Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 4.102 September 8, 1994 1) Romanization (Zellig Bach) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 05 Sep 94 15:42:35 EDT From: Zellig@aol.com Subject: Romanization Must Mirror Correct Yiddish Spelling a) What Is The Mendele Group About? This question was raised by Prof. Nathan Kravetz in his recent Introduction (4.069,2). It is, indeed, a very good question Apart from the general statement "Yiddish Literature and Language" on the masthead of the Mendele Bulletins ("Volumes"), no specifics are ascribed to the group except the generalized sense of interest. I believe that Mendele is a clearing house for ideas and suggestions pertaining to all phases of Yiddish literature and Yiddish language, an exchange forum for queries and answers, and, ultimately but not last, as I stated in a previous posting, a society (a khavruse) to learn (although as yet not a learned society). This wish to learn Yiddish, an inner self-directed urge to acquire Yiddish--whether to speak it, to write, or to read it--is strikingly evident in a number of Introductions. R. C. McKenzie-Boone (4.058,1) wrote: "I have subscribed to the Mendele list hoping to learn more about this interesting language." Robert Klein (4.077,1): "I subscribed to Mendele to learn some Yiddish." Janice Solomon (4.080,2) expressed it most directly: "I hope this is a good place to learn [Yiddish]." Others, too, gave it as one of their reasons for joining Mendele. b) Many Postings in Romanized Yiddish I see much romanized postings in Mendele. On the one hand it is very good since Mendele is not published in the Yiddish alphabet proper (i.e. in a'lefbeys, in yidish gufe). On the other hand, I take it, many Mendelyaner might not be able to read it if it were in the Yiddish a'lefbeys. On the third hand, however (), this represents a special problem: the romanization, as practiced in Mendele, does not follow the strict and long-accepted rules of Yiddish spelling. c) Spelling Conventions? Rules? In a recent posting a new member wrote: "I think in Yiddish anything goes in spelling and pronunciation." What nonsense! Would anyone presume to say this of ANY other language? Pronunciation, indeed, varies according to the place or region where one was born, and it depends on the local dialect or subdialect; but so far as spelling is concerned, there are historically long-established conventions--rules--that one better adheres to if he wishes to be a respected member of his group, in good standing as a cultured person. One may fight these conventions at his own risks. (You may not like, for instance, the vagaries of English spelling, for example the /gh/ for /f/, as in laughter or enough, but if you were to insist on writing and publishing something in your own idiosyncratic spelling [lafter, enuf, or, as an expression of ridicule, "ghish" for fish] you will not be taken seriously.) Respect for the language, for any language, and self-respect, demand adherence to established rules of grammar and syntax. d) Worry about Grammar? Recently one Mendelyaner advised another: "Dont worry what your Yiddish sounds like or about your grammar... all of us, not native speakers, go around correcting each other." Of course, one should not worry about his grammar to such an obsessive degree that it might paralyze his speech. But concern about grammar--and syntax--is appropriate for non-native and native speakers since both are the foundations of a language and the legitimate coin for an exchange of written and printed communications in society. e) Why Should Romanization Reflect Correct Yiddish Spelling? Since many new Mendelyaners, and possibly some oldtimers, are bent on learning Yiddish from Mendele, the danger lurks that they would accept it as correct Yiddish spelling. And if one should get the idea, unlikely as it may sound, to reverse the process and try to write Yiddish on the basis of the romanized Yiddish in Mendele, all the errors will show up anew. So I offer here some _general_ correctives. I can readily anticipate the reactions to my last sentence: some reflexively raised eyebrows and some openly challenging questions: Who are you to correct us? Who needs it? What are your credentials? My answers, in order, are: First, please do not take it personally. I am not aiming to correct anyone individually. Second, Yiddish needs it, Yiddish demands it, our love for Yiddish dictates it. Third, herewith my credentials. f) In Lieu of an Introduction I am a native, educated speaker of Yiddish. I was co-editor of the daily Yiddish newspaper _Folksblat_ (Kovne, Lithuania). The chief editor was the late Yudl Mark, a famous Yiddish pedagogue, author of the _gramatik fun der yidisher klal-shprakh_ (1978), editor for many years of YIVO's bi-monthly journal "di yidishe sprakh." I was also a foreign corres- pondent of the daily _Haynt_ (Warsaw, Poland). In the United States I published a lengthy essay "a matseyve af a shtetl" in the _Tsukunft_, many papers (in Yiddish and English) in the _Forward_ and a number of articles in _afn shvel_ where I am a member of the editorial board. I wrote and published a sharp, exhaustIve critique of the Yiddish translation of the 1990 questionnaire of the Census Bureau. It was called "The Scandalous Yiddish Guide of the Census Bureau" and after many rejections from the general media it was finally published in the _Jewish Press_ (Brooklyn), in the language quarterly_Verbatim_, and in the _Congress Monthly_ of the American Jewish Congress. _Verbatim_ followed up my critique with six postscripts: Five by Bach and one by Steinmetz. Recently I published in _afn shvel_ a lengthy essay "der kamf fun a shoymer yidish mitn tsenzus b'yuro," chronicling the many difficulties in placing in the general media and even in the Jewish-English journals an article in defense of Yiddish. g) Let's Start With Some Minor, Random Correctives: Meyvn: It is a universal prime condition that spelling must be consistent. How is one to learn from Mendele when in the same Volume the selfsame word is spelled one way (meyvin) and on the very next page it is spelled differently (maven)? See Uriel Weinreich's _Modern English-Yiddish/Yiddish-English Dictionary_ (p. 235): meyvn, singular; mevinim, plural (not mavens). No double consonants: Write: ale, alemen, bobe, feder, got [God], shabes, yidish (not alle, allemen, bobbe, fedder, gott, shabbes, yiddish). [The double /b/ in "shabbes" is an unnecessary borrowing from the English 'Sabbath.'] A double consonant occurs in Yiddish only when the last letter of a prefix and the initial letter of the verb are the same, for example, faRRikhtn, to repair. By the way, when I write or publish someting in Yiddish, I sign my first name Zelig (one lamed). Write: gezunt (not gezundt). (A gezunt dir in kepele (:-); a gezunt aykh in kop :-). Excise the puste (empty) h's: No h's after the stressed vowel in words of German origin. Write: amol. yor, geyn, shteyn (not amohl, yohr, gehn, shtehn). And no h's after the final vowel in words of Hebrew or Slavic origin. Write: khale, kale, khevre, metsie, take (not khaleh, kaleh, khevreh, metsieh, takeh). Skip the shtume (silent) e's: Write: bisl, fargesn, gutn, lakhn, zisn, shtetl (not bisel, fargesen, guten, lakhen, zisen, shtetel). A dank IN foroys: Delete the In. It is a direct transplant from the English. Totally superfluous in Yiddish. Litvak Yiddish: No such thing. Litvak is the designation of a male Jew born in Lithuania (occasionally pejorative), litvatshke (female), litvakes (plural). When you wish to indicate the dialect, refer to _litvish_ Yiddish, or to the Northeastern Yiddish, as charted in the Yiddish_Atlas_.. Request to the Family: If you think this type of posting is constructive, please write to Mendele. kh'vinsh aykh alemen a freylekhn, zisn yor, mit gezunt un hatslokhe in alts vos ir tut! Zellig Bach ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 4.102 Mendele has 2 rules: 1. Provide a meaningful Subject: line 2. 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