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A language is a dialect with an army and navy

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One of the most frequently stated aphorisms in the discussion of the distinction between dialect and language is, “a language is a dialect with an army and a navy”. This is commonly attributed to one of the leading figures in modern Yiddish linguistics, Max Weinreich, and the aphorism therefore often appears in Yiddish. Indeed, the earliest recognized published source for it is an article by Weinreich entitled, Der YIVO un di problemen fun undzer tsayt, in YIVO Bletter, vol. 25. no. 1, Jan-Feb 1945, pp. 3-18. He also presented the same text under the same title as a speech at the opening of the 19th Annual YIVO Conference in New York City on 5 January 1945. This appeared separately in print, and that version should probably be cited as the earliest reference to the Yiddish statement of the aphorism that has as yet been noted in the present-day discussion.

Most references to the aphorism state that it was coined by Max Weinreich and overlook the significant fact that he presented it as an indirect quotation of something told to him by an auditor at one of his lectures. He describes his informant in some detail but does not give any name. The relevant passage appears on p. 13 of the 1945 article in YIVO Bletter:

“Last year we held a course in the doctoral program with twenty lectures on the subject, ‘Problems in the History of the Yiddish Language’. A teacher at a Bronx high school once appeared among the auditors. He had come to America as a child and during the entire time had never heard that Yiddish had a history and can also serve for higher matters. I do not know how he came to be among the YIVO candidates, only that he was there from then on. Once after a lecture he came up to me and asked, ‘What is the difference between a dialect and language?’ I said that it was a matter of intellectual subjectivity, and sensed that he felt this led in the right direction, but he interrupted me and said, ‘I know that, but I want to give you a better definition. A language is a dialect with an army and navy’. It then struck me that I had to convey this wonderful expression of the social plight of Yiddish to a large audience.” (A transcription of the original text and a romanized transliteration appear at the end of the present article.)

There has been some speculation about the unnamed participant in the lecture having been the eminent sociolinguist Joshua Fishman, and he is indicated as the originator of the army-navy statement in several bibliographic references. This may have been prompted by his own suggestion, apparently made in the belief that Weinreich was describing an event that occurred years later (http://shakti.trincoll.edu/~mendele/vol06/vol06.077). However, the description of the person in the Weinreich text does not seem to match Fishman’s biographical details well enough for it to have been him (http://www.stanford.edu/dept/SUSE/Spencer_PRproject/indexaffiliates.htm). Note also that the reference to “last year” made by Weinreich may as easily have been relative to the time of writing, which would likely have been late 1944, as to the date of presentation in the beginning of 1945.

There have also been attributions of what could have been the parent statement to Louis-Hubert Lyautey (1854 - 1934), “Une langue, c'est un dialecte qui possède une armée, une marine et une aviation”, although no bibliographic warrant for this has as yet appeared in the online contexts where it is cited. Pending substantiation for that attribution being brought forward, it may perhaps be worth noting that reference to the treble military constellation army/navy/airforce is somewhat surprising in an early 20th century source. Further alternative suggestions have been made about the first occurrence of the aphorism but these post-date the Weinreich publication.

Here is the quoted passage from the 1945 Max Weinreich text in the original Yiddish, followed by a romanized transliteration:

פֿאַר אַ יאָרן האָבן מיר אין דער ד״ר צמח שאַבאַד־אַספּיראַנטור געהאַט אַ קורס פֿון צוואַנציק לעקציעס אויף דער טעמע׃ „פּראָבלעמען אין דער געשיכטע פֿון דער ייִדישער שפּראַך“. צװישן די צוהערערס איז אײן מאָל אױך אַרײַנגעפֿאַלן אַ לערער פֿון אַ בראָנקסער הײַסקול. ער איז געקומען קײן אַמעריקע װי אַ קינד און האָט פֿאָר דער גאַנצער צײַט קײן מאָל ניט געהערט, אַז ייִדיש האָט אַ געשיכטע און קען דינען פֿאַר העכערע ענינים אױך. װי אַזױ ער אַיז פֿון דער אַספּיראַנטור פֿון ייִװאָ געװױר געװאָרן װײס איך ניט, נאָר פֿון יעמאָלט אָן האָט ער שױן גענומען קומען. אײן מאָל נאָך אַ לעקציע גײט ער צו צו מיר און פֿרעגט׃ „װאָס איז דער חילוק פֿון אַ דיאַלעקט ביז אַ שפּראַך?“ איך האָב געמײנט, אַז עס רופֿט זיך אים דער משׂכּילישער ביטול, און איך האָב אים געפּרוּװט אַרױפֿפֿירן אױפֿן ריכטיקן װעג, נאָר ער האָט מיך איבערגעריסן׃ „דאָס װײס איך, אָבער יך װעל אײַך געבן אַ בעסערע דעפֿיניציע׃ אַ שפּראַך איז אַ דיאַלעקט מיט אַן אַרמײ און פֿלאָט“. איך האָב זעך יעמאָלט באַלד פֿאַרגעדענקט, אַז די דאָזיקע װוּנדערלעכע פֿאָרמולירונג פֿון דער סאָציאַלער מערכה פֿון ייִדיש מוז איך ברענגען צו גרױסן עולם.


Far a yorn hobn mir in der d[okto]r aspirantur gehat a kurs fun tsvantsik lektsyes oyf der teme, ‘problemen in der geshikhte fun der yidisher shprakh’. Tsvishn di tsuherers iz eyn mol oykh arayngefaln a lerer fun a bronkser hayskul. Er iz gekumen keyn amerike vi a kind un hot for der gantser tsayt keyn mol nit gehert, az yidish hot a geshikhte un ken dinen far hekhere inyonem oykh. Vi azoy er ayz fun der aspirantur fun YIVO gevoyr gevorn veys ikh nit, nor fun yemolt on hot er shoyn genumen kumen. Eyn mol nokh a lektsye geyt er tsu tsu mir un fregt, “Vos iz der khilek fun a dyalekt biz a shprakh?'” Ikh hob gemeynt, az es ruft zikh im der maskilisher bitl, un ikh hob im gepruvt aroyffirn afn rikhtikn veg, nor er hot mikh ibergerisn “Dos veys ikh, ober ikh vel aykh gebn a besere definitsye. A shprakh iz a dyalekt mit an armey un flot.” Ikh hob zekh yemolt bald fargedenkt, az di dozike vunderlekhe formulirung fun der sotsyaler marokhe fun yidish muz ikh brengen tsu groysn oylem.

  • [1] - a scanned facsimile of the original passage in the 1945 YIVO Bletter.
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