Yiddish Keyboards -- Need overview as to the four types please

I was delighted to find Yiddish Keyboards on Keyman, all created by my long lost friend, Ziggy. But there are four versions and I don’t know what the differences are between the four! Please help. On Android, they are labelled like this:

  1. Yiddish, Western — Yiddish Pasekh
  2. Yiddish, Western (Hebrew) — Yiddish Pasekh
  3. Yiddish, Eastern — Yiddish Pasekh
  4. Yiddish, Eastern (Hebrew) — Yiddish Pasekh

Adding to the confusion, the above is different from how they are labelled on the Keyman website when you search for Yiddish Keyboards. There, they are listed like this:

Keyboards:

  1. Yiddish Pasekh – yidish 2k
  2. Yiddish Pasekh – Yiddish_pasekh
    Languages:
  3. Yiddish, Eastern (Bessarabian Yiddish)
  4. Yiddish, Western (Midwestern Yiddish)

But Yiddish is one language. Although there are many dialects, I don’t understand what would differ with respect to a keyboard layout. And I have no clue as to the differences between the two types of Yiddish Pasekh keyboards. It seems that they are both used by typing in transliteration; so what is the difference?

Please help me. There are many people anxious to use these keyboards, but we don’t know where to begin. Can someone please forward these questions to the developer? Thank you.

Thanks for your interest in Keyman and keyboards for Yiddish.

There are three language codes (yid, ydd, yih) referring to Yiddish. If a keyboard refers to more than one code, you may get multiple listings for the same keyboard. We understand that this can be confusing.

In addition, the keyboard identified as yidish2k is no longer recommended, and is replaced by the Yiddish Pasekh keyboard.

So, for Android, I expect that all four will give you the same keyboard. On the Keyman site, you don’t want number 1 (the yidish2k one that is no longer recommended), so perhaps 2 would be the best choice.

If you still have questions, please write again!

We are planning to address the multiple closely related languages issue in the next release of Keyman – it’s a complex and multi-faceted issue, but we recognise the current situation is not ideal. Similarly, we plan to address the display and confusion between different versions of keyboards.

Thank you. That helps a lot! So, we will ignore the “Yidish2k” and stick with the Yiddish Pasekh Keyboard. But why are there two versions of that one - Eastern Yiddish and Western Yiddish? Please correct me if I’m wrong – but is there only one Yiddish Pasekh keyboard? And the two “languages” associated don’t change the keyboard, as it is only one? Is that correct?

I understand from one of the comments on this thread that the language codes will get cleaned up at some point in the near future. No problem – as long as I understand what is there now.

In other words, as long as we select Yiddish Pasekh, it doesn’t matter whether we select it with “Eastern Yiddish” or “Western Yiddish.” Is that correct?

Thanks so much.

I think that your understanding is correct: select the Yiddish Pasekh keyboard (regardless of the language code).

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