Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 4.412 May 8, 1995 1) Ladybug (Anno Siegel) 2) Ladybug (Goldie Morgentaler) 3) Meyshe Rabeinu redux (Gaston L. Schmir) 4) Sounding alike is not enough (Louis Fridhandler) 5) Yiddish on cd-rom (Louis Fridhandler) 6) Der may iz gekumen (Khayem Bochner) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 4 May 95 19:23:04 +0200 From: anno4000@w172zrz.zrz.tu-berlin.de Subject: Ladybug Mikhl Herzog wrote: >The most common designation in German is _Marienkaefer_, obviously a >reference to Mary. I assume there are numerous dialect variants as well >(Anno?). Well, you asked. There are stacks of regional synonyms for "Marieenkaefer", and I bet the list below isn't complete by far: Mariechenkaefer Siebenpunkt Brautwuermchen Flimmflaemmchen Gottesgiebchen Himmelskindchen Himmelswuermchen Johanniskaefer Maivoegelchen Martisvoegeli Sonnenkindchen Unser lieben Frauen Gueegli Putthuehnchen Muferkuebchen Mohkuehchen Sommerkaelbche Motchekaelbchen Herrgottspferdchen All except three are diminuitives. At least six relate to religious concepts (Maria, Herrgott, Himmel). Interestingly, the somewhat surprising description of the little insect as a horse or cow in Yiddish shows up here too; I put those four examples last. It is tempting to speculate that "Kuebchen" in "Muferkuebchen" is related to "Kaefer" (bug), whence "Kuehchen" (little cow) via folk etymology. However, the etymology of "Kaefer" doesn't seem to support this. Anno Siegel Berlin, Germany 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 06 May 1995 21:35:48 EDT From: brlv@musicb.mcgill.ca Subject: Ladybug My mother, who comes from Lodz Poland assures me that in Lodz the word for ladybug was shneider-vantz. A vantz is a bedbug and a shneider is a tailor, but why the two came together is anybody's guess. It was most commonly known by its diminutive "shnayder-ventsl." I wonder if anyone else has heard of this term? Goldie Morgentaler Montreal, Canada 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 6 May 1995 10:01:42 -0400 (EDT) From: glschm@minerva.cis.yale.edu Subject: Meyshe Rabeinu redux THe recent discussion re Meyshe Rabeinu's ki'ele brings back to mind the several occasions on which, as a fourteen year-old delivery boy in my uncle's Bronx grocery store, I was dubbed "Meyshe Rabeinu's arbeiter". While the exact meaning of the expression was never clear to me, the circumstances under which and the tone with which it was uttered made it apparent that it was not a compliment but rather a reflection on my lack of diligence. As I recall, I much preferred sticking my nose into a book between deliveries to assisting my uncle with the shelving of groceries. I would be grateful for any information concerning the meaning and origin of the above epithet. Gaston L. Schmir 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 6 May 1995 15:50:58 -0400 From: lfridhan@aol.com Subject: Sounding alike is not enough leybl botvinik hot zeyer sheyn ibergezetst af yidish mayne englishe shures vegn yidish af cd-rom (4.405,5) un ikh hob im geshikt a hartsikn dank. Take beser af yidish. ober taylmol, an iberzetsung kukt oys (far _mayne_ oygn) a bisele prikre. Tsum bayshpil: dos vort, _byte_ (af english) klingt tsum oyer vi dos vort _bite_. _Bite_ meynt take bis af yidish, ober _byte_ af english iz in gantsn epes andersh. Nu, mir meygn nutsn _bis_ af yidish ven mir meynen _byte_. Nishkoshe. Es ken nisht shatn. Oystrakhtn neologizmen far a modernem mame-loshn iz dokh a neytike arbet. Ober, ikh meyn az me darf zayn a bisele opgehit, farzorgn zikh nisht nor mitn poshetn klang. An ander min bayshpil: Mayner a fraynt hot mir gedreyt a kop bizn stelye. Er hot getaynet az der yidisher oysdruk, _mise meshune_ shtamt fun daytsh. Ikh hob gepruvt im gebn tsu farshteyn as hebreyish _mise_ (toyt) klingt nor tsufelik vi daytsh _mise_ (zeyer nisht sheyn). Tsum sof hot er farshtanen nor ven ikh hob im gevizn Vaynraykh's verterbukh. Mitn klingenish aleyn ken men oysmishn kashe mit borsht. Louis Fridhandler 5)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 7 May 1995 23:58:57 -0400 From: lfridhan@aol.com Subject: Yiddish on cd-rom Among the enormous advantages of having Yiddish literature on cd-rom is the ease and rapidity of finding what you seek as long as spelling is correct. I expect that romanization will be used for sending computer text in Yiddish via E-mail, etc. for the foreseeable future. In light of this, some thoughts occur: Like many of us on Mendele, I don't understand some Yiddish words. At those times I ardently wish for a comprehensive dictionary (_romanized Yiddish_ to _Hebrew character Yiddish_ to _English equivalent_ and vice versa). That is certainly possible on cd-rom, one file, quickly searched. This suggests an absolute need for a standardized method of romanization (or transcription or transliteration). In turn, this brings to mind the discussion on Mendele (months ago), led by Zellig Bach and others, urging use of standard romanization on Mendele. Some resented the advice. However, the exciting prospect of a romanized Yiddish dictionary on cd-rom surely supports the stance of those arguing for learning a strict standard. I think it is the wave of the future. We can surf that wave and enjoy! Louis Fridhandler 6)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 08 May 95 09:19:52 -0400 From: bochner@das.harvard.edu Subject: Der may iz gekumen Shleyme Axelrod dermont dos "may-lid", vos heybt zikh on azoy: Der may iz gekumen Mit zayn tsoyber, mit zayn prakht. Ale grozn, ale blumen Hobn oyfgevakht. un er bet emetser zol gebn di vayterdike verter. Ot zenen zey, loyt "Lomir kinder zingen": vider blit es oyf di felder, glantst es iberal: vider grint es in di velder, zingt der nakhtigal. nemt der friling moln mit zayn pendzl, vu er shmirt vern berger, vern toln, vert di erd mit grins batsirt. Der mekhaber iz geven, loyt dem bukh, Morris Rosenfeld. Khayem Bochner ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 4.412 Mendele has 2 rules: 1. Provide a meaningful Subject: line 2. Sign your article (full name please) A Table of Contents is now available via anonymous ftp, along with weekly updates. Anonymous ftp archives available on: ftp.mendele.trincoll.edu in the directory pub/mendele/files Archives available via gopher on: gopher.cic.net Send articles to: mendele@yalevm.ycc.yale.edu Send change-of-status messages to: listserv@yalevm.ycc.yale.edu a. For a temporary stop: set mendele nomail b. To resume delivery: set mendele mail c. To subscribe: sub mendele first_name last_name d. To unsubscribe kholile: unsub mendele Other business: nmiller@mail.trincoll.edu