Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 2 no. 23 July 7, 1992 1) Ferbissene (Yitzhak Kertesz) 2) Farbisn (Mikhl Herzog) 3) Mickey Katz (Alex Rosenberg) 4) Zol er zogn (Noyekh Miller) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 3 Jul 92 10:26:38 PDT From: Yitzhak Kertesz Subject: ferbissene According to most sources ferbissene is grim, morose, bitter. But a suggestion: can "ferbissene" in our context refer to a woman who has rabies? (i.e. bitten by a dog) This would certainly explain the accompanying sympathetic magic (knocking on wood, etc.) that HBERSHAD is reporting (2.21 #4) Miese meshune referring to a dangerous woman reminds me of the Central (European) Yiddish pre-penicillin expression: "shene krankheit", if you know what I mean. A footnote regarding M. Viswanath's question (2.21 #2) about sigge. k - g interchange is quite normal in older texts, I just happened to bump into one last night in the Melokim-buk "yunkfrau" instead of yung. Another - not too nice - example would be shaygets vs. shikse. Yitzhak Kertesz 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 5 Jul 92 19:14 EDT From: ZOGUR@CUVMB.Columbia.edu Subject: Farbisn To whom it may concern; "farbisn" means 'stubborn', 'grim' (of "teeth clenching" character); cf. German "verbissen " 'crabbed, sour(ed), dogged, savage (in fighting). Harkavy also glosses it 'cunning'. Why? Slavic calque? Meylekh: Everything you ever wanted to know about "k" and "g" (among other things) in Western Yiddish. Largely in southwestern Western Yiddish, there is no distinction between word-initial "p" and "b" or between word- initial "t" and "d". The mergers favor the lenis variants "b" and "d". Thus, for example, both "tales" (prayer shawl) and "dales" (poverty) are indistinguishably something like "dales". On the other hand, word-initial "k" and "g" are phonemically distinct. However, the distinction is often neutralized before "r" (again, in favor of the lenis variant); thus "xrejn" (horseradish) which is generally "krejn" in WY is "grejn" in the sSW; "xrmzl" (type of pancake), generally WY "krimzl" is "grimzl" (and in Alsace, "frimzl"). A similar distinction occurs word-medially: "jakres" (scarcity) is "jagres" and the distinctive WY word "ho:lekra:sh" (a naming ceremony) is "ho:legra:sh". Finally, intervocalic "k" also shifts to "g" in parts of the West; thus, "suke" is realized as "sige" and "joker" (expensive) as "jo:gr". BUT intervocalic "k" and "g" DO NOT MERGE: there is a distinction-preserving shift; intervocalic, lenis stop "g" shifts to fricative "x"; both "brojgez" (angry) and "brokhes" (blessings) are realized as "bro:xes". There is a parallel development in the shift of intervocalic "b" to "v", thus, "shaves" and "reve", accompanied by a distinction-preserving shift of original "v" to "f": "xefre", "lefaje" and the like. More than enough, right? Mikhl 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 6 Jul 1992 13:37:05 +1000 From: alex@goanna.cs.rmit.oz.AU Subject: RE: Mendele Vol 2.22 I have been reading Mendele with great interest, for the last few months and I was wondering if anyone amongst your readers could give me some information about a man (a very short one), called Mickey Katz who came to Melbourne, Australia, in the late 40,s to give a concert. He played a clarinet quite magnificently but also sang songs (paradies of popular tunes) half in English and half in Yiddish. At the time I thought the lyrics were rather clever and bought a record of some of the songs. I have not heard anything about him since then and I was wondering if there are any books available, either about the man or giving some of those very clever lyrics. I would appreciate any information anyone might have about Mickey Katz - if he is still alive - or about his work. Alex Rosenberg 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 6 Jul 92 18:31 EST From: NMILLER%TRINCC.bitnet@YaleVM.YCC.Yale.Edu Subject: Zol er zogn I wonder if anyone knows whether this expression is basically of European origin or whether it has perhaps a Talmudic past, as in the very common 'litney' (let him teach, argue, say). Noyekh ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol 2.23 If your message is intended for MENDELE, please write to: mendele@vax1.trincoll.edu If you want to discuss personal business or have a shmues with the shames, please write to: nmiller@vax1.trincoll.edu Please sign your articles.