Your email is not valid
Recipient's email is not valid
Submit Close

Your email has been sent.

Click here to send another

thescroll_header thescroll_tagline thescroll_tagline_RSS
The Scroll

A Short History of Words

New Google tool reveals relative popularity of ‘shmuck,’ ‘Zionist,’ other terms

By Dan Klein|December 17, 2010 4:45 PM|10comments
Print Email

The name of the hot new time-waster is Google Ngrams! Google has taken the five and a half million digital books in its database (interesting fact: Yiddish was the first literature to be entirely digitalized), and created a tool that graphs the uses of phrases throughout history.

I now know that schlep and schmuck entered the English mainstream in the 40s, but their use increased rapidly in the 60s and 80s, respectively (thanks Lenny Bruce!). Zionist first arose in the 1910s, hit its peak in the 1990s, and is now at a 60 year low. For a bracing reminder, watch the spike of various words for Jew in the 30s and 40s… except for Hebrew, which hit its epoch between 1810 and 1830s, but declined in the 1940s. Why 1810? What happened? I have no idea.

Apparently, this tool is for scholars. In that vein, and in the holiday spirit, above see Marc Weidenbaum’s (of disquiet.com and creator of Tablet’s Anander Mol, Anander Weig Hanukkah remix album) scholarly exploration of the history of the word C/Hanuk/kah.
More In:
  • Alan Eisenberg

    1810 CE – Reform Movement begins in Germany
    Reform Movement The German Jews who founded the Reform Movement emphasized their loyalty to the “fatherland” in order to be accepted in mainstream German society.

  • Dan Klein

    Thanks Alan! That’s awesome.

  • http://adderabbi.blogspot.com Elli
  • http://tabletmag.com Dan Klein

    Hey Elli, I’m not sure, but I think the site you linked to used a different curving function then Mr. Weidenbaum. Just guessing!

  • Rachel

    The photo is brilliant. Thanks for the laugh.

  • jay

    tnx so much! was so helpful dude! :)

  • http://plazamedia.pl/szkolenia-bhp-warszawa-10/ instrukcja ppoż

    It’s very good post.

  • http://ant-market.com/webboard/index.php?action=profile;u=145362 barney toys

    The greatest inspiration is often born of desperation. -Comer Cotrell

  • http://aa1071536.com a1071536

    I’ve said that least 1071536 times. The problem this like that is they are just too compilcated for the average bird, if you know what I mean

  • http://orlandoshortsalenews.com/orlando-short-sales-loan-modification-loss-comparison-calculator Stop Foreclosure Institute of Orlando

    Good work, are you looking for real estate in Lake Mary, FL? Learn where the deals are, get foreclosure lists and find town homes for sale in Casselberry.

Thank You!

Thank you for subscribing to the Tablet Magazine Daily Digest.
Please tell us about you.

A Short History of Words

New Google tool reveals relative popularity of ‘shmuck,’ ‘Zionist,’ other terms