Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 3.008 May 20, 1993 1) Introduction (Hal Berman) 2) Love of Language without Love of its Literature (Bob Werman) 3) Sutzkever and Yiddish Literature (Elliot Hersch Gertel) 4) Transcription, NOT transliteration (Arn Abramson) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed May 19 13:39:54 1993 From: BERMAN E-MAIL Subject: Introduction Sholom Aleichem. Ich heis Hershl Berman (HAL oif einglish) un di transliteratsie fun YIVO gefelt mir nisht zeyer. I also hate typing in transliterated yiddish (note the 2 d's). I was born in Montreal and now make my home in North York, Ontario. Yiddish is my primary language, and I actually remember a time when I couldn't understand anything else (I remember the time, I have to take my parents word that I didn't understand English, although I don't actually recall any english). I am 24 years old and have recently completed my undergraguate degree in Political Science and Biology at the University of Toronto. I took a minor in Yiddish (if I could have I would have taken a major) as well. So far the Yiddish is the only thing that has brought me any quantitative success in life. For the last 3 years I have been a heritage language instructor, teaching Yiddish to children from 6-13. This past year i volunteered as a teaching assistant (no money to hire one in these recessionary times) at the university for the beginner Yiddish course. I found it very rewarding (aside from the pair of Jays tickets one of the students gave me -- no, it wasn't a bribe). I wish i could say that my entire life will be devoted to Yiddish. But in reality I want to be a doctor. However, I can say that Yiddish remains an integral part of my life and I intend to be active in the community, and in addition, if i can marry someone who appreciates (and maybe speaks) Yiddish, my life will not be a failure. I welcome personal corespondence. Hal Berman 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed May 19 16:30:23 1993 From: RWERMAN@vms.huji.ac.il Subject: Love of Language without Love of its Literature I wonder if I will be cursed for an idiot or ignored for a fool as a response to my statement that too few of the readers of Mendele are interested in Yiddish literature. You seem to have gotten no feedback in your attempts to introduce literary themes into the Mendele persiflage. Curses and customs but no literature. Early on I sent in a copy of Golda's translation of I.B. Singer's first published piece and except for a historical appreciation by D.N.Miller of Ohio State there was no responsive chord hit. I do not think it was a bad story and not a bad translation, either. But how many of your readers read Yiddish literature? After all these are the cream of Yiddish intellect left in the world and if they do not read it, who does? Very few University students, certainly not before the third year of Yiddish when only three or four survivors are present, can read the stuff. And if those who can only talk about the language, woe is us. Troubled. __Bob Werman 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed May 19 19:08:31 1993 From: EGERTEL@FULLERTON.EDU Subject: Sutzkever and Yiddish Literature Thanks to Bob Werman for his warm report on the special evening to honor a special human being and great literary figure, Avraham Sutzkever. I agree that it is important to pay homage to our poets as well as our linguists. But I'm not sure that I agree with Bob's assessment that Yiddish language per se is of greater interest to Mendelniks than Yiddish literature. I think that we are a diverse lot and discussions of literature are certainly also discussions of Yiddish language. Perhaps too much of a strict grenits has been drawn up between the linguistic and the literary aspects of Yiddish. I think Bob is correct if he means that more discussions on lingvistesher inyonim take place throughout the elctronic pages of MENDELE than do discussions of literarishe inyonim but I am very sure that anyone at any time who would bring up a literary theme in our newsletter would be most welcome. Our Shames even expressed the hope that literature would be discussed more frequently in the third keneynehore year of MENDELE. If people send it, I'm sure it'll get air play, nisht emes? Elliot Hersch Gertel [Entfert der shames: eyn kleynigkayt!] 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed May 19 23:56:55 1993 From: "Arthur S. Abramson" Subject: Transcription, NOT transliteration I am glad that Meylekh,stubborn as he is in clinging to "transliteration" instead of "transcription" for the Yivo orthography, has come around to the understanding expressed over the last couple of days by a few of us. As for his last example, it would be Yidish Vokh even in an English sentence, since it is a quotation, the name of something. Thus we might write, "All the articles in the Yidish Vokh are written in Yiddish." Arn ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 3.008