Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 08.107 January 10, 1999 1) "Concordance" far _vi kumt di kats ibern vaser_ (Berish Goldstein) 2) Yiddish Word Order (Ingo Wagener) 3) A yidisher vits (Al Grand) 4) 2nd Ave Theater in NY (Ralph Feller) 5) "Lailekh" (Joachim Neugroschel) 6) use of "bod" (Irv Young) 7) "Nupse" (John Romanyshyn) 8) Joseph Roth in Yiddish (Noyekh Miller) 9) New list for children of Holocaust survivors (Reyzl Kalifowicz-Waletzky) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 7 Jan 1999 11:56:02 -0500 (EST) From: Barry Goldstein Subject: "Concordance" far _vi kumt di kats ibern vaser_ khevre -- efsher ir hot dos bikhl _vi kumt di kats ibern vaser?_ (_1000 yidish idiomen_) fun yosef guri? a fayn bikhl, ober es hot nit keyn indeks un derfar iz's a mol a bisl shver tsu nitsn. kh'hob geshribn a por komputer-programen vos makhn an indeks, a "concordance" fun ale di verter inem bikhl. un oykh, danken got, hob ikh nor vos geendikt dos araynklapn ale di idiomen af der mashin. (un ikh muz onzogn as reb yosef iz undz shuldik 84 idiomen -- zaynen faran nor 916 inem bikhl.) nu, far vos shrayb ikh aykh? ikh darf a bisl hilf mitn leyenen korektur mayn araynklapn eyder ikh ken nitsn di programen. oyb ir hot dos bikhl un oykh a bisl tsayt, zayt azoy gut un lomikh visn. ikh hob ale di idiomen in "QTEXT format" (far PCs, nit keyn MACs, nebekh) un oykh opgedrukt af papir, vi ir vilt. un ire fraynd oykh. ver helft krigt umzist a kopie funem indeks; ver helft nit muz farlangen benimes a kopie. a dank foroys, Berish Goldstein Newtonville, MA 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 7 Jan 1999 08:27:42 -0500 (EST) From: "Ingo Wagener" Subject: Yiddish Word Order I am studying linguistics at the University of Manchester (UK) and am currently involved in a project which is looking at clause structure in Yiddish. You will probably all be aware that Yiddish has a basic SVO word order (subject, verb, object), not unlike English. This is not entirely predictable, as Yiddish's nearest cognate (or sister language) is German, which displays an underlying SOV order. There are, however, some constructions in Yiddish, which continue to display SOV qualities. Should any of you know how this reversal of word order came about I would be very interested to hear about these events. Not being a Yiddish speaker I wondered if I may use this list to gather data (if, of course, this is acceptable and/or of interest to the owners/users). In particular I am interested in the acceptability of preverbal nominal objects. If I may expand: Ix hob gezen Moisn follows the predicted SVO order, but according to the data I have come across the reverse (and threfore SOV version ) is equally acceptable: Ix hob Moisn gezen. Indeed, if we have two objects (direct and indirect), the indirect must precede the verb, as in: Er hot Soren nextn gegebn a matone. while it is supposedly unacceptable to have two nominal objects preceeding the verb, as in: Er hot Soren dos bux gegebn. From having followed your list for a short while I get a glimpse of the many dialects and versions that together represent 'Yiddish'. My ignorance of the language hinders my enquiries and I wondered if any of you could point me in the right direction in terms of reading, or just reply as to what you think is acceptable and whether different dialects display differing word order rules. In return I would freely offer any findings by way of short paper should you be interested. Thanking you in advance for your time Ingo Wagener Manchester 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 31 Dec 1998 12:36:47 -0500 (EST) From: Savoyid@aol.com Subject: A yidisher vits For those who may have missed it or who don't subscribe to the Yiddish _Forverts_ here is a charming bit of whimsy that appeared in the humor column of the current (Dec. 25th) edition: [My transliteration] A yid iz gevorn shver tsu trogn af zikh dem yidishn goles, hot er eyn inderfri bashlosn zikh tsu shmadn. Tsu morgns zet dos vayb vi er shteyt oyf in der fri, leygt tfiln, tut on dem tales un heybt on davenen. Zogt im s'vayb, "Kh'hob gemeynt, Yosl, az du host zikh geshmadt." Der yid git zikh a klap in shtern un shrayt oys: "Goyisher kop!!" Al Grand 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 5 Jan 1999 19:18:41 -0500 (EST) From: RFeller563@aol.com Subject: 2nd Ave Theater in NY Recently, Alan Berkowitz of Montgomery, Alabama, wrote about seeing Jewish shows at the Second Avenue Theater. I, too, was about ten at the time, and since the theater was the love of my parents' life, I saw all of those wonderful performers. When the show was over, (musicals) they would sell the sheet music in the lobby. We had a piano at home, and while mom played, I sang. (the words, of course, were on the music sheet). I learned a good deal of my Yiddish in that manner, but more importantly, developed a love of Yiddish music that remains until today. Ralph Feller 5)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 5 Jan 1999 19:08:54 -0500 (EST) From: ACHIM1 Subject: "Lailekh" Contrary to Leo Secunda's supposition, the Yiddish noun "lailekh" (= sheet) does not derive from a medieval French dialect: it's from the now obselete German word "Lailekh"/"Lailaken" (= linen sheet), which goes back to Old High German "lailahhan"--and is presumably cognate with modern German "Leinen" (= linen), etc..... Joachim Neugroschel 6)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 6 Jan 1999 11:34:08 -0500 (EST) From: YOU2IG@aol.com Subject: use of "bod" Just to add to the confusion or hopefully to elucidation I suggest the following possibilities for the the expression - Ich hub im in bod. Considering the use of the word bath as in bathroom constituting a reference to the privy, the phrase might constitute a derisive dismissal relegating the subject thereto and if it be an outhouse (as it probably was) all the better. A contemptuous dismissal as in the English "go take a bath". Irv Young Isles of Capri, FL. 7)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 6 Jan 1999 11:39:46 -0500 (EST) From: "John M. Romanyshyn" Subject: "Nupse"? Dear friends Is anyone familiar with an allegedly yiddish word "nupse"? I'm not sure of the spelling. It apparently means a little thing that throw a big thing out of whack. e.g. getting to the airport on time only to discover your plane tickets are in the jacket you decided at the last minuted not to wear on the trip. Many thanks. John Romanyshyn 8)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 06 Jan 1999 17:42:55 -0500 From: nmiller@mail.cc.trincoll.edu Subject: Joseph Roth in Yiddish In Michael Hofmann's introduction to his translation of _The Tale of the 1002nd Night_ (1998) by the great Joseph Roth (1894-1939), there appears an interesting bibliographic note. The novel was perhaps the last of Roth's to be published in his lifetime. But "some copies of an early version of the book were printed and circulated in 1937, and from this version translations were made into Yiddish and distributed in Roth's native Galicia". Surely an odd way of distributing a translation. In any case I have three questions, arranged from small to large. 1. Does anyone have any information about the translation? 2. How was the book received in the Yiddish-reading world? This applies as well to any of Roth's other novels if translated. 3. Which of Roth's "Middle European" contemporaries, e.g. Musil, Broch, Heinrich Mann, Svevo, Nabokov, Canetti, Zweig, Wassermann, etc. were translated and how were they received? (Here some bibiographic references would be sufficient.) A dank. At least two of Roth's other books, by the way, bear a strong resemblance to the grim novel by Israel Rabon (1900-1942), _di gas_ (1928, reissued by Magnes Press, 1986, with a fine introductory essay by the late Chone Shmeruk). I haven't read the first of these, _Hotel Savoy_ (1924), but Shmeruk himself points out the parallel, though he doubts whether Rabon had read it. Shmeruk doesn't mention a second Roth novel, _Flight Without End_ (1927) which is so much like _di gas_ in feel and mood that the protagonists from one could easily trade places in alternate chapters with no injury to either story. No nasty suspicions intended. The truth is the strangest of all accounts. Noyekh Miller 9)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 3 Jan 1999 09:57:09 -0500 (EST) From: Reyzl Kalifowicz-Waletzky Subject: A new mailing list for children of Holocaust survivors I have started a new discussion list for children of Holocaust survivors as part of my attempts in recent years to establish an international organization of children of Holocaust survivors. I do this not only as a child of two Holocaust survivors, but very much as a Yiddishist who has always believed az merste fun di kinder fun sheyres-hapleyte kenen shoyn Yidish. Men darf zey nor untermutikn aroystsubrengen dos Yidish loshn vos ligt nor pasiv in zeyer moykh. A sakh fun di kinder redn Yidish fun der heym zeyer fayn un darfn nor visn az s'iz nisht keyn kultureler flek :). Az mir veln dos oyfton, vet Yidish kenen lebn oyser khsidishe krayzn. Tsveytns, darfn kinder fun sheyres-hapleyte bashtimen vos men zol ton mit di groyse sumes gelter vos veln onkumen in etlekhe yor arum. Bay mir, iz es zeyer klor az nokh dem vos me vet shenken di gelter lebns-gebline, zoln di hoypt gelter geyn af oyftsuhaltn di Yidishe shprakh un kultur, un tsu di Yidishistishe organizatsyes vos tuen di arbet, spitsyel YIVO. Ikh hof az di kinder fun sheyres-hapleyte af Mendele veln tsushteln a pleytse tsu der arbet fun organizirn un virkn af der meye-deye az dos iz der yoysherdikster banits fun di gelter. Mamshekh zayn di mizrekh-eyropeyishe kultur iz der bester oyfn vi, say optsushafn Hitlers tatn, say tsu farheylikn di kedoyshim. Itst iz di tsayt tsu organizirn Yidish-institutsyes af dem tsvek. Oyb ir zayt farinteresirt in helfn shafn/banayen an internatsionale organizatsye fun kinder fun sheyres-hapleyte oder in zikh farshraybn af der nayer liste vu di gelt inyonim veln vern arumgeredt, lozt mikh glaykh visn. Di 2G-Legacy diskusye liste heybt on haynt zuntik nokh mitog iz, filt oys di aplikatsye azoy gikh vi meglekh. The 2G-Legacy mailing list is a new list for children and grandchildren of Jewish Holocaust Survivors, dedicated to the discussion of, and hopefully action on, social, political, and historical issues related to the Holocaust. Rather than a list for the exploration of psychological and parental relationship issues, this is a list for those who want to focus on understanding and furthering the legacy of the Holocaust. The goals of the list are: (1) greater awareness among, and education of, second and third generation children of Holocaust survivors so that we may learn to (2) implement effective memory, action, and justice for Holocaust victims and the perpetuation and (3) revival of the Jewish (particularly Yiddish) culture that the Nazis tried to destroy. This list will be a place for informed discussion on all issues important to 2G's, especially political, historical, and financial Holocaust issues. To subscribe to this list, send the following message: subscribe 2G-Legacy your-first-name your-last-name to: listproc@shamash.org NOTE: You must subscribe with your real name. No aliases are allowed. All e-mail addresses will be verified. Reyzl Kalifowicz-Waletzky list-owner ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 08.107 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://metalab.unc.edu/yiddish/mendele.html