# Questions for Yiddish speakers

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-for-yiddish-speakers/711125>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [January 28, 2015, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-for-yiddish-speakers/711125 "2015-01-28T17:38:16Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\
**Post date:** [January 28, 2015, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-for-yiddish-speakers/711125/1 "2015-01-28T17:38:16Z")

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Is “dove” translated as \*taub \*or _taube_? Would it be capitalized, like in German?

What is the diminutive? How would you say “My little turtledove”?

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**Author:** ![YiddishWarmth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/5e9695/32.png) [@YiddishWarmth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YiddishWarmth)\
**Post date:** [February 25, 2015, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-for-yiddish-speakers/711125/2 "2015-02-25T15:54:41Z")

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According to someone I know who is fluent in Yiddish, “My little turtledove” would be translated as:

**Myne kleineh toybeleh**

I’m sorry for the partial answer!

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**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\
**Post date:** [February 25, 2015, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-for-yiddish-speakers/711125/3 "2015-02-25T16:16:13Z")

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> [@terentii](#):
>
> Is “dove” translated as \*taub \*or _taube_? Would it be capitalized, like in German?

I am not fluent but having lived near, and worked in, the Poconos during its heyday I can understand and make myself understood. There are two things I noted - spelling and capitalization can depend on the nationality or background of the speaker/writer. A German will tend to follow more Germanic rules (Taube in your example) while a more Eastern or Western writer may not. Yiddish, in a very broad sense, is like the Low German spoken by the Amish and can vary somewhat from community to community.

Now – the online dictionaries give the bird more as “twyb”

> **[dove in Yiddish - English-Yiddish Dictionary | Glosbe](https://en.glosbe.com/en/yi/dove)**
>
> Check 'dove' translations into Yiddish. Look through examples of dove translation in sentences, listen to pronunciation and learn grammar.

Toiba if used as a persons name

> **[Yiddish Names - Behind the Name](https://www.behindthename.com/names/usage/yiddish)**
>
> A list of names in which the usage is Yiddish.

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**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\
**Post date:** [February 26, 2015, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-for-yiddish-speakers/711125/4 "2015-02-26T04:47:29Z")

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> [@kopek](#):
>
> There are two things I noted - spelling and capitalization can depend on the nationality or background of the speaker/writer. A German will tend to follow more Germanic rules (Taube in your example) while a more Eastern or Western writer may not. Yiddish, in a very broad sense, is like the Low German spoken by the Amish and can vary somewhat from community to community.

Remember, Yiddish isn’t written in the Latin alphabet, so it’s going to vary in things like that because it’s a transliteration. The Hebrew alphabet doesn’t have capital letters, for instance, so asking, “What are Yiddish rules about capitalization” doesn’t really have an answer.

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**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\
**Post date:** [February 26, 2015, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/questions-for-yiddish-speakers/711125/5 "2015-02-26T05:00:50Z")

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> [@Captain\_Amazing](#):
>
> Remember, Yiddish isn’t written in the Latin alphabet, so it’s going to vary in things like that because it’s a transliteration. The Hebrew alphabet doesn’t have capital letters, for instance, so asking, “What are Yiddish rules about capitalization” doesn’t really have an answer.

He’s not just amazing; he’s right! Sorry - I see it so often written basically phonetically in our/this alphabet that I forgot.