English "jitter" from German "zittern"?

[Douglas G. Wilson]

Here is the Yiddish word, here written "tsitern", same as German "zittern":

http://www.yiddishdictionaryonline.com/dictionary/%D7%A6%D7%99%D7%98%D7%A2%D7%A8%D7%9F.html

Here is an example of what I believe is the same Yiddish word, used as an
English word in English text:

http://www.jewishsource.com/itemdy00.asp?T1=78279&Cat=Art.Clearance

<<An acclaimed Israeli silversmith has added a whimsical feature to his
intricate statues: when you tap them, the figures bobble (tsittering with
joy!) on their stands.>>

[Here is another example, I think, maybe:

http://www.nightshadebooks.com/discus/messages/12/439.html?1048925557

<<Yes --my own epiphany came when npr devoted an entire half-hour of _All
Things Tsittered_ (as my philosemitic wife calls it) to discussing the fact
that the public wasn't interested in news on the Clinton scandals.>>]

Was "tsitter" used in this way in the US English of Yiddish-speakers
pre-1929? No reason to doubt it, I guess.

Did US speakers of various types of German make an 'English' verb with the
same pronunciation? No reason to doubt it, I guess.

Did persons of British (e.g., Scots) origin use "chitter" in the US with
about the same meaning? No reason to doubt it, I guess.

-- Doug Wilson


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