Knaanic language
Encyclopedia
Knaanic is an extinct West Slavic Jewish language, formerly spoken in the lands of the Western Slavs, notably the Czech lands
, but also the lands of modern Poland
, Lusatia
and other Sorbian regions
. It became extinct in the Late Middle Ages
.
The name comes from the land of Knaan, a geo-ethnological term denoting the Jewish populations living east of the Elbe
river (as opposed to the Ashkenazi Jews
living to the West of it, or the Sephardi Jews
of Iberian Peninsula). As such, the land is often simply translated as Slavonia, or Slavic Europe
.
The term might in turn be related to ancient Canaan
(Hebrew
כנען "kəna'an"). The use of a name derived from Canaan for a Slavic language
spoken by a Jewish peoples living in a Slavic region is an indication to the Canaanite
origin of Hebrew language
(and people) as perceived by the speakers themselves and/or surrounding Slavic people, probably as relayed to them by Bibilical narrative .
The language became extinct some time in the Middle Ages
, possibly due to expansion of the Ashkenazi culture and their own Yiddish language
based on German
. This hypothesis is often backed up with a large number of Yiddish loanwords of Slavic origin, many of which were no longer in use in Slavic languages themselves at the time of the Ashkenazi expansion. These are believed to be loaned from Knaanic rather than from the Czech
, Sorbian
, Polish
languages. Another hypothesis voiced by Paul Wexler argues, that Knaanic is indeed the direct predecessor of Yiddish and that the language became later Germanized. Alternatively, the Knaanim, that is the people speaking the Judaeo-Slavic languages were to be the main factor in changes within the Yiddish language. Such views are in contrast with Max Weinreich
's theories, who argued that the Slavic loanwords were assimilated only after the Yiddish was already fully formed.
A possible early example of Knaanic is a 9th century letter for a Jewish community of Ruthenia
. One of the very few commonly-accepted examples of Knaanic are inscriptions on coins minted for Mieszko the Old and Leszek the White, two Polish
rulers of 12th and 13th century. The latest evidence of usage of the language (written with Hebrew script) come from 16th century.
Czech lands
Czech lands is an auxiliary term used mainly to describe the combination of Bohemia, Moravia and Czech Silesia. Today, those three historic provinces compose the Czech Republic. The Czech lands had been settled by the Celts , then later by various Germanic tribes until the beginning of 7th...
, but also the lands of modern Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
, Lusatia
Lusatia
Lusatia is a historical region in Central Europe. It stretches from the Bóbr and Kwisa rivers in the east to the Elbe valley in the west, today located within the German states of Saxony and Brandenburg as well as in the Lower Silesian and Lubusz voivodeships of western Poland...
and other Sorbian regions
Sorbs
Sorbs are a Western Slavic people of Central Europe living predominantly in Lusatia, a region on the territory of Germany and Poland. In Germany they live in the states of Brandenburg and Saxony. They speak the Sorbian languages - closely related to Polish and Czech - officially recognized and...
. It became extinct in the Late Middle Ages
Late Middle Ages
The Late Middle Ages was the period of European history generally comprising the 14th to the 16th century . The Late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern era ....
.
The name comes from the land of Knaan, a geo-ethnological term denoting the Jewish populations living east of the Elbe
Elbe
The Elbe is one of the major rivers of Central Europe. It rises in the Krkonoše Mountains of the northwestern Czech Republic before traversing much of Bohemia , then Germany and flowing into the North Sea at Cuxhaven, 110 km northwest of Hamburg...
river (as opposed to the Ashkenazi Jews
Ashkenazi Jews
Ashkenazi Jews, also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim , are the Jews descended from the medieval Jewish communities along the Rhine in Germany from Alsace in the south to the Rhineland in the north. Ashkenaz is the medieval Hebrew name for this region and thus for Germany...
living to the West of it, or the Sephardi Jews
Sephardi Jews
Sephardi Jews is a general term referring to the descendants of the Jews who lived in the Iberian Peninsula before their expulsion in the Spanish Inquisition. It can also refer to those who use a Sephardic style of liturgy or would otherwise define themselves in terms of the Jewish customs and...
of Iberian Peninsula). As such, the land is often simply translated as Slavonia, or Slavic Europe
Slavic Europe
Slavic Europe is a region of Europe where Slavic languages are spoken. This area is situated in Central and Eastern Europe and the Balkans, and includes the nations of Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, the Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro, Poland, Russia,...
.
The term might in turn be related to ancient Canaan
Canaan
Canaan is a historical region roughly corresponding to modern-day Israel, Palestine, Lebanon, and the western parts of Jordan...
(Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
כנען "kəna'an"). The use of a name derived from Canaan for a Slavic language
Slavic languages
The Slavic languages , a group of closely related languages of the Slavic peoples and a subgroup of Indo-European languages, have speakers in most of Eastern Europe, in much of the Balkans, in parts of Central Europe, and in the northern part of Asia.-Branches:Scholars traditionally divide Slavic...
spoken by a Jewish peoples living in a Slavic region is an indication to the Canaanite
Canaanite languages
The Canaanite languages are a subfamily of the Semitic languages, which were spoken by the ancient peoples of the Canaan region, including Canaanites, Israelites and Phoenicians...
origin of Hebrew language
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
(and people) as perceived by the speakers themselves and/or surrounding Slavic people, probably as relayed to them by Bibilical narrative .
The language became extinct some time in the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
, possibly due to expansion of the Ashkenazi culture and their own Yiddish language
Yiddish language
Yiddish is a High German language of Ashkenazi Jewish origin, spoken throughout the world. It developed as a fusion of German dialects with Hebrew, Aramaic, Slavic languages and traces of Romance languages...
based on German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
. This hypothesis is often backed up with a large number of Yiddish loanwords of Slavic origin, many of which were no longer in use in Slavic languages themselves at the time of the Ashkenazi expansion. These are believed to be loaned from Knaanic rather than from the Czech
Czech language
Czech is a West Slavic language with about 12 million native speakers; it is the majority language in the Czech Republic and spoken by Czechs worldwide. The language was known as Bohemian in English until the late 19th century...
, Sorbian
Sorbian languages
The Sorbian languages are classified under the Slavic branch of the Indo-European languages. They are the native languages of the Sorbs, a Slavic minority in the Lusatia region of eastern Germany. Historically the language has also been known as Wendish or Lusatian. Their collective ISO 639-2 code...
, Polish
Polish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
languages. Another hypothesis voiced by Paul Wexler argues, that Knaanic is indeed the direct predecessor of Yiddish and that the language became later Germanized. Alternatively, the Knaanim, that is the people speaking the Judaeo-Slavic languages were to be the main factor in changes within the Yiddish language. Such views are in contrast with Max Weinreich
Max Weinreich
Max Weinreich was a linguist, specializing in the Yiddish language, and the father of the linguist Uriel Weinreich, who edited the Modern Yiddish-English English-Yiddish Dictionary.- Biography :Max Weinreich began his studies in a German school in Kuldiga,...
's theories, who argued that the Slavic loanwords were assimilated only after the Yiddish was already fully formed.
A possible early example of Knaanic is a 9th century letter for a Jewish community of Ruthenia
Ruthenia
Ruthenia is the Latin word used onwards from the 13th century, describing lands of the Ancient Rus in European manuscripts. Its geographic and culturo-ethnic name at that time was applied to the parts of Eastern Europe. Essentially, the word is a false Latin rendering of the ancient place name Rus...
. One of the very few commonly-accepted examples of Knaanic are inscriptions on coins minted for Mieszko the Old and Leszek the White, two Polish
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
rulers of 12th and 13th century. The latest evidence of usage of the language (written with Hebrew script) come from 16th century.
| knaan | משקא קרל פלסק |
| transcription | mškɔ krl plsk |
| translation | Mieszko Mieszko III the Old Mieszko III the Old , of the royal Piast dynasty, was Duke of Greater Poland from 1138 and High Duke of Poland, with interruptions, from 1173 until his death.... , the king of Poland |
See also
- Ashkenazi
- Czech languageCzech languageCzech is a West Slavic language with about 12 million native speakers; it is the majority language in the Czech Republic and spoken by Czechs worldwide. The language was known as Bohemian in English until the late 19th century...
- Jewish languagesJewish languagesJewish languages are the various languages and dialects that developed in Jewish communities around the world.Although Hebrew was the daily speech of the Jewish people for centuries, by the fifth century BCE, the closely related Aramaic joined Hebrew as the spoken language in Judea and by the third...
- Slavic languagesSlavic languagesThe Slavic languages , a group of closely related languages of the Slavic peoples and a subgroup of Indo-European languages, have speakers in most of Eastern Europe, in much of the Balkans, in parts of Central Europe, and in the northern part of Asia.-Branches:Scholars traditionally divide Slavic...
- KnanayaKnanayaThe Knanaya also known as Q'nanaya, Q'nai, Kanai, or Thekkumbagar, are endogamous Jews who settled in Kerala, India. Their origins are unclear and are hotly disputed by academic scholars...