Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 5.131 October 2, 1995 1) A case study in _farmishn di yoytsres_ (Mikhl Herzog) 2) Interesting ambiguity of a Yiddish word (Louis Fridhandler) 3) "A Sukele" (Jeff Warschauer) 4) Der epl falt nisht vayt (Ruvn Millman) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 1 Oct 95 11:32 EDT From: zogur@cuvmb.columbia.edu Subject: Philologus: a case study in _farmishn di yoytsres_ Dear Philologus, Reyshis: Some months ago, Eliyohu (or, as I think he prefers, Eliyuhi Juni) gave us an eloquent explanation of the Yiddish expression _farmishn di yoytsres_ (in my version, _fardreyen di yoytsres_). Now, in your column of 9/22, you have provided an equally eloquent example of the process. Let me explain. On January 21 1916 (sic!!), the New York daily, _Der morgn zhurnal_, reporting on the introduction of a course in _yidish_ at Columbia University (yes, that early), felt compelled to explain to its readers the use of the term _yidish_ in reference to the language and its literature, a term which it claims was hardly in use two decades earlier as a designation for "_undzer mame-loshn_", better known as "_zhargon_", a term first protested as derogatory probably only after the ideological controversies of the 1908 Czernowitz conference. Note the date: 1916! Sholem Aleichem died in 1916. In his own epithet, he refers to himself, surely not disparagingly, as _a zhargonisher shrayber_. In other words, for a period of time, for whatever reason, the language we call "Yiddish" (which many of us innocently called "Jewish" for the longest time) was called "_zhargon_", perhaps by those you refer to as "Eastern European intellectuals who looked down upon it" but, _more important, and not disparagingly_ by its own speakers, its writers, and literati; not "_a zhargon_" and not "jargon", but "_zhargon_". A girl named "Rose" is not thought to be "a rose", nor is she necessarily _sheyn_ if she's called _sheyne sheyndl_. Right? Read Max Weinreich's _History of Yiddish_ on the "Names of Yiddish" but, caution: I think the translators mistakenly and confusedly keep rendering the Yiddish word _zhargon_ as English "Jargon", one of a number of errors that merit correction in view of the news imparted by Zellig Bach that YIVO is going to publish a translation of the remaining volumes of Weinreich's work. The translation should be carefully combed for such infelicities. (And, in view of the revelation that it's Reb Zellig's generosity that makes this publication possible, a heartfelt _yasher- koyekh_ to him.) Finally, on your assertion that "jargons" are "what linguists call fusion languages", I'd be grateful for any documentation you may have for the use of the term "fusion language" by linguists, other than Max Weinreich with respect to Yiddish. Wishing you a _gut un gezunt yor_. Mikhl Herzog 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 1 Oct 1995 18:15:05 -0400 From: lfridhan@aol.com Subject: Interesting ambiguity of a Yiddish word Az a mentsh iz a bisl genit af khotsh tsvey leshoynes ken men dershatsn az iberzetsn eyn loshn af an andern iz take shver, ober oykh pedagogish, voyl dertsierish. Tsum bayshpil: dos Yidish vort _kukvinkl_ meg hobn kimat di zelbe meynung vos hot der English oysdruk _point of view_, ober men ken dershpirn an ander min gefil. Translation: If a person is somewhat experienced in at least two languages, he or she can appreciate that translating one language into another is difficult but also rather educational. For example: the Yiddish word _kukvinkl_ may have practically the same meaning as the English expression _point of view_ but one senses another kind of feeling. Let me speculate further in English: A point has no dimensions, its position is undefined, and because it has no dimensions it has no boundaries. As to the English expression, a conceivable boundary is the skin of the person seeing from that _point of view_. He or she is unbound, free and clear to shift positions. Kukvinkl stems from two Yiddish words: kuk meaning look, and vinkl meaning corner. A person with a _kukvinkl_ seems to be looking things over from her or his position in a corner. A corner presumably has two boundaries that meet where the person is. He or she is seeing the world (or just the room) at leisure, comfortably positioned, snugly ensconced in the corner. That is one way of sensing the compound word. However, there is an ambiguity raising interesting tension. Is the person in the corner not at all comfortable, but feeling backed into that corner? Hasn't the Jewish experience backed Jews into rather uncomfortable strictures from time to time. Naturally, I don't know if the latter is what inspired evolution of the word _kukvinkl_, but I can't help wondering. In any case ambiguity makes for added interest, and sharply differentiates the Yiddish word from the English expression. I love both the English and the Yiddish equivalent. I'd love to be able to fully translate one into the other. Is it possible? Louis Fridhandler Walnut Creek, CA 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 1 Oct 1995 19:14:54 -0400 From: warschauer@aol.com Subject: "A Sukele" (A Sikele) There is a version of this song, sung by Fishel Beigel, on the recording "Heymishe Yiddishe Gezangen," also called, in English, "Yiddish Classics, Volume One." (There is a Volume Two, as well.) The recordings, on cassette and CD, are produced by Suki and Ding, and are widely available in Judaica stores. The production, as with many of the current recordings from the Orthodox community, uses a lot of synthesized sounds, and the singing is _very_ heymish, if you get my drift. It may be an acquired taste for some, but I _love_ these recordings. Jeff Warschauer 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 2 Oct 1995 00:06:10 -0400 From: ruvn@aol.com Subject: Der epl falt nisht vayt... Tayere Khaveyrim! Yedes mol vos me rayst an epl fun an eplboym un es falt a tsveyter af dem kop gedenkt men der printsip fun di shverfkraft. Azoy dermont undzer Itsik Nayshteltl (Isaac Newton). Ikh vil aykh dermonen az Yidishistn kumen zikh tsunoyf nisht nor tsu pshetlen vegn der shprakh nor oykh zikh gut tsu farbrengen. Yugntruf iz haynt (zuntik, dem 1shtn oktober) geforn epleven! Raysn epl fun di beymer, klaybn pomidorn, feferln, patledshanen, stritshkes un dinkes. Ir kent dos oykh ton mit ir Yidish-redndike khaveyrim! 9 Yugntrufnikes (nisht azoy fil vi tsen toyzn nor a knape minyen) zenen geforn fun der shtot New York. Tsvishn di andere koynim (geveyntlekh English reders) hobn mir Yidish reders gekont shrayen hoykh, "Kum zey! Ikh'ob gefunen epl vos royter!" Faran alemol mentshn vos fregn, "Oh, ir redt Yidish mit di kinder. Farvos Yidish un nisht Ivrit?" Gey veys? Farvos Ivrit un nisht Spenish? Oykh dos iz a frage. Eyner fun undz hot afile mitgenumen zayn Weinreich verterbukh k'dey me zol kenen es nitsn vi an "epl-rays-makhsher." Loz men keynmol nisht zogn az der Weinreich verterbukh nor eyn banits ;-). Ikh volt aykh derklert mer vegn undzern zunikn, Yidish-redndikn, epl-raysndikn tog nor ikh bin tsu farnumen - ikh darf tsugreytn der epl tort un di gebakte-epl af der far-Yom-Kiper sude! Zolt ir hobn a laykhtn tones. A gut yom-tef alemen! P.S. Far di vos voynen in New York! Gedenkt: Der 22ter oktober veln redn khosheve redners baym "Aleveltlekhe Kultur Kongres." Me zogt az alts vet zayn af Yidish un me derlangt zeyer a spetsyel hanokhe far undzere studentn fun Yugntruf. Shrayb: ruvn@aol.com zikh tsu bashtetikn. Ruvn Millman ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 5.131 Mendele has 2 rules: 1. Provide a meaningful Subject: line 2. 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