Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 08.137 March 25, 1999 1) Sidre fun der vokh: an eygnartike reshime (Zackary Berger) 2) Israel Zangwill (David Sherman) 3) Israel Zangwill (Sidney Belman) 4) bawdy yidish folksong (Sidney Belman) 5) What to say to a sneeze? (Yankev Lewis) 6) Getting Yiddish book from IEC (Gilles Rozier) 7) nozem (Ariane Zwiers) 8) nozem (Jessica Hummel) 9) nozem (Rene Dirks) [Moderator's note: to avoid accusations of being an armchair shames I am undertaking a field trip to the countries with the high density of Mendele subscribers, where I will personally check the situation around timely distribution of Mendele digests. As a result there might be an interruption in the delivery of new issues until my return on April 15th. A freylekhn kosher peysekh! - i.v.] 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 18 Mar 1999 12:09:16 -0500 (EST) From: Zackary Berger Subject: Sidre fun der vokh: an eygnartike reshime Azoy vi rosh koydesh nisn iz eyner fun di fir rosheshones bay yidn, nem ikh di gelegnhayt vider mefarsem tsu zayn undzer sidre-fun-der-vokh reshime. Ikh veys nisht fun keyn ander reshime fun dem min, vu yidn shikn arayn un hobn hanoe fun droshes af der toyre-parshe fun der vokh. Ale -- frume un fraye, yidn un nisht-yidn, mener un froyen -- zaynen hartsik farbetn. Zayt mit undz -- di reshime tseylt shoyn keynenhore hekher 40 nefoshes! Shikt a blitsbrivl (elektronish brivl) Sholem Berger, bergez01@med.nyu.edu. A freylekhn peysekh, Sholem Berger 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 19 Mar 1999 01:06:13 -0500 (EST) From: "David M. Sherman" Subject: Israel Zangwill I don't know anything about his Yiddish writings, but Israel Zangwill wrote some translations of the High Holiday piyyutim, published in the "Service of the Synagogue" (British) machzor set. The most remarkable is his translation of "amnam keyn", in the Kol Nidre service, where he followed the Hebrew acrostic and metre: Ay, 'tis thus evil us hath in bond By Thy grace guilt efface and respond "Forgiven!" Cast scorn o'er and abhor th'informer's word Dear G-d, deign this refrain to make heard "Forgiven!" [etc.] David M. Sherman 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 19 Mar 1999 16:53:55 -0500 (EST) From: Sidney Belman Subject: I.Zangwill The person who wishes information on I.Zangwill will find much on: www.bibliofind.com or write to admin@bibliofind.com Sidney Belman 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 18 Mar 1999 21:04:45 -0500 (EST) From: Sidney Belman Subject: bawdy yidish folksong I believe that "embarrassing" yidish folksongs are part of our heritage and should be regarded as such. The following ditty was sung to me over 70 years ago by a friend. I can recall only a short segment. I would appreciate more verses if anyone recalls them. Tsar Nikolay Tsar Nikolay, Tsar Nikolay,zog mir mit vemen host du khasene gehat. A kurve, a shmate, an oysgtrente late, Zog mir mit vemen host du khasene gehat. Dort in gas shteyt zi, Und mit dem toches dreyt zi, Zog mir mit vemen host du khasene gehat. Weinreich doesn't include toches (such a good yidish vort), but Harkavy does. Sidney Belman 5)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 11 Mar 1999 08:32:58 -0500 (EST) From: Enkin * Lewis Subject: What to say to a sneeze? Because of the flu bugs raging around here we need information on what to say in Yiddish when someone sneezes, once, twice, three times, etc. (the Pregnancy and Childhood Dictionary suggests "tsu gezunt" for the first sneeze and "tsum lebn" for the second sneeze. In our family we tend to sneeze six or seven times in a row.) A dank Yankev Lewis 6)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 8 Mar 1999 05:45:58 -0500 (EST) From: "Gilles Rozier" Subject: Getting Yiddish book from IEC Di Medem-Bibliotek in Pariz hot nokh nit gefunen kayn gute leyzung vi azoy tsu bakumen di naye bikher vas geyen aroys in mizrekh-Eyrope (Rusland, Ukrayne, Vaysrusland un Lite). Tsi emetser ken undz helfn ? Gilles Rozier 7)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 19 Mar 1999 05:35:42 -0500 (EST) From: (A.D. Zwiers) Subject: nozem In answer to Charles Jones I would like to say that the Dutch word nozem/nozum is not Yiddish. Amsterdam slang and even not-slang is full of Yiddish, but most of these words came into the Dutch language not directly from Yiddish but via a thieves'slang, which is called 'Bargoens' (German 'Rotwelsch'). This is also the case with the word nozem. In Dutch we have the word penoze, which means underworld. So, from Yiddish via Bargoens the word parnose came into the language as penoze. And probably nozem (we do not spell nozum) is derived from penoze. The final -m is on the analogy of majem, mokem, ponem etc. Ariane Zwiers Amsterdam 8)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 21 Mar 1999 19:31:19 -0500 (EST) From: "Jessica Hummel" Subject: nozem In his book 'Resten van een taal', a little dictionary of Dutch Jiddisch, H. Beem says that nozem isn't a Yiddish word, but has probably been derived from the word penoze, a dutch slang word that comes from the Yiddish word parnose. In the Official List of Dutch Words the word is spelled nozem. It is still a common Dutch word. Jessica Hummel 9)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 22 Mar 1999 04:52:28 -0500 (EST) From: "Rene Dirks" Subject: nozem/nozum, Amsterdam In answer to a question posted by Charles Jones: The term "nozem" is well-known in dutch slang. Before it became, in the fifties, the designation for an anti-bourgeois youth movement ("the pre-punks class"), a nozem refered to a silly, ignorant boy. The origin of the word is uncertain; according to the "Dikke van Dale" (dutch dictionnary) it could have been derived from the english word: "nothing". Since nozem is also written as nozum, and since the Amsterdam vernacular is full of yiddish idiom, Mr. Jones suggested the word might have a yiddish origin and/or a hebrew root. Therefore I consulted "Jerosche", a dutch dictionairy of "Yiddish proverbs and expressions in the dutch speaking regions"" (author H. Beem, first ed. 1959). But without any succes. Finally, consulting a hebrew dictionary, I found "nezem" meaning "nose-ring". So "nozem" might be a suitable yiddish designation for the modern pearcing-generation. But for the pre-punks of the fifties I found "nothing". mit grus deyn Rene Dirks Sittard, the Netherlands ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 08.137 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