Max Weinreich (1893/94 Goldingen(Kuldiga), Courland (Latvia) - 1969 New York) was a Yiddish linguist.

He founded the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research (originally called Yiddish Scientific Institute (YIVO)) in Vilnius (Vilna) in 1925, and was its director from 1925 to 1939. From 1940 he led it in New York.

He is the father of Uriel Weinreich.

He is sometimes quoted as the author of criterion for distinguishing between "languages" and "dialects" - "A language is a dialect with an army, a navy and an air force" - that is actually by Hubert Lyautey.

External links

• YIVO