How can I teach myself better yiddish?

we might send my children to yiddish speaking schools, however my yiddish is atrocious. I understand but can barely speak. I'd really like to be able to speak well though. Are there any course books or programs that can help me better my yiddish? help please any suggestion?

Posted: Tue, Jun 23 2009, 6:53 am Post subject:

Eichlers sells a set of tapes, but if your car doesnt have a tape player those are pretty pointless!
if your DH speaks yiddish better than you, ask him to speak more yiddish around the house. That is how I improve my speaking skills-I feel forced to respond!
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- Selected Writings, R' Shimon Schwab

I learned Yiddish by babysitting children who didn't speak English. don't know if you live in a community like that but it really worked. It was frustrating at times but now I see the great results. Hatzlocha. (the dh talking to you only in Yiddish didn't work for us, we always switched back to English...but if you can keep t up then that might work as well!)
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I buy Yiddish books for my kids and work on them until I have every word figured out. Laughing

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My Yiddish is atrocious, IDK how, having gone to a chassidish yiddish speaking school and all. I'm not a big fan of the language, but I wanted my kids to know it (dh is from a VERY chassidish family). So we started off speaking to them in yiddish from day 1 (I can handle baby talk LOL) and it slowly got a bit better. Now that my ds is 3 and in a yiddish speaking cheder, I am slowly switching over to english cuz I am getting fed up.

Posted: Tue, Dec 08 2009, 9:02 pm Post subject:

The best way to learn is to hear others speak and try to answer back. I learnt a few languages from working in a billingual school. You don't learn very well from listening to teaching tapes or dictionaries. Do you have neighbors that speak yiddish?
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Posted: Tue, Dec 08 2009, 9:08 pm Post subject:

there used to be a radio program back in the 70's
"lamar reddin yiddish" funny I never really listened but knew it was on ...

so ... the kids will learn it proper and teach it to you ... totally next best thing to your parents teaching you ...
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Posted: Tue, Dec 08 2009, 9:52 pm Post subject:

If you don't speak well,your kids might not pick it up. I have heard this time and time again, from parents who only spoke Yiddish in front of their kids (but who really didn't speak Yiddish well) and their kids either didn't speak or didn't understand !!

Speak the language that you know the best. Give your kids a good start in that way. They will learn other languages in school and from friends.
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Married 23 plus years but still in Shana Rishona.

Posted: Tue, Dec 08 2009, 10:27 pm Post subject:

Also, kids pick up very fast languages that are in their surroundings. If your dc is around yiddish speaking peers then he is bound to learn the language.

Posted: Tue, Dec 08 2009, 10:30 pm Post subject:

my cousin sent her kids to a yiddish speaking school and they spoke like they came off the boat