origins. Originating in the Rhine Valley region of medieval Germany in the 9th century, Yiddish developed into two main branches: Western Yiddish, which remained in German-speaking territories (particularly southern Germany, Alsace, Switzerland, and the Netherlands), and Eastern Yiddish, which spread eastward as Jewish communities migrated to Poland, Hungary, Bohemia, Lithuania, and areas of the Russian Empire.

Yiddish is written using Hebrew script rather