Becoming Frum: How Newcomers Learn the Language and Culture of Orthodox Judaism

Contents

vii CONTENTS List of Figures ix List of Tables xi Preface xiii Acknowledgments xv Transcription Conventions xvii 1 Introduction: Orthodox Jews and Language Socialization 1 2 “Now You Look Like a Lady”: Adventures in Ethnographic and Sociolinguistic Fieldwork 31 3 “He Has Tzitzis Hanging Out of His Ponytail”: Orthodox Cultural Practices and How BTs Adapt Them 52 4 “This Is Not What to Record”: Yiddish, Hebrew, and the English of Orthodox Jews 81 5 “Torah or Toyrah”: Language and the Modern Orthodox to Black Hat Continuum 111 6 “Just Keepin’ It Real, Mamish”: Why Ba’alei Teshuva Adopt (or Avoid) Orthodox Language 128 7 “I Finally Got the Lingo”: Progression in Newcomers’ Acquisition of Orthodox Language 144 8 “A Ba’al Teshuva Freak”: Distinguishing Practices of Newly Orthodox Jews 168 9 Matisyahu and My Fair Lady: Reflections on Adult Language Socialization 185 Notes 197 Bibliography 221 Index 237 ...