OVER THE ONE THOUSAND YEARS OF ITS HISTORY, THE YIDDISH LANGUAGE HAS BEEN AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE HISTORY, CULTURE, AND SOCIAL LIFE OF ASHKENAZIC JEWRY. DURING PERIODS OF ASCENDANCY IT WAS THE SPOKEN VERNACULAR, THE IDIOM OF ENTERTAINMENT LITERATURE, AND THE LANGUAGE OF POPULAR RELIGIOUS EDUCATION. THE PERIOD 1861-1914 SAW THE DEVELOPMENT IN EASTERN EUROPE OF JEWISH "NATIONAL"-SECULAR IDEOLOGIES CONCERNED WITH JEWISH SELF-DEFINITION THROUGH COMMON ETHNIC, LINGUISTIC, AND CULTURAL TRAITS RATHER THAN THROUGH TRADITIONAL RELIGIOUS BELIEFS AND PRACTICES. GENERALLY, IN THE UNITED STATES, GREATEST SUPPORT FOR THE USE OF YIDDISH IN EDUCATION, MASS MEDIA, CULTURAL ORGANIZATIONS, LITERATURE, AND THE THEATRE HAS COME FROM THESE SECULARISTS RATHER THAN FROM ULTRA-ORTHODOX OR ZIONIST GROUPS. TODAY, THE GREAT MAJORITY OF AMERICAN JEWS ARE NEITHER ORTHODOX NOR SECULARIST AND USE LITTLE, IF ANY, YIDDISH. ON AN INTELLECTUAL LEVEL, HOWEVER, YIDDISH WILL CONTINUE TO LIVE AS LONG AS SCHOLARS STUDY THE HISTORY AND CULTURAL HERITAGE OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE. THIS STUDY APPEARS IN PART II OF THE "INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF AMERICAN LINGUISTICS," VOL. 31, NO. 2, APRIL 1965, AND IS AVAILABLE FOR $3.00 FROM THE DIRECTOR OF PUBLICATIONS, RESEARCH CENTER IN ANTHROPOLOGY, PATTON HOUSE, INDIANA UNIVERSITY, BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA 47405. (JD)