Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 08.149 May 4, 1999 1) lernen (Liebe Denner) 2) suppletion in verb inflection (Ljuba Veselinova) 3) Mezinke Tantz (Bernard Katz) 4) Dzhigan un Shumakher (Gilles Rozier) 5) zikh or zakh (Mikhl Herzog) 6) zikh or zakh (Shmuel Batt) 7) zikh, zakh, and mikh (Sam Kweskin) 8) zikh or zakh (Feygl Infeld Glezer) 9) zikh or zakh (Hugh Denman) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 28 Apr 1999 19:25:59 -0400 (EDT) From: bruce denner Subject: lernen Tayere Mendelistn-- I'm under the impression that "lernen" can mean either to TEACH or to LEARN. I'm unaware of another word that would distinguish the two activities. If this is an accurate observation, would someone in the know explain this conflation. As a teacher, I find it interesting to consider how languages/cultures view the relationship between teaching and learning. A sheynem dank-- Liebe Denner 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 28 Apr 1999 20:14:22 -0400 From: Ljuba Veselinova Subject: suppletion in verb inflection I am writing my dissertation on suppletion in verb inflection (the typical is example for this is _go_ in the present, _went_ in past, that is the use of two different morphological stems in one and the same paradigm). One of the goals is to provide a broad database showing the distribution of this phenomenon in the languages of the world, both on the synchronic and diachronic levels. I have a short online questionnaire which I would like filled out by people who are either native speakers or specialists in particular languages. Ljuba Veselinova Stockholm, Sweden 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 27 Apr 1999 18:46:26 -0400 (EDT) From: Bernard Katz Subject: Mezinke Tantz Rifka Wein notes that she has been told this dance in part celebrates the parents' "good fortune" in having married off their youngest child and so being relieved of a major life-cycle responsibility. At the same time, I have heard songs that reflect the 'empty nest' in a very poignant manner: for eg. Drey Tekhterlekh (by M. Gebirtig?), where the singer is moved by seeing the mezinkele's empty clothes cupboard-armoir (klederschank) and comments on how still the house has become. There also are, of course, examples of songs that celebrate the end of this part of the life-cycle. I'm not near any of my music ref.books, so can only recall the one that has the refrain: "di mezinke oysgegeben, di mezinke oysgegeben". My own understanding of the word is that mezinke refers to the youngest daughter. Tzum gezundt! Bernard Katz Guelph, Ontario 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 28 Apr 1999 12:11:18 -0400 (EDT) From: "Gilles Rozier" Subject: Dzhigan un Shumakher Dzhigan un Shumakher Ikh zukh di date fun toyt fun Shimen Dzhigan (1905 - ?) un beyde dates (geburt un toyt) fun Isroel Shumakher. Oyb a guter kener fun yidishn teater ken mir oykh helfn gefinen di dates fun di vayterdike mentshn volt es geven nokh beser: H. Shvarts (vos hot gemakht di kostiumen fun der opere "Dovid un Bassheve" in Varshe in 1924) Benyomin Nitsberg Boris Tomashevski (1886-?) Gilles Rozier Paris, France 5)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 29 Apr 1999 00:32:13 -0400 (EDT) From: "Mikhl Herzog" Subject: ZICH or ZAKH [zikh], [zekh], [zkh], [zakh]--regional variants--are all spelled as _zikh_ in Yiddish letters. For many, _zikh_ is simply a "spelling pronunciation". Mikhl Herzog 6)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 29 Apr 1999 11:55:28 -0400 (EDT) From: samuel batt Subject: zikh & zakh "zikh" vert banutzt in literatur, "zakh" is banutzt in dialektn (in gevise teyln vun volin un pododolie) beyde zenen kosher loyt mayn meynung. oyb a shrayber wil ibergeben dem leyner dem autentishn dialekt funem rayon, vet er shraybn "s'zol "zakh" nisht trefn vos s'ken zakhtrefn" ober inem klal Yiddish zogt men zikh trefn. Shmuel Batt 7)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 29 Apr 1999 17:17:02 -0400 (EDT) From: ESSAIKAY@aol.com Subject: zikh, zakh, and mikh Al Grand raises an interesting isue with ZIKH and ZAKH---but that gives rise to yet another question: whatever happened to ther first person reflexive MIKH, or was it NEVER applied in Yiddish as it was in German? Sam Kweskin 8)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 29 Apr 1999 19:17:42 -0400 (EDT) From: Feigl I Glaser Subject: ZIKH UN ZAKH To Al Grand: Ir kent zogn ZIKH, ZAKH, ZEKH. ZIEKH, ZOKH oder vi ir zolt nit filn bakvemer, ober shraybn darft ir ZIKH (zayen yud lange khof). Beste grusn, Feygl Infeld Glezer 9)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 1 May 1999 13:31:13 -0400 (EDT) From: Hugh Denman Subject: zikh/ zakh With reference to Al Grand's query [08.145:6], I think it may for once be said that the answer is fairly straightforward. For etymological reasons 'zikh' is spelled 'zikh' in standard Yiddish. However, a general phonetic rule operates in Yiddish requiring vowel lowering* before khof, khes and reysh. Hence the pronunciation (in all normal, i.e. non-stilted) situations is [ZAKH]. This being so, many people spell 'zakh', because this is what they hear. However, the correct spelling remains 'zikh'. {* 'lowering' means that the tongue is lowered in the mouth. The same effect is achieved if the jaw is opened further.} Hugh Denman London, England ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 08.149 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