What Exactly is the "Jewish" Accent?

--Sarah Benor, Associate Professor of Contemporary Jewish Studies at Hebrew Union College in Los Angeles and author of "Becoming Frum," joins David to discuss the Jewish accent
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[@owenoulton9312]

I live in Ottawa, Canada, and my former boss is Jewish. He speaks with what you call a New York Jewish accent, though to the best of my knowledge he's never lived in New York. His parents were Polish Jews who survived the camps in WWII. He lived for a time on a kibbutz in Israel as a young man.

[@ForStarcraft]

You can take the Jew out of New York but you can't take the New York out of the Jew

[@brandydacanay5743]

We have it regardless of where we were born. lol

[@caleb1413]

I have a Jewish grandfather who I believe grew up in Pennsylvania and is currently living in Connecticut. He too has that accent; he’s the only person I’ve met in real life who talks pretty much the same way Bernie Sanders does.

[@ConnortheCanaanite]

@@brandydacanay5743 It’s definitely a thing, without any family history associated with New York…

[@ManicMindTrick]

Im thinking of the accent of Kenny from Kenny vs Spenny when imagining a very jewy sounding Canadian.

[@colefreyler8743]

*me taking notes so i can do a bernie sanders impression*

[@Shadow1IFCVA]

PHOOOOONNNNEEEE!!!! She has valuable information and has dedicated time to preserving history - but let’s just let that phone ringggggggg

[@AlbertoMartinez-td4hw]

This reminds me of that one Seinfeld episode when uncle Leo could ask if someone could pick up that damn phone lol

[@turduckenwrath6110]

i wish people would talk about phrasing more. Like how we put verbs in different places etc- also David is literally reading straight out of an article I read and stating the questions as if the questions as tho they are his original thoughts “I’ve noticed...” “My friends...” no you haven’t cuz I read that article too my friend.

[@samuraisharkie]

What article is he reading off of?

[@eupraxis1]

The NY accent is more general than "Jewish". Italian NYers have owned that accent as part of their identity, as well, for example.

[@Mr.Oblivian]

NO, they are different

[@jesuschimney5883]

W_Sindarius you are comparing a race to a religion though

[@craighauser9482]

@@jesuschimney5883 Jews are a race u idiot

[@cantankerouspatriarch4981]

@@user-hu6pk3zs3i, yes of course they can and many have. Where's the mandatory genetic testing to determine eligibility for Israeli citizenship?

[@cantankerouspatriarch4981]

@@craighauser9482, so Ethiopian jews, Russian jews, Kaifeng jews from China, and Cochin jews from India are all the same race? If you're interested, I'm selling a bridge in Brooklyn.

[@auntiepha8343]

I am a 40 something Jewish guy and I was born in Tampa and lived in Florida my entire life. I am told I have a New York type accent and I have only been to New York City to visit twice in my late 20's. I have never understood why people tell me I sound like I am from New York.

[@manthasagittarius1]

How far back can you go to determine when your family moved to Florida, where did they move from and when, and when and where did the ancestors first start speaking English? Some speech markers persist through several generations.

[@ryr4889]

Because you sound like from NY..lol

[@craighauser9482]

Im Jewish 33yr old who grew up and lived in queens nyc my whole life until i moved to Tampa Fl almost 2 years ago and everyone tells me i sound like a straight up italian new yorker

[@davidpfeifer9489]

Craig Hauser Yeah fellow Jew from Long Island. How’s it going, outsiders can’t tell the difference from the dice clay classic Brooklyn Jew or action Bronson Jewish accent from Italian. Similar but we can tell instantly

[@FigaroHey]

People often attribute to you the accent they expect. Poles coming back to Poland from the US tell me people say they have a Russian or German accent before they find out they are talking to a Pole. Not similar at all if you are used to hearing Polish, Russian & German spoken.

[@nuclearthreat545]

wanna answer your damn phone?????

[@nicolemarchlewski8123]

Hahaha...that had me looking around in confusion at first wondering where it was coming from :-)

[@plasmichoneytrip]

Yeah! You'd think someone would have answered it after the first two rings.

[@tomw.6511]

"You never call your mother."

[@AngelLPena]

@@tomw.6511 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[@EruptionIsCool]

I’m reading comments as it happens lol

[@atfundsurnama4100]

My grandparents were Jewish immigrants in Montreal. My family's speech is very similar to New York Jews.

[@chadhenrickson7677]

This phenomenon is real. My maternal grandparents were Jewish and migrated to North America from Austria before WWII broke out. Due to fears (fully rational fears might I add) they established themselves within the local catholic community and kept the family’s history/background a secret. My whole life, people have told me that it sounds like I have somewhat of an odd NYCish accent despite having never even been to the city before (born and raised in the South). I can recall always feeling awkward when they would inevitably ask where I’m from due to the apparent “accent” I didn’t even know I had and have always replied that I just talk funny. I have always had suspicions about my family potentially being of a Jewish background and they were confirmed more recently as my grandmother’s getting up there in age and has divulged some of that info + cost effective ancestry tests and the advent of online document archives have made it all possible. As others have said you can take the Jew out of New York but can’t take the New York out of the Jew. Very strange but true indeed.

[@michelleobamasthicccocc822]

Shame they didnt stay in Austria

[@brandydacanay5743]

@@michelleobamasthicccocc822 go away

[@alexrice1870]

I also found out I am a Sephardic jew and we hid in the catholic community as well.

[@dannyheller4612]

Very informative!

[@JesterOfFlesh]

I mean I could go for a bagel but i'm not feeling too hungry. I mean where would I even get a bagel in this crazy town, not to mention its pretty hot and it would probably be better just to stay inside. Ah why did I even move to Arizona, its way too dry here!

[@matthewmann8969]

You could here much of it from New York, Boston, And New Jersey

[@jojo4813]

my jewish family in boston in ny have a very similar accent

[@rembeadgc]

How are you talking about this without demonstrations of common usage? Accents and the things that influence them are so fluid and diverse. It's not common to analyze these things as much as to just experience them and appreciate their unique "flavor".

[@antimonos]

The professionalism of having a phone ringing in the background. Astounding.

[@robw7676]

Re. the specific pronunciation she refers to here as the "non-raising of pre-nasal A"... The way she says "candle" and "camp" in a Jewish/NYC accent is WAY closer to most British/Irish accents than most American pronunciations.

[@jabbahursty]

there are also a number of different jewish accents in NYC, not just one. when i was a kid, i could tell what neighborhood (there was even more than one jewish neighborhood!) you were from by your accent. sometimes the variation was slight, but sometimes it was huge.

[@joeroberts2156]

Was it in fact, "yuge"?

[@rantingintothevoid]

@@joeroberts2156 my jewish grandfather born in East Flatbush, Brooklyn who now identifies as an atheist does indeed pronounce ‘huge’ as ‘yuuuge’. Can confirm.

[@spencer_jackson542]

exactly. there's a certain valley girl-esque Jewish accent that Sarah Silverman, Amanda Bynes and Lisa Kudrow have

[@yeattwizzyrichbitcointikok1120]

This is fascinating id love to hear examples

[@dugfriendly]

The accents that people put on in order to identify with a group make for an interesting discussion. The black kid raised in Tacoma, WA who doesn't speak anything like his classmates - the electric line worker in Portland, OR who sounds like a country music singer from Texas - the list goes on and on.

[@garretdelaurier3789]

Lost me at the phone call

[@fyredancesteppz]

here because i wanted to see if there's any validity to michael brooks's impression of sam seder

[@teoviosicostel]

Wish they would show some examples and not just talk from a theoretical standpoint

[@SomethingSomethingg]

As a New Englander, it's funny to me that Bernie Sanders represents the state of Vermont when his accent is 100% Jew. On the same token, Elizabeth Warren represents Massachusetts and, yet, she's got the most stereotypical Southern farmer's wife accent you can muster.

[@conorsmith8551]

Are they talking about a jackie mason here or a richard lewis?

[@SpirituallyObjective]

How common is that landline ringtone? I have the same one.

[@CalebRussell1]

This was very interesting. Thank you.

[@BitchItsJules]

I like how she shimmies after saying "Latino population" at 3:10

[@movingpicutres99]

Best example of classic Jewish accent. Carl Reiner and Mel Brooks: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qmaZe6yka8aCqJI

[@caleb1413]

My Jewish grandfather is I believe from Pennsylvania and has lived in Connecticut for several decades by that point. I don’t think he ever has lived in New York (though he does visit a lot), yet he has a New York Jewish accent as thick as Bernie Sanders. My grandmother had a much more subtle accent but she does have elements of it.

[@zacharyrichard2764]

Larry David Pakman?

[@AngelLPena]

^ "this comment right here, officer."

[@Ben.N]

I just found this video and I'm subscribed to this guy, who is he lmao?

[@morehn]

The Jewish Orthodox accent is a sing song and has different inflections that go beyond the NY accent

[@pathologicaldoubt]

it's an accent that gets you nobel peace prizes :)

[@hifijohn]

stop with the stereotyping already

[@hyucky_bois3216]

o y v e y

[@craighauser9482]

nobel peace prizes? wtf are u talking about. Jews win the nobel prizes that count!! The science and ecomonic prizes, the peace prize is bullshit look at some of the clowns that won. Yassar Arafat, a terrorist, and Obama, a terrorist

[@chickenballstv1510]

@@craighauser9482 explain how obama is a terrorist

[@shaygoldberg1735]

Ultra orthodox Jews don't win Nobel prizes, and other sects of Judaism usually don't have that accent

[@ArcadiyIvanov]

Actually I would argue that Russo-Ukrainian Odessit and English New York Jewish accents have identical tonal and cadence qualities even though the base languages are completely different. So to me it's not the "New York" accent, it's the Jewish accent proper.

[@marekszczabel7572]

That's a fascinating remark, have there been any studies made comparing the two?

[@ArcadiyIvanov]

@@marekszczabel7572 I can only speak from experience as being a native Russian and fluent American English speaker. I may be able to find you some examples on YT.

[@ArcadiyIvanov]

@@marekszczabel7572 kzbin.info/www/bejne/e5ewnmhrpttnrtE

[@ArcadiyIvanov]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/omfSdWmYi7Gta7M

[@ArcadiyIvanov]

Compare the two links above. Look at the cadence, the pace of delivery, the elongation of the vowels and the timbre change that increases in pitch by 3/4th of the phrase and then descends rapidly. And yes, one of them is the comedic overemphasis of NY Jewish accent but it actually makes it easier to hear, especially if you don't know one of the languages.

[@KiraHelenRose]

Hmmm… my family are all Texas Jews and they sound like Texans with a strong twang. No hints of NYC inflections. Even when they say Yiddish words, they come out with a Texas twang. Though my family came to the US through the port at Galveston prior to the civil war. So they never were in or near NY and were already in the states many decades prior to the formation of the “Jewish accent.” I, however, grew up in upstate NY. But my accent is more neutral than most NY accents. And I have some inflections of Texas here and there.

[@luffyduffy7817]

Holy shit I left the room to get something and I leave the video running. I come back and hear the phone ringing so I go to see whos calling. When it didn't say anything I was so confused.. I was freaking out for a good minute then realized it was coming from my computer

[@DonCrafts1]

lol

[@brandydacanay5743]

StLouis born and raised Jewish woman here - my mother and grandmother never lived in NYC and they do the accent. It happens.

[@bryanmunoz1210]

The golden jew

[@GenerationX1984]

The Yiddish American accent from New Noisy and New Yoik! That's how they pronounce Jersey and York.

[@davidpfeifer9489]

Chris Nilsson Haha that’s a 50s accent ur doing. Nobody talks like that here

[@adamweissman7286]

Yeah, no one does that. Not in decades.

[@springfieldleaf8649]

I don’t know why, but Italians in mafia movies and TV shows have the NY Jewish accent. I’ve lived in nyc all my life, and my friends, myself, and our parents don’t talk with this accent. We do drink “cawfee” though lol my neighbor was from Israel and didn’t have the accent

[@JamalFuckinKilla]

So, I'm from a reservation on the Blackfeet nation. They all sound like they from the east coast and for whatever reason, some sound like NYC Jews. Like, foreal, w/o the necessary language programming. Now, how da fuq they sound that way? Its just more natural to say "nawmean" instead of "are we in agreement"? Can u imagine that? Saying are we agreeable instead of nawmean or cwutimsane? So, the question I have is this, why do natives have a stereotypical or natural inclination towards NYC's accent? From eastcoast to da west?

[@klezmando]

I don't think she mentions Yiddish as the basis of the New York accent. This seems rather a major oversight.

[@akivameir4734]

She mentioned it within the first minute...

[@craighill388]

Some of this is just nuts. New Englanders of all creeds say FLAHrida and whatever else the other word was. FlOOOrida does not exist in the New England accent...

[@lindamorgan2678]

ARE you doing sign language Pakman? Put your paws in your pocket

[@FigaroHey]

I came here to hear a New York Jewish person talking. Need to brush up on it for a performance...

[@RepublicanJesusthe2nd]

Very interesting!

[@marksimons8861]

Couldn't quite capture the difference between Florida and Florida. And not much between the other examples. I think it might be helpful to follow this conversation if you are familiar with American regional accents.

[@movingpicutres99]

Mark Simons -or pronounced like "Or" vs. "Are" as in Flor vs.Flar. Floor-ih-da vs. Flahr-ih-da

[@shawnpavlik3756]

Someone answer the phone!

[@jaojao1768]

Thumbnail guy looks like Don Rosa

[@go-outonalim]

Christmas is behind us . I bet some Jewish families here in the States participated in their annual family get together at their favorite Chinese restaurants. This much joked about stereotype actually carries a factual basis. So why do Jewish Americans love Chinese food? Did they mistake wontons for kreplach? Let’s explore this fascinating topic together! Link: kzbin.info/www/bejne/d6bCZZ2amt2mgsk

[@abedied1]

I live in Houston and all my Jewish friends, Orthodox among them, sound like all the other East Texas podunks around here. We've had Israelis come and settle here and within a year or so they're saying "y'all" just like everybody else!

[@Ethan-wk7lo]

So she's saying that orthodox Jews have their own dialect which originated in New York? the business and therefore money capital of the world...?

[@shadowdance4666]

I AM going to wok da dag

[@busterbiloxi3833]

Answer the phone already!

[@josepherer]

I am genetically ashkenazi jewish

[@michaelmarzano2759]

The Nanny’s mum (I LOVE HER)

[@normgarrison4077]

ONE THOUSAND TORNADOS!

[@arturohull14161]

Interesting

[@shedendpussys]

OY VEY!

[@lindabrouillette6765]

Can you be more specific?

[@homosexualpanic]

It's good to go back and watch DP when he's not just talking about Donald Trump. Hopefully the next four years will mean more stuff like this again.

[@Braglemaster123]

Clever to have a Larry David Photos to scam people to this video “

[@LingLingLongStyl]

This place is the wayste

[@jakepaulerworkingman7118]

My name is coleslaw

[@DeadPixel1105]

I love the NY Jewish accent. It's just hilarious sounding to me.

[@jacksonsendrowitz9720]

ny accent is diminishing because people keep moving here and kids in ny are hearing these non native new yorkers speak

[@Will-wr1qn]

Ohhhc khyou schvitzed et up with tha cgoingk an tha comingk an tha khere an tha thare, vhy ahrnt khyou undershtaningk meech?

[@kylehankins5988]

Tackling the pressing issues I see

[@giorgoskyriacou8877]

Who came to the comment section looking for a phone comment??

[@vincentharris8552]

I like the Jews.

[@ryanrazzano2991]

I don't

[@link6397]

I don't

[@stoopidhaters]

I can't

[@clockwork9825]

I remember telling my black friend her mom sounded Jewish 😂😂😂😂..

[@silulekomkhize7839]

The Jewish accent in South Africa is soooo beautiful

[@bh-0330]

The real language is Currency

[@francesrude3007]

Of course don't confuse Yiddish with Hebrew. It is ASCHENAZI

[@williammeister9917]

is she an acidic jew ?

[@BVargas78]

Alkaline

[@YamnayaSintash]

The yiddish accent

[@icantthinkofaname5950]

Lol, he didn’t even know he was a jew

[@culturalmarxist2670]

do any languages except Yiddish affect the Jewish American accent? Besides Hebrew and Yiddish and English do American Jews use many other languages?

[@DebF124]

Cultural Marxist Brooklyn accent is part of it too

[@stefanpieper3757]

Wow Fisher, your full of shit. What would be characteristcs of a "Cultural Marxist" accent?!

[@DebF124]

Prow Prowsky I am full of shit? The guys name who wrote the comment is cultural marxist.... you owe me an apology....

[@stefanpieper3757]

E. M. Fisher Uuuuppppss. :D Yeah. I do actually. My apologies, Fisher. NOW your comment is actually funny, too.

[@DebF124]

Prow Prowsky Lol it is ok....

[@tompoliak7510]

Who is this?

[@user-jl5ln5hj6g]

My Jew in airq

[@patriciasalopek7614]

Is no one going to mention the obvious? That the host of this show definitely has the “Jewish accent”?

[@hardpack187]

ANSWER YOUR FUCKING PHONE!!!

[@DeePBurnouT]

Judd Hirsch had a great accent in Independence Day, Joseph Goebbels would be even proud, geez he was cartoonish.

[@LibationsForYou]

Ethnic minorities frequently have noticeable accents.

[@lindamorgan2678]

Why about the SHMIAMI Jews ? BTW yiddish is European. I can describe it in one word ANNOYING just like the Bronx accent

[@eutytoalba]

Ahhh, yes... That which the antisemitic, narrow-minded mainstream media type-casts as "the gangster accent" or "the Trump accent".

[@eutytoalba]

But which (YEARS prior to Rudy Giuliani ever publicly referencing it last year) I've regularly tried to remind New-York-accent-phobic/TDS people that it's just the friendly yet sassy "My Cousin Vinny accent". 😜 Having to explain real life to ignorant hipsters in terms of TV is pathetic...... 😭

[@Xethyl]

You sound too much like foot lettuce 😂

[@Tr3v0rr96]

First

[@marksimons8861]

Foist?

[@thegigadykid1]

@@marksimons8861 lol

[@davidpfeifer9489]

Mark Simons That’s a 50s accent lol nobody talks like that now

[@AyseNihanAydin]

Who calls u ? Ariel Sharon from hell!!?😂😂😂

[@thegamingguys200]

Does it help your self esteem by bullying?

[@thegamingguys200]

xrayeyesb4u I wasnt referring to your comment...

[@peterfordyce7003]

Yikes, this comment section is antisemitic! Why can't people be nicer to each other?

[@MrLazloKaveevee]

POLISH. The "Jewish" accent is spun off from Polish immigrants.

[@fredjackson8408]

Its such a disgusting sound

[@frisco21]

Here in the Pacific Northwest, we have the purest American accent, with virtually no ethnic or regional tonal influence. In a hundred years, the entire country will speak as we do.

[@davidpfeifer9489]

frisco21 Nah, maybe 1000 years

[@ashleyjohnson9651]

Oh buddy .....you really don't understand how accents work or come about

[@MaxSnowDude]

Nope regional dialects are becoming more and more distinct

[@stephenhall3515]

Too few examples and therefore totally useless.

[@WildCreationz]

Met an Australian Jew whose Dad immigrated from Chechnya. She grew up in Australia. Sounds like a New York Jew. Always sounds tired and sooooorry for herself.

[@saraw3418]

Yawn. This is really boring. Bye

[@brightblackgrouse6236]

Very annoying.

[@jane6536]

I didn't know Jews had accents.

[@kerstindahlqvist9641]

You do not say muslim accent so Why do you say jewish accent?

[@barcafanshd8378]

muslim is a religion, jewish is an ethnicity

[@thegigadykid1]

@@barcafanshd8378 Judaism is both

[@movingpicutres99]

Kerstin Dahlqvist Jewish is also another name for Yiddish. The language and culture.

[@rafacamacho1837]

FREE PALESTINE!

[@MaxSnowDude]

What does this have to do with anything

[@rafacamacho1837]

@@MaxSnowDude Exactly! Zionists like David Pakman are progressive when it comes to most issues, but profoundly regressive when it comes to the Israel-Palestine conflict.

[@MaxSnowDude]

@@rafacamacho1837 lol I’m pro free Palestine but saying free Palestine on any Jewish issue that hasn’t anything to do with isreal is antisemitic.. a majority of Jews don’t live in isreal

[@kryptkeeper457]

is it messed up that i wouldn't really care at all if all people with harsh, thick new york accents all died?

[@horrorhabit8421]

You're being a schmuck here, don't be a schmuck.