How different are Yiddish and German language?

Super Korean   Wed Jan 28, 2009 8:06 am GMT
Yiddish is written with the Hebrew Alphabet but is classified as a High German language.

My question is: To what degree are Yiddish and German languages mutually intelligible?

If they are mutually intelligible, can Yiddish be a dialect or a creole of the German language?
Skippy   Wed Jan 28, 2009 5:40 pm GMT
I think they're very highly mutually intelligible. Yiddish has many Slavic and Semitic lone words and they've lost the front rounded vowels, but I think in speech the two languages are intelligible.
Leasnam   Wed Jan 28, 2009 5:59 pm GMT
Yes, Yiddish doesn't seem to be that different (IMHO) from most other regional German dialects, outside of the obvious ones you've aforementioned.
xyxyiz   Wed Jan 28, 2009 6:01 pm GMT
Would be it hard to learn Yiddish without any German background, but with background in Slavics and (some) Hebrew? Or should I, "by the way", learn German as well?
Leasnam   Wed Jan 28, 2009 6:23 pm GMT
<<Would be it hard to learn Yiddish without any German background, but with background in Slavics and (some) Hebrew? Or should I, "by the way", learn German as well? >>

You would probably find it no harder than just learning German