawrence Bush (New York, 2003[1968]).
      • Yiddish and English: A Century of Yiddish in America, by Sol Steinmetz (Tuscaloosa, 1986).
      • The JPS Dictionary of Jewish Words, by Joyce Eisenberg and Ellen Scolnic, (Philadelphia, 2001).
      • Dictionary of Jewish Usage: A Popular Guide to the Use of Jewish Terms, by Sol Steinmetz (Lanham, MD, 2005).
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      Alternative Spellings

      mameloshn, mame-loshen, mameloshen, mama loshon, mamma loshen

Notes

  • The name "mame-loshn," or "mother-tongue," reflects the emotional connection that many speakers feel towards this language.

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