Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 07.188 April 23, 1998 1) Yom Hashoah (Iosif Vaisman) 2) unknown word (Rita Falbel) 3) mehr vehrter (Mel Poretz) 4) the letters in Yiddish (Anna Shternshis) 5) ployneste (Andrey Bredstein) 6) ployneste (Kenneth Wishnia) 7) ployneste (Harvey Spiro) 8) ployneste (Michael Shimshoni) 9) Razel Zychlinski (Ada Holtzman) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 23 Apr 1998 00:44:54 -0400 (EDT) From: Iosif Vaisman Subject: Yom HaShoah Today is Yom HaShoah, the Holocaust Remembrance Day. I light a virtual memorial candle in Mendele by posting a poem by Shmuel Halkin: tife griber, royte leym - kh'hob a mol gehot a heym. friling - flegn seder blien, harbsttsayt - flegn foyglen tsien, vinter - flegt dort foln shney, itster blit dort vind un vey. s'hot mayn heym a brokh getrofn - tir un toyer zayner ofn far di rotskhim, far di shinder, di, vos koylen kleyne kinder, di, vos khengen oyf di skeynim, di, vos shoneven nit keynem. tife griber, royte leym - kh'hob a mol gehot a heym. yor nokh yor zaynen ariber, fule zayne yene griber, un nokh royter iz di leym. yene leym iz itst mayn heym: dortn lign mayne brider, di tserisene oyf glider, di geshokhtene in shtub, di geshosene baym grub. tife griber, royte leym - kh'hob a mol gehot a heym. kumen veln gute tsaytn - vet dos mazl oykh zikh baytn, veln veyen veln linder, veln vider vaksn kinder, veln kinder shpiln, royshn ba di kvorim fun di kdoyshim, ba di tife fule griber, - az der vey zol nit ariber. tife griber, royte leym - kh'hob a mol gehot a heym. 1943 Notes: Shmuel (Samuil Zalmanovich) Halkin (1887-1960) - Soviet Yiddish poet, playwright, and translator. Growing up in a hasidic family in Belorussia he started writing poetry in Hebrew. Was a member of early Zionist youth movement. Published in Yiddish since 1920s. As a member of the Jewish Antifascist Committee was arrested in 1949 and in 1950 sentenced to 10 years in prison. Released in 1955. This poem was first published in the newspaper "Eynikayt" in August 1944. Selected bibliography: Vey un mut: lider / Moskve: Tsentrfarlag, 1929 Lider / Moskve: Der Emes, 1939 Bar-Kokhba: dramatishe poeme / Moskve: Der Emes, 1939 Shulamis: dramatishe poeme / Moskve: Der Emes, 1940 Erdishe vegn: lider / Moskve: Der Emes, 1945 Stikhi, Ballady, Dramy / Moskva: Goslitizdat, 1958 Stikhotvoreniia / Moskva: Goslitizdat, 1962 Stikhi poslednikh let / Moskva: Sov. pisatel, 1962 Mayn oytser : lider un balades / Moskve: Sov. pisatel, 1966 Dalnozorkost / Moskva: Khudozh. literatura, 1968 Fir pyesen / Moskve: Sov. pisatel, 1977 Lider fun tfise un lager / Tel-Aviv: Farlag "Yisroel-bukh", 1988 Iosif Vaisman 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 15 Apr 1998 15:21:06 -0500 From: Rita Falbel Subject: unknown word in yiddish letters I have been transcribing (transliterating) my grandfather's letters written in Yiddish (actually a rather fardaytchtes Yiddish) and there is one word, or expression that I can't make out. It usually follows sentiments like "Hashem zol vayter helfen az mir zollen hoben parnosse" and then comes "beth, resh, vav, vav alef, khof sofit", as best as I can read it. Does anyone know what this might mean? A hartstigen dank un a freylichen resten Pesach, Rita Falbel 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 16 Apr 1998 08:55:05 EDT From: EMPE Subject: mehr vehrter Happily, the help I received from fahrshaydener Mendelyaner on previous postings has prompted me to record the sporadic emergences of other words and phrases that careered in my growing-up home. Are they Yiddish, Russian/Polish/Lithuanian, or a chulunt of all four plus a soupcon of Hebrew and German? (By the way, "chulunt" was pronounced as one syllable by everyone I ever knew as "chuh'nt" and I always assumed that anyone who took the pains to pronounce both syllables had never tasted this indescribable mishmash.) Here are a few more ( with apologies for the homegrown phonetics): Makhareykeh -- a gizmo, a tool, an apparatus, a thing that did something to something else, used when a proper name could not be found or given to that mysterious something. Makhshelmeynikeh -- usually applied to little, mischevous boys, but also to young adults overheard boasting of masculine prowess and being forced to admit that in the consummation process, enjoyment, not protection, was der ehrster zokh at the moment. Totally ineffective without a severe ear-twisting. Schnupp -- As in "Ehr shluft vee a schnupp." Nearest I can come is the Opossum which sleeps upside down, suspended by its tail. What did Mom know about Opossums. They didn't eat them (not my Mammy!), so which animal sleeps so deeply? Could it be, after all these years, something inanimate? A Plitkeh -- The biggest candy treat, in more ways than one, that we kids could have. It was that giant flat platter of Hershey's, with or without nuts, that sold for a quarter and required our being good for a minimum of three years without any infraction whatsoever. A "plitkeh chocolate" was the ne plus ultra of bribery, reward, pimples --- alles. Guhzheh -- I took this to mean a big pile, a lump, a lot of something, including phlegm as in "Du hust gehusten a ganser guhzheh." It was used to signify a lot of trouble, too. Padleh/ Padlukheh -- invariably preceded by "alter." I was immeasurably helped on "panendreh" and these words seem to go hand-in-hand with the previous inquiry. Somehow, I recall the second usage as being somewhat (or even more) endearingly uttered. Though they slung these gutteralisms around like frisbees, my folks stayed married for almost 70 years, which says a lot for the therapeutic value of some plain and fancy country "zidlen. " Bourkhtch -- one of the manifold ways of saying "hit, smack" etc., with each word having gradations in force and cause/effect. Another is "Khmahlyeh." These sound Russian as opposed to "klop" or "schmeiss" which sound like they crossed over from German. What, then, about "frask." German, also? A hartsik geruss un a shaynen dahnk. Mel Poretz 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 17 Apr 1998 23:16:06 +0100 (BST) From: Anna Shternshis Subject: the letters in Yiddish Dear mendelyaners, I would like to introduce myself again. My name is Anna Shternshis, I am a student at Oxford University at the moment, but I come from Moscow. I am working now on the project, which aims to describe Jewish popular culture in the Soviet Union in 1917 - 1941. I am especially interested in Yiddish clubs, small Yiddish theatres, local anti-religious carnivals, popular literature, and so on. I am now in constant search for the materials for my work. The most valuable sources are the personal narratives - the memoirs, diaries, letters of the people who lived in the Soviet Union during the mentioned period. On the other hand I know ,that there are many people whose grandparents and parents came from the former Soviet Union, and at present they live in America, Israel etc. I can assume they have some Yiddish letters, memoirs, diaries, which they can not read because they don't read Yiddish or Russian. For me it would be very important and interesting to read this sort of material. I am ready to translate it into English if the owner wish so, absolutely free, and send back in the typed form. In short, if you know somebody, who has the letters from their relatives, ot relatives of their parents or grandparents, and they want them to be translated, and I am ready to do that free of charge. I am mostly interested in the letters and other personal narratives from Ukraine, Belorussia, and Russia in the period of 1917 - 1941, but variations are possible as well. I really hope I will get some responces, Tayere Mendelyaners, Ikh vil nokh a mol zikh forshteln. Mayn nomen is Anya Shternshis, itst shtudir ikh in Oxford University in England, ober ikh shtam fun Moskve. Itst arbet ikh af mayn doktorat, vos khest Di Yidishe populere kul;tur in Sovetnfarband 1917 - 1941. Basunders, bin ikh farinteresirt in yidishe klubn, kleyne teatres, sovetishe yidishe lider, yidishe anti-religioeze karnavaln un di enlekhe zakhn. Ikh bin zeyer farinteresirt in dem protsess fun der kultulerer transformatsie fun di yidn in Sovetn farband. Di vikhtikste kvaln far dem zaynen di zikhoines fun di menchn, vos khobn dos ibergelebt. Ikh zukh di materialn vegn der populerer kul'tur in Rusland, un tsum badoyern zaynen nit azoi fil menchn geblibn vos ken dertseyln mir vos is geshen. Ikh bin zeyer farinteresirt tsu leyenen di briv, memuarn un enlekhe zakhn afile zey khobn nit kein direkte informatsie vegn di kul'turele zakhn. Ikh bin greyt tsu iberzetsn zey af English umzist. Ikh mein, az dos ken zayn zeyer a nutslekhe zakh far beyde zatsn. Az tsu makhn dos bekitser, oyb ir khot briv oder memuarn, oder enlekhe zakhn (personal narratives) fun di menchn, vos khobn gelebt in Ukraine, Vaisrusland, Rusland, un andere teyln fun Sovetn farband in 1917 - 1941, ikh bin greyt tsu iberzetsn zey af English far aikh, un tsu shikn dos tsurik bald un computer-gedrukt. Ikh khof zeyer az ikh vel bakumen khotch etlekhe entfers. Ayers, Anna Shternshis 5)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 18 Apr 1998 12:50:16 +0400 From: "Andrey Bredstein" Subject: ployneste In Mendele 07.187 hot Seymour Axelrod dermont dos vort "ployneste": "Neither Harkavy nor U. Weinreich includes the word." Take? In mayne verterbikher shteyt es ober geshribn azoy: Harkavi, [z. 372] ployne - emetser (vegn a mantsbl) (Mr. N) ploynes - emetser (vegn a froy) ployne-ben-ployne - emetser, dem emetsens zun ployneste - vayb Vaynraykh, [z. 493] ployne-ben-ployne - emetser (Mr. So-and-So) ployneste - vayb (ironish) Ale oybndermonte verter shtamen fun hebreish, vu mir vobn "ployni" (emetser), "ployni almoyni" (emetser) un oykh "ploynis" (vayb); der sufiks "-te" iz gikher fun alts a daytsher. Ikh hob keynmol nit getrofn dos vort "ployne" in a batayt fun "man" say in literatur, say in geredter shprakh. Un far di, velkhe hobn, nebekh, keyn Stutshkov nit, vet efsher kumen tsu nuts ot di folgndike reshime (Stutshkov, [z. 646-647]): MAN - khasene-gehater, bavaybter, farheyrater (man), oysgegebener, farshleyerter, bal-ishe, ben-zug, ziveg, mitshlefer, dernerer, shpayzer, broytgeber, parnose-geber, parnose-greber, farzorger, mayner, lebns-ba(g)leyter, kidesh-makher, meylekh, imerman [gegeter], damen-shnayder (shlogt dos vayb), mandre, mandyuk, bamanenish, balomenish, yold, doil. VAYB - froy, khasene-gehate, bamante, farheyrate (froy), oysgegebene, farshleyerte, tsugedekter kop, ishe, eyshes-ish, erve [fun tanakh], bas-zug(oy), zugosi, mayne, (mayn) yidene, (mayn) ploynes(te), ziveg, lebns-ba(g)leytern, besere helft, eyzer-kenegdoy, mitshlefern, malke, tsiherstu, tsihorkhstu, imervayb [gegete], vaybero, yoldevke, doilevke, pilegesh, keps-vayb, mitvayb [fun tanakh]. Andrey Bredstein mk"k Moskve 6)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 19 Apr 1998 13:22:08 -0400 (EDT) From: "imaginary_press@iname.com" Subject: ployneste Re: inquiry on "ployneste." The Yiddish "ployne," meaning "so-and-so" or "what's-his-name," comes from the Hebrew "ploni," which presumably shares a proto-semitic root with the Arabic "fulan," which further surfaces in such places as modern Spanish in the form "fulano." Kenneth Wishnia 7)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 21 Apr 1998 12:31:55 -0400 From: Harvey Spiro Subject: ployneste Shleyme Axelrod asked about the word *ployneste,* meaning wife. The word ployneste consists of a Hebrew base and a Slavic suffix. Ploynes, or plonit in Israeli pronunciation, is the feminine form of ploni. Found occasionally in the Talmud, ploni is still used in modern Hebrew to refer to an anonymous third person, like John Doe, *a certain Mr. X,* or simply *someone.* It can be used as a place-holder in legal forms, where Ploni would be akin to *the first party* and Almoni would be *the second party.* With pedigree, he becomes Ploni ben Ploni. Sometimes, he is given a surname, and becomes Ploni Almoni. My impression is that the term ployneste is a generally a humorous term, like *my better half.* Tevye der milkhiger uses this term occasionally to refer to his wife Golde; here, for instance, Tevye is negotiating shidukhim with Layzer Volf in Hayntige Kinder: Makheteyse, zog ikh, in mir iz keyn meniye; me badarf dokh ober iber-redn mit mayn ployneste, zog ikh, in azelkhe zakhn hot zi di daye ... Fine with me, I say, I won't prevent it. However, I'll have to talk it over with my better half, I say; in such matters she's got the final word. Because of the non-phonetic Hebrew spelling, it may be difficult for some to find in the dictionary, but Weinreich does list ployneste on page 493. Sholem Aleichem occasionally uses another humorous term for *my wife,* this one taken directly from Hebrew: zugosi. The word zug in Hebrew means *pair,* so zugosi (or zugati in Israeli Hebrew) literally means *my female counterpart or partner.* Interestingly, the same formulation, mutatis mutandis, is found in Arabic to mean *my wife,* although I*m told that the term has no negative or humorous connotations: zawajti. Harvey Spiro Vienna, Virginia 8)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 22 Apr 98 10:00:35 +0300 From: Michael Shimshoni Subject: Ployneste In Vol. 07.187 Seymour Axelrod asked about the origin of Ployneste for wife. He specifically asks: 1. What is the source language of the word? Slavic? 2. Is there a masculine meaning 'husband'? The origin is not Slavic but Hebrew, it being the female form of the Biblical Ploni (ployni) for someone or something the actual name of which is not mentioned as in Ruth 4,1. In the Bible it goes together with almoni (almoyni) but in the Talmud the almoni is dropped. AFAIK it is not used in the same sense for husband. In the Even Shoshan dictionary I found that the term (for as wive) had been used by our own Mendele in his Benyamin the Third. I do not know the exact title in Yiddish :-( While these days the use is usually in a humorous form its origin *could* have been in some ancient "modesty" of not being too "familiar" by using the actual name of someone's wife. Michael Shimshoni 9)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 19 Apr 98 06:07:02 PDT From: ada01@netvision.net.il Subject: Razel Zychlinski Shalom, I have added a section in my web site, dedicated to the great poet Razel Zychlinski who came from the shtetl of my parents Gombin, Poland. It is located at: http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/4017/RAZEL.HTM I would like to add her biography and I wonder if anyone of you may have a written article about her in English, to add to my web page. Thank you and shalom Ada Holtzman ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 07.188 Address for the postings to Mendele: mendele@lists.yale.edu Address for the list commands: listproc@lists.yale.edu Mendele on the Web: http://www2.trincoll.edu/~mendele http://sunsite.unc.edu/yiddish/mendele.html