Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 4.407 May 3, 1995 1) Introduction (Danny Feldman) 2) Russian-Yiddish Dictionary (Alice Nakhimovsky) 3) Di etimologye fun "antplekn" (Peter Kluehs) 4) Der may iz gekumen (Shleyme Axelrod) 5) Cat's cradle (Hadass Klausner) 6) Cat's cradle (Mikhl Herzog) 7) Ladybug (Mikhl Herzog) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 3 May 1995 11:17:48 +1000 From: danielf@werple.mira.net.au Subject: Introduction Greetings from down-under. I have been learning Yidish for the last 3 years under the tutelage of Bobbi Zylberman in Melbourne, Australia. We meet once a week to read, discuss and (with great difficulty, since my family spoke German) learn grammar. I have recently discovered the joys of the Internet and specifically the mendele group. It is always interesting to read about the on-going search for meaning of words, discussions on history and cultural activities. It gives me a warm feeling to be part of, what seems to be, a growing community of Yidishists. Just a question on the cd-rom issue, which is a great idea, however, is there any Yidish work on diskettes? I don't think it would be difficult to have a dictionary, novels and other works on diskette. In fact, we can probably get most of the work on the internet itself. I would be interested to know if it is possible. Danny Feldman Melbourne, Australia 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 02 May 1995 13:42:28 -0400 From: alice@cs.colgate.edu Subject: Russian-Yiddish Dictionary Howard Gershon asks about a dictionary for his cousin. I have a Russian-Yiddish dictionary, hardback, put out in a burst of liberalism in 1984 by the Russki yazyk publishing House, Moscow. Unfortunately, it goes only one way! I wonder if that's one of the ones Kamkin is selling? Alice Nakhimovsky 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: 02 May 1995 20:48:00 +0200 From: pete@pko.rhein-main.de Subject: Di etimologye fun "antplekn" in di letste por khadoshim hob ikh keseyder geklert vegn dem shoyresh funem vort antplekn, nor s'iz mir geblibn a retenish. haynt trakht ikh az s'volt gekont eksistirn a kroyveshaft tsu dem daytshn vort 'entflechten'. ikh tu a kuk in mayn Etymologie-Duden un vos gefin ikh do? in MHD 'flechten' iz geven 'vlehten' _ober_ es bazirt oyf dem indogermanishn shoyresh 'plek-', vos hot gehat dem badayt 'flekhtn oder viklen'. iz dos a tsufal oder zenen do faran nokh mer yidishe verter vos hitn ayn asa same alte vortslen? peter kluehs wehrheim, germany 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 02 May 1995 17:41:15 -0400 (EDT) From: ptyaxel@ubvms.cc.buffalo.edu Subject: Der may iz gekumen Mit an erekh finf-un-fuftsik yor tsurik (nu, efsher shoyn zekhtsik) hob ikh oysgelernt a lidele vegn dem khoydesh may; muzik, dakht zikh, fun Haydnen. Es heybt zikh on: Der may iz gekumen Mit zayn tsoyber, mit zayn prakht. Ale grozn, ale blumen Hobn oyfgevakht. Tsi veyst emetser dos gantse lidl? Shleyme Axelrod Buffalo, New York 5)---------------------------------------------------- Date: 03 May 1995 06:54:43 GMT From: hadass.klausner@magnet.at Subject: Cat's cradle Ellen, I thought I was the only one to get stuck playing cat's cradle. Well, I mannaged to ged over the "pinky point", but have never figured out the next step... I don't know, Dan, the meaning in Yiddish, but it's called "Savta sorregget" in Hebrew (Grandma knitting). Maybe this helps. Hadass Klausner 6)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 3 May 95 09:47 EDT From: zogur@cuvmb.columbia.edu Subject: Cat's cradle And, while we're at it, the second figure in "etl-betl" is generally called _a shpigl_. Mikhl Herzog 7)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 3 May 95 09:47 EDT From: zogur@cuvmb.columbia.edu Subject: Ladybug Zellig asks about the Yiddish names for the "ladybug". My inventory includes the following: moyshe rabeynus ki'ele moyshe rabeynus ferdele gots beheymele meylekh moshi'ekhl I think that the specific rationale for this class of names is to be found in general European folklore rather than in anything specifically Jewish. The Yiddish names are, I believe, "Judaizations" The most common designation in German is _Marienkaefer_, obviously a reference to Mary. I assume there are numerous dialect variants as well (Anno?). For that matter, who is the "lady" in English "Ladybug" (and US dialectal Lady-bird)? You guessed it! Anyone with access to Volume III materials of DARE should be able to tell us more. Mikhl Herzog ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 4.407 Mendele has 2 rules: 1. 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