Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 7.025 June 26, 1997 1) Weinreich's phrase book (Ellen Prince) 2) Weinreich's phrase book (Al Grand) 3) Uriel and B. Weinreich's phrasebook (Mordkhe Schaechter) 4) National Yiddish Book Center (Sholem Berger) 5) Der Bavebter Yid in lataynishe oysyes (Sholem Berger) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 26 Jun 1997 01:37:42 EDT From: "Ellen F. Prince" Subject: Weinreich's phrase book In reply to Rick Turkel's irate response to Al Grand's discussion of the piece on the 'Say It in Yiddish' book -- you really have to see the book! It HAS to be described as 'witty'! Yes, there were street signs in Yiddish and all the other things you mention, but that's NOT what this book is about. This book is a *tourist's* phrase book -- and gives the Yiddish equivalents of what you'd find in a tourist's phrase book for Paris or Rome. I can't find my copy now but it's got things like what you say to the custom's official, what you say to the traffic court judge, how you buy airplane tickets -- a million things that NO ONE ever said or had to say in Yiddish. It's really very funny and I'm sure it was written with that as the goal. Take a look! Ellen Prince 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 26 Jun 1997 12:24:12 -0400 (EDT) From: Savoyid@aol.com Subject: Weinreich's phrase book I salute Rick Turkel for his gutsy and intelligent verdict on the author of the Weinreich phrase book essay which Rick says he has never read and, what's more, never intends to read. "The author of this piece should be excoriated" exclaims Rick. Right on! What this web site needs is more fair-minded and clear thinking subscribers like Rick Turkel who have the courage to rend the air with their resolute and penetrating judgments without resorting to the absurdity of reading the piece in the first place. Al Grand 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 26 Jun 1997 13:40:40 -0400 (EDT) From: MSchaecht@aol.com Subject: Uriel and B. Weinreich's phrasebook The "humorous" article in Civilization was not funny, but ridiculous. No, an ignorant insult to the World of Yiddish. The author of that article has already apologized to B. Weinreich. Sincerely, Mordkhe Schaechter 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 26 Jun 1997 08:20:09 +0000 From: bergez01@mchip00.med.nyu.edu Subject: National Yiddish Book Center Itsik Goldenberg (7.024) condemns my display of ignorance and ill-will with regard to the NYBC. At least the second half of this charge is untrue. I am a paying member of the organization and have derived great benefit from its discount-book programs for students (through which I've amassed the bulk of my Yiddish library) and reliable bibliographies, as well as from its helpful and scholarly staff. As I emphasized, the organization's concrete and undeniably successful efforts to save Yiddish books cannot be gainsaid. The organization -- with Aaron Lansky as its leader--has earned for itself an honored place. What I complained about in my post was the NYBC's arrogating to itself the title of savior of the Yiddish language and culture entire. It is not doing that, pace its propaganda, cannot do that with its present program, and doesn't in my opinion have the correct approach in any case. I do not deny the value of its present cultural activities, nor their popularity--I merely deny their applicability to our current problem, the dearth of secular Yiddish-speakers. The problem is not an easy one and no one is doing the right things to solve it at the moment. There's a strong probability it can't be solved. But making exaggerated claims (and replacing Yiddish with English as the language of a so-called Yiddish Culture) doesn't help matters either. Sholem Berger New York 5)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 26 Jun 1997 17:29:58 +0000 From: bergez01@mchip00.med.nyu.edu Subject: Der Bavebter Yid in lataynishe oysyes (Der Bavebter Yid, transcribed) _Der Bavebter Yid 1:1 ken men shoyn leyenen in lataynishe oysyes_ Mir hobn ersht aroyfgeleygt af undzer vebplats transkribirte versyes fun di zakhn vos zaynen arayn in ershtn numer (1tn yuni 1997). Itst hot ir shoyn keyn teyrets nisht--kumt tsu gast. undzer adres iz http://al.cs.engr.uky.edu/~raphael/bavebter/ Mir zukhn nokh alts kolerley manuskriptn (shund un kunst) tsum tsveytn numer, vos darf aroys sof september hayyor. Shikt zey elektronish oder mit der geveyntlekher post: bergez01@popmail.med.nyu.edu Z. Berger/ 435 East 30th St., #1410/ NYC, NY 10016-8304/ USA Der Bavebter Yid [A Roman-character version of Der Bavebter Yid 1:1 is now available. This means that you now have no excuse to stay away--come visit at the URL above. We're still looking for any and all materials for the second issue, which is due out in September.] Sholem Berger ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 7.