Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 6.065 September 19, 1996 1) Goldfadn play (Michael Steinlauf) 2) Pi, pa, po (Arnie Kuzmack) 3) Yiddish word processing (Arnie Kuzmack) 4) Bookshops in Israel (David Herskovic) 5) A contemptuous title (Zellig Bach) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 17 Sep 1996 15:09:48 -0500 (EST) From: yivo3@metgate.metro.org Subject: Goldfadn play The complete title of the Goldfadn play Andrew Cassell refers to (that was being staged in an amateur production in Keidan [6.064]) is doubtless "Di kaprizne kale-moyd oder Kabtsnzon et Hungerman." The earliest known printed version is from 1887. In Zilbertsvayg's theater lexicon, there's a reproduction of the frontispiece in v. 1, col. 291. Should you want to play with the proper names, you might translate the whole thing as: "The Capricious Bride, or Pauperson and Hungerman." A zisn, koshern nay yor alemen, Michael Steinlauf 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 17 Sep 1996 21:42:16 -0400 (EDT) From: kuzmack@cpcug.org Subject: Pi, pa, po Several people have commented on "tsvey geyen". Let me take a shot at "pi pa po--shoyn nishto". My Sprachgefuehl says that it means: in as much time as it takes to say "pi pa po", it's gone. Arnie Kuzmack 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 17 Sep 1996 21:42:16 -0400 (EDT) From: kuzmack@cpcug.org Subject: Yiddish word processing A. Joseph Ross asks about a Yiddish word processing program based on Word Perfect. Word Perfect used to market a Hebrew Language Module, but it is apparently no longer being sold. The Hebrew character set was relatively Yiddish friendly: it included pey and yud-yud, vov-vov and vov-yud as single characters. I added keyboard macros for kometz-alef, pasakh-alef, and pasah-tsvey-yudn. The only ones missing were khirik-yud and rafe, which I frankly don't miss. I still use it for the Yiddish portion of the Yiddish of Greater Washington newsletter. The program was a modification of WP 5.1 for DOS. There have been rumors of a version for WP for Windows, but with the corporate ups and downs of WP, nothing has appeared. This is a little surprising, since the same programming would produce an Arabic version, which should have a considerable market. A g'mar khasime toyve to all. Arnie Kuzmack 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: 18 Sep 96 15:15:46 EDT From: 100114.750@compuserve.com Subject: Bookshops in Israel Thank you to everyone who wrote to me with bookshop recommendations. Here is a list of the bookshops. Peretz Farlag Rechov Brener 14 Tel Aviv Tel. 03-528 1751 Comments: Recommended by Tsuguya Sasaki, Leybl Botvink and Barbara Mann. Barbara adds that thay have a good selection "and even lovelier company". They are only open till 12:30. There is a small cafe besides the bookshop which was lit by candles when I was there. The atmosphere felt like one of the cafes in Singer's Warsaw while the character I met could have walked straight out of La Boheme. Beis Sholem Aleichem Beis Dov 30 (Nr. Rechov Gordon) Tel Aviv Franz Kurski Library Rechov Kalisher 48 (Nr. Rechov Alnby) Tel Aviv The last two were recommended by Leybl Botvinik who added that while the Perets Farlag is a 'Shop' the latter two are merely places where one can find books. Robinson Books Rechov Nachlat Binyamin (below the shuk) Tel Aviv Tel. 03-560 1626 Recommended by Barbara as a wonderful place for finding rare, out of print items. 'Not cheap, but very professional.' J(?) Twersky Rechov Sheinkin 20 Tel Aviv Gaston L. Schmir mentioned this one though he (she?) is not sure if it is still open nor if this is the correct address. Unfortunately the replies came too late and I only managed the Perets Farlag which was closed. Once again thank you to all for sending in their recommendations. David Herskovic 5)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 18 Sep 1996 18:38:15 -0400 From: zellig@aol.com Subject: A contemptuous title With reference to Leah Zazulyer's recent query (6.062,4) about the book _Dictionary-Shmictionary_: It is supposed to be a "hilariously" humorous book, but in my opinion has no merits whatsoever for one who is serious about Yiddish. The very title suggests the authors' belittlement and contempt of the subject, as indicated by the imitative "Shmictionary." All English words when reduplicated with the additional Yiddish initial morpheme "shm-' -- for instance, "espert-shmexpert," "poet-shmoet," "banquet-shmanket" -- are designed to _devalue_ the subject and to diminish its importance. The book's only saving grace is its use of numerous quotations using Yiddish-origin words -- quotations from William Styron's _Sophie's Choice_ , for instance, and from Lana Turner's autobiography. Sol Steinmetz, in his _A Century of Yiddish in America: Yiddish and English_ (1986) discusses the nature of the Yiddish "shm-" accretion to English words when doubled with their original, and makes the following interesting observation (p. 65): "_Shm- is often used with a jocular follow-up clause, as in Oedipus-Shmoedipus -- as long as he loves his mother..." Zellig Bach Lakehurst, NJ ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 6.065