Mendele: Yiddish literature and language --------------------------------------------------- Contents of Vol. 1 no. 6 May 29, 1991 1) Yiddish in English (David Sherman and NM) 1)------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 27 May 1991 21:59:52 -0400 From: David Sherman Subject: RE: Mendele Vol.1 No.5 > a) how many of these words show up in the English > spoken by Forverts readers and b) how many show up even > in the _Yiddish_ spoken by Forverts readers. If the definition of Forverts readers is generally non-religious Jews, then of course the answer is very few. I found nothing at all unusual about the examples given -- they were all sentences I might have spoken myself. Note that the majority of the Yiddish words that are used in English are words relating to the religion. Note also that in many cases there is no English word that *really* has the same meaning, and carries the same connotations, as the Yiddish word that's used. > Whatever the reason one wants to be with a > Boro Park family--for a simcha, for a shid- > duch, for companionship, for chinuch, for > chizuck,...the Committee and its 90 baalei > battim welcome you (Jewish Journal, Dec. 12, > 1975, p.22). Can you really translate simcha and shidduch? Note that even where these words do have English translations, the use of the Yiddish word restricts the meaning to "a Jewish X". One might refer to a "celebration" or "festivity", but these have a much wider meaning. A simcha is specifically a Jewish event that is celebrated within the Jewish traditions. There's also some question as to whether these usages are Yiddish brought into English, or Hebrew brought into English. Some are clearly Yiddish. But, as a test, consider how many of the words might be used by an Israeli living in the U.S. (with a different accent on a word like "simcha", of course). > Since we had only one Sefer Torah it was > agreed that the Ashkenazim would leyn first > ...and we leyned after the roll call (Jewish > Life, July 1973, pp.45-46). What's unusual here? To leyn has a specific meaning (to read from the Torah during services). What other word could you possibly use? "Read" would *not* have the same meaning. The same goes for Sefer Torah, which is a specific object for which there is no other convenient term. I would agree that these are all examples of Judaeo-English. Whether the words migrated into Judaeo-English through Yiddish or through Hebrew is probably irrelevant. > And my favorite: > > We must practice Ahavoh not Sinoh; we must > build Yiddishkeit, not destroy it. If a > non-frum boy moves into your neighborhood.. > be mekarev him (Darkenu, July 1975, p.7). Again, perfectly normal speech, if you live in the Orthodox world. Ahavoh and Sinoh have arrived in the language directly from Hebrew rather than through Yiddish, I would venture to say. Again, all the words given are simply the most convenient and appropriate words to use; the parallel English words pale in expressiveness, and would not convey the right connotations. Next time you're in an Orthodox shul listening to a drosha (here, I'm doing it myself without realizing it!), pretend you're not Jewish and don't understand a word of Hebrew, Aramaic or Yiddish. Then see if you can follow the drosha in the slightest. David Sherman Toronto ************** To which NM replies: > Thanks for your post. I'm afraid you read me as suggesting something > abnormal or unusual about Boro Park English. I intended the exact > opposite: it's as normal as the ads Ellen Prince posted and to which > I was in a sense adding from the other side. *************** And Dave: Ah. I see what you mean. Feel free to add your own commentary to my contribution when you include it. ************** Done. Dave Sherman and I are obviously maskim one the other.