Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 1 no. 156 February 2, 1992 1) Introduction (Daniel Frank) 2) Standard Yiddish (Margaret Winters) 3) 'Shoah' and Yiddish (Dovid Braun) 4) Ludic Yiddish (Aren Abramson) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 31 Jan 92 15:31 GMT From: DFRANK@VAX.OXFORD.AC.UK Subject: Introduction I am a Fellow of the Oxford Centre for Postgraduate Hebrew Studies. My field is NOT Yiddish (I specialize in Medieval Jewish History and Hebrew Literature with an emphasis on Jewish culture in the lands of Islam and more specifically, Karaitica). Nevertheless, I am very much interested in Yiddish (Read, Understand, Speak it). Please regard me as a dedicated amateur. Dr. Daniel Frank Oxford Centre for Postgraduate Hebrew Studies and Wolfson College Oxford 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 31 Jan 92 09:53:10 CST From: GA3704@SIUCVMB.BITNET Subject: Standard Yiddish A comment and a couple of questions: When I studied at the Sholem Aleichem Folkshul, I was told that we were being taught a `standard Yiddish' pronunciation and spelling, based on the standard of the New York Yiddish theatre. Is this a random choice, or was the theatrical Yiddish pronunciation consciously standardized (in the early part of the century, I would imagine)? Also, where would I find information about what you are all referring to as `standard'? About a standardized transcription system? I am thoroughly enjoying reading Mendele - and rediscovering a great deal of Yiddish in the process! Margaret Winters Carbondale, Illinois 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 31 Jan 92 16:42:39 EST From: braund@linc.cis.upenn.edu Subject: Yiddish absent from where it should be Yude-Leyb Proger's mention of the Andrzej Wajda film reminded me of the absence of Yiddish in Claude Lanzmann's film "Shoah". Seven (or how many?) hours of documentary on the Holocaust in three (or four? five?) different languages, with native French-, German-, Polish-speaking interviewers and translators, and no Yiddish interviews. (I don't think I saw the whole movie -- please correct me if I'm wrong or confirm this if I'm right.) -- Dovid Braun 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 31 Jan 92 16:55:41 EST From: "Arthur S. Abramson" Subject: Ludic Yiddish I truly enjoued reading Yude-Leyb Proger's "Ludic Yiddish," especially Part 2. I wonder whether he would consider sending a ms. of it to the National Yiddish Book Center in Amherst,Massachusetts. Perhaps Aaron Lansky would publish it in "Der Pakn Treyger." [Later, in a second post:] My message of a few minutes ago uring wider circulation of Yude-Leyb's "Ludic Yiddish" mentioned only Parts 1 and 2, as I had not yet noticed Part 3. Part 3 is good too! Aren Abramson ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol 1.156