Common Yiddish, Ukrainian and Polish Words in Galicia


lviv_facade
A Building Facade in Lviv

Spontaneous exclamations may tell a lot about our origin. What is the first thing that you are likely to say when… accidentally stubbing your toe? It is “Ouch”? “Aie”? Or perhaps “Oy”? It comes out naturally, from somewhere deep within our subconscious. Such words are likely to be shared by people with roots in the same part of the world. In Galicia, for example, “oy” stands for “ouch”.

A good chunk of the vocabulary was shared by Poles, Jews and Ukrainians who each spoke their own language but regarded Galicia as their home. Thanks to some knowledge of such common local vocabulary that was passed to me by my grandparents who spoke a Galician dialect, I was able to quickly compile a very brief list of the shared Yiddish – Ukrainian – Polish Galician words. These words are still used by older Galicianers but are almost extinct from the language of the younger post-war generations:

Chaleria (ukr. holiera) – an exclamation of frustration. Something unpleasant.

Challah (ukr. hallah) – braided loaf of white bread, glazed with egg white.

Ech! (ukr. ekh) – a groan or disparaging exclamation.

Feh! – an expression of disgust or disapproval, representative of the sound of spitting.

Gavalt (ukr. gvalt) – a cry of fear or a cry for help.

Halvah (ukr. halvah) – sun flower-seed confection.

Kishkas (ukr. kyshka) – literally, guts, intestines. Also, a blood sausage.

Knadle (ukr. knydli) – dumpling.

Latke (ukr. oladky) – pancake.

Nu? – Huh? Well? So? So tell me already!!

Oy! – Denotes disgust, pain, astonishment or rapture.

Oy-yoy-yoy – An exclamation of sorrow and lamentation.

Paskudnik – (ukr. paskudnyk) – A nasty, deceiving low-life.

Pisk (ukr. pysok) – Mouth. Big mouth. Loudmouth.

Rugula (ukr. ro-hal) – Small rolled-up bread or cookies.

Schav – A  soup made of sorrel.

Shmaltz (ukr. smalets) – fat, in Ukrainian mostly means pork fat.

Shmatte (ukr. shmata) – rag; old tattered dress; shoddy clothing.

Shpatzir (ukr. shpatser) – stroll; walk; v. to stroll; hike.

Tchatzkah (ukr. tsiatska) – A trinket; a knick-knack.

Yid (ukr. zhyd) – Jew. May be offensive.

 

Source: http://www.hebrew4christians.com/index.html