GEOGRAPHIC REGIONS OF EUROPE

In addition to the problem of defining the boundaries of a European "country" in 1795-1925, there is the complication of Yiddish dialects.  The four main  Yiddish dialects  (Western, Litvish, Polish/Galician, and Ukrainian), cut across several of these countries.  This resulted in different pronunciations of words in general and of given names in particular, as well as in the choice of different patterns of name-making.

The implication for Jewish researchers in Europe is that if his search is in a special part of his country where the Yiddish dialect was different from the country's main dialect, he must be prepared to use also the GNDB of an adjacent country having the same Yiddish dialect as his special region within his country.  Otherwise, he will miss alternative names which might be of interest to him.

The Western Yiddish dialect was not uniform in Western and Central Europe where it existed, having some variations from country to country, and sometimes within large countries as well.

The following listing defines the Yiddish dialects which were used in each European country and presents the boundaries dividing up the country's dialect districts.

Belarus

Belarus had a single uniform Litvish Yiddish dialect distribution.

Denmark

Denmark had a single uniform Western Yiddish dialect distribution.

France -- under construction.

France had a single uniform Western Yiddish dialect distribution, except in the Alsace-Lorraine region.  In the latter region one should also use the Germany GNDB.

Galicia

In West Ukraine, the portion of today's Ukraine that was in East Galicia may be defined approximately by a "trapezoid" which extends from the West Ukraine border to an eastern line running from Brody (25 20 E, 50 10 N) in the north, to Darabani (26 40 E, 48 20 N) in the south.  This trapezoid is divided by a vertical line running from Brody in the north, to Borsa (24 50 E, 47 50 N) in the south.  The "triangle" east of this vertical line was in the Ukraine Yiddish dialect area and Galician searches in this region should also be made in the Ukraine GNDB.  West of this vertical line (in the Polish/Galician Yiddish dialect area), searches should be made using the Galicia GNDB.

Germany

Yiddish dialects used in Germany varied somewhat from north to south, but are generally considered to be a more or less uniform Western dialect.

Holland

Holland had a single uniform Western Yiddish dialect distribution.

Hungary

Hungary had a single uniform Western Yiddish dialect distribution, which differed somewhat from that of Germany.

Latvia

Latvia had a single uniform Litvish Yiddish dialect distribution.

Lithuania

Lithuania had a single uniform Litvish Yiddish dialect distribution.

Poland

Poland had a single uniform Polish/Galician Yiddish dialect distribution.  However, the Polish northeastern gubernia of Sulwaki was included in the Litvish Yiddish dialect region, and therefor Polish name searches in Suwalki should also be made using the Lithuania GNDB.

Prussia

Prussia had a single uniform Western Yiddish dialect distribution.

Romania

Romania was split into two different Yiddish dialect regions -- Ukraine dialect in the east, and Western dialect in the west.  The division between the two is an approximately straight line between 25 10 E, 47 45 N on the northern boundary, and Calarasi at 27 20 E, 44 10 N on the southern boundary.

Therefor, Romania name searches in eastern Romania should also be made using the Ukraine GNDB, while searches in western Romania (the larger division) should use the Romanian GNDB.

Russia -- under construction.

Sweden -- under construction.

Ukraine

In general, the region covered by this GNDB is the Ukraine of today.  However, a strip-region (called "Little Russia" by Jews) in Eastern Ukraine is included in the Lithuanian Yiddish dialect area, and a second region in Western Ukraine was part of East Galicia.  The East Galicia region is split by a vertical line such that Jews in the west part of this East Galicia strip used the Polish/Galician Yiddish dialect, while Jews in the small east part used the Ukraine Yiddish dialect.  You should use a map to understand where these regions are.

Little Russia in East Ukraine may be defined approximately by a straight line connecting Cernigov (30 40 E, 51 20 N) on the north border of Ukraine, to Taganrog (39 20 E, 47 20 N) in southeast Ukraine on the Black Sea.  East of this line the Lithuanian Yiddish dialect was used, and you should also use the Belarus GNDB (Belarus also used the Lithuania Yiddish dialect) to search for names, while west of the line, this Ukrainian GNDB should be used.

In West Ukraine, the portion of Ukraine that was in East Galicia may be defined approximately by a "trapezoid" which extends from the West Ukraine border to an eastern line running from Brody (25 20 E, 50 10 N) in the north, to Darabani (26 40 E, 48 20 N) in the south.  This trapezoid is divided by a vertical line running from Brody in the north, to Borsa (24 50 E, 47 50 N) in the south.  The "triangle" east of this vertical line was in the Ukraine Yiddish dialect area and searches in this region should be made in this Ukraine GNDB.  West of this vertical line (in the Polish Yiddish dialect area), searches should also be made using the Galicia GNDB.