Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 5.138 October 11, 1995 1) Questionnaire about Yiddish (Johan George Maangaard) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 11 Oct 1995 14:29:16 EET DST From: mangaard@katk.helsinki.fi Subject: Questionnaire about Yiddish Sholem ale frayndlekhe un gute mentshn! I'm making research for my thesis about the situation and meaning of Yiddish in modern world. Therefore I need your support in answering to this, hopefully not too long, ankete. I find it very important a subject for research to map out the current state of Mameloshn. And I find Yiddish, its future and process, otherwise too of momentous value, as my main interest. But here I am, in a remote little country at the edge of the world, being uncapable to travel in America, Israel, Russia or wherever di mentshn who still speak Mameloshn are to be found. That's why I'm going to approach you through Internet, and all your assistance is warmly welcomed. Please don't waste too long time in pondering the questions, just answer them as you find it to suit. All the troubles concerning this fregboygn should be laid on me and not on you. If you find some questions silly or odd I hope you don't mind. One advantage with using e-mail is that you're not dependent on the space I've left open for you for the answers; you can make it as large as you wish - which, of course, doesn't mean you have to give long answers. Those who want can naturally tell more about themselves; I'd be enourmously glad of all the informatsie I would get. Dave Lee Roth is by the way a rock artist, former singer in Van Halen, and jewish, of course. Abbie Hoffman used to be a beatnik and a poet. Have fun! Mayn e-mail adres iz: mangaard@ling.helsinki.fi A sheyn dank! Yidish zol nisht shtarbn! Ps. Elvis is translated into Latin and performed by a finnish University teacher named Jukka Almondt. He has also recorded Finnish Tango in Latin. Johan George Maangaard Department of general linguistics, University of Helsinki, Finland Part One: (Please write your answers to the questions on the thereafter following lines; strike out or erase those alternatives which you don't find correct.) Nationality? ___________ Sex? ____ Place of birth? ___________ Place of current residence? __________ Do you speak Yiddish? ____ A lot/Some/A little? Do you understand Yiddish? ____ A lot/Some/A little? Where does/did your mother come from? ______________ Where does/did your father come from? ______________ Do/Did your mother speak/understand Yiddish? ____ Do/Did your father speak/understand Yiddish? ____ Did your parents speak Yiddish to each other? ____ Did your parents/your mother or your father speak Yiddish to you? ____ Did you hear anyone else speak Yiddish around you in your childhood? ____ >From who did you hear and where? _______________________________ Do you hear Yiddish in your current residence? _____ A lot/Some/A little? >From who do you hear and where? _________________________________ Are there any occasions where you necessarily must use Yiddish? ____ Are there any occasions where you rather would use Yiddish? ____ Can you read Yiddish alphabet? ____ Have you access to any kind of Yiddish publication? ____ Do you read a Yiddish newspaper? ____ Often/Sometimes/Rarely? Have you ever read a book in Yiddish? ____ Many/Some/Very few books? Part Two: (Put a distinct mark on those alternatives which you find correct or erase the other ones. Examples: I belive there is a country called America. _Agree._ Quite agree. Don't know. Slightly doubt. Disagree. or I belive in little blue goldeneyed fairies at three o'clock in the morning. Slightly doubt.) 1. I believe Yiddish has future. Agree. Quite agree. Don't know. Slightly doubt. Disagree. 2. I can imagine a society using only Yiddish. Agree. Quite agree. Don't know. Slightly doubt. Disagree. 3. There should be elementary schools in Yiddish. Agree. Quite agree. Don't know. Slightly doubt. Disagree. 4. Yiddish should be taught in Jewish schools. Agree. Quite agree. Don't know. Slightly doubt. Disagree. 5. There should be more publications in Yiddish. Agree. Quite agree. Don't know. Slightly doubt. Disagree. 6. Abbie Hoffman should be translated into Yiddish. Agree. Quite agree. Don't know. Slightly doubt. Disagree. 7. I believe there is Yiddish postmodernism. Agree. Quite agree. Don't know. Slightly doubt. Disagree. 8. I could imagine Rock & Roll in Yiddish. Agree. Quite agree. Don't know. Slightly doubt. Disagree. 9. Elvis should be translated into Yiddish. Agree. Quite agree. Don't know. Slightly doubt. Disagree. 10. Beatles should be translated into Yiddish. Agree. Quite agree. Don't know. Slightly doubt. Disagree. 11. I'd have no difficulties imagining Dave Lee Roth singing in Yiddish. Agree. Quite agree. Don't know. Slightly doubt. Disagree. 12. I would like to hear Dave Lee Roth singing in Yiddish. Agree. Quite agree. Don't know. Slightly doubt. Disagree. 13. I would like to hear Robert Zimmermann (Bob Dylan) singing in Yiddish. Agree. Quite agree. Don't know. Slightly doubt. Disagree. 14. There are things I can express only in Yiddish. Agree. Quite agree. Don't know. Slightly doubt. Disagree. 15. Yiddish is the best way to express my deepest feelings. Agree. Quite agree. Don't know. Slightly doubt. Disagree. 16. It's easier for me to lie in English than in Yiddish. Agree. Quite agree. Don't know Slightly doubt. Disagree. ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 5.138