Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 6.144 December 17, 1996 1) Alexander Meilijson (Ellen Prince) 2) "Do" iz nito in "nishto" (Ellen Prince) 3) "Do" iz nito in "nishto" (Doodie Ringelblum) 4) Sui generis (Keyle Goodman) 5) Who wrote "tsion tsion"? (Norma Rubin) 6) Yiddish in pre-expulsion England (David Lidsky) 7) Ingerish tsvish yidn (Mechl Asheri) 8) Tikn-toes (Mechl Asheri) 9) Yiddish on the BBC (David Herskovic) 10) Jet-lag af yidish (Khane-Faygl Turtletaub) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 16 Dec 1996 22:45:26 EST From: ellen@central.cis.upenn.edu Subject: Alexander Meilijson i have the sorrow to inform you that alexander meilijson of tel aviv, formerly of santiago (chile), and originally from romania, died today in the meir hospital in kfar saba. he was an active member of leivick house and of the israeli assn of yiddish writers and journalists, and he wrote often for _letste nayes_. he was a vibrant man, dedicated to the fostering and recognition of yiddish arts and letters, and he carried out his many undertakings with a powerful enthusiasm and a 'full heart'. he was a very special guy and i for one feel very fortunate to have known him. my profound sympathy to his wife nankale, his children, and his grandchildren, and to his associates and friends in leivick house and around the world. ellen prince 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 16 Dec 1996 17:22:09 EST From: ellen@central.cis.upenn.edu Subject: tsi s'iz do a _do_ in _nishto_ :-) zellig bach claims [6.142] that the adverbial _do_ 'here' is unrelated to _nishto_ 'there is no'. I find this quite puzzling given that he surely knows that the affirmative of _nishto_ is indeed _do_. derfar iz yo do a _do_ in _nishto_ -- although conventional orthography apparently camouflages it for some people. ellen prince 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 18 Dec 1996 00:06:25 +1100 From: doodie@melbpc.org.au Subject: "Do" iz take yo do in "nishto" I beg to differ. My understanding, is that "nishto farvos" is essentially a contraction of "es iz nisht do kayn sibe farvos ir zolt mir danken" [there is no reason here (i.e. in these circumstances) for you to thank me]. Doodie Ringelblum Melboorn, Oystralye 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 16 Dec 1996 14:19:50 -0800 From: kay goodman Subject: Sui generis Viazoy zogt men "sui generis" oyf yidish? Keyle Goodman 5)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 16 Dec 1996 17:07:07 -0500 (EST) From: boomie@idirect.com Subject: Who wrote "tsion tsion"? I have been trying to find additional verses to a song known to my family since the 1930's. The text was in a songbook, of which only fragments are left, and those do not include the song i knew as tsion, tsion. i still remember a few verses, but know there were at least three more which i have forgotten. in looking for this song, i came across one entitled "tsion", with words and music by m. warshawski in the four-volume anthology of yiddish folksong issued by the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, in Israel. Although the melody differs from the one I know, the words of this song can be sung to the tune I know. If anyone can identify these verses as to the one I know, the words of this song can be sung to the tune I know. If anyone can identify these verses as to authorship or has the musical notation available, I would very much appreciate hearing from them. Here are the words that I remember, perhaps with some I substituted because of faulty remembrance: tsion, tsion, land fun yidn, akh vi tsit tsu dir mayn herts, ven ikh derman zikh in dayn shaynhayt, nemt mir on a tifer shmerts. yetst ot zaynen mir in golis, fun der heymhayt zeyer vayt, un der tseykhn fun farfolgung hot geleygt oyf unz di tsayt. heybt dem bekher, brider hekher, trinkt dem gutn carmel vayn, mir veln nokh in tsion, tsion, mir veln nokh in tsion zayn. ikh hof az yene tzayt vet kumen, az der kol fun shvakhn yid, vet zikh heren oykh in tsion, in a sheyner yubel lid. un fun shvern, langn golis vet er endlikh vern fray.... (I don't remember the last line, if indeed this is the correct order). Norma Rubin Toronto, Ontario 6)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 17 Dec 96 13:32:40 PST From: fdlidsky@netvision.net.il Subject: Yiddish in pre-expulsion England I have just finished reading Scott's Ivanhoe. The Jewish characters in the novel are from time to time described as speaking to each other in Hebrew. The highly accomplished Rebecca (one of the heroes of the book) is at one point shown to be capable of reading and writing Hebrew and at another of being able to converse in Latin. Such a talented young Jewish woman would presumably have been able to speak Hebrew at least as well as she spoke Latin, but even so I doubt that Hebrew would have been in use in everyday conversation among the Jews of 12th-century England. Could it be Yiddish (rather than Hebrew) which is being spoken in the half-fantasy world of Scott's novel? Do the participants of Mendele have any information as to whether there were any speakers of Yiddish in the England of this period (about two hundred years after the birth of the language) or during the pre-expulsion period in England in general? And, out of curiosity, have any of Sir Walter Scott's novels been translated into Yiddish? David Lidsky 7)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 17 Dec 1996 14:09:35 +0200 From: donnom@netvision.net.il Subject: Ingerish tsvish yidn David Herskovic's maase [6.143], dertseylt mit an "ingerish/vilyamsburger nisekh" dermont mikh epes vos ikh hob frier geshriben (Mendele 6:110) mkoyekh der banits fun ingerish tvishn asakh yidn, ober b'khlal nit gefirn tsim (bitern) sof. Oyb s'iz der raynem emes ken ikh akh nit farzikhern, ober gehert hob ikh az nit lang tsirik iz gekimn a vaybl tsun ire rov, say in Vilyamsburg, say in Boro Park, say in Crown Heights, m'moneshekh, mit a shayle. Gekoift hot zi flaysh, un dokhdem az zi hot es ahaym gebrakht iz in zinen gekimn a khashosh vegn kashris. "Un vos zol zayn der khashosh?" fregt der rov. Makht di vayble, "Der katsev hot nit gekent redn Ingerish..." Mechl Asheri 8)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 17 Dec 1996 14:15:56 +0200 From: donnom@netvision.net.il Subject: Tikn toes (mayner) Mit groysn shand bet ikh di tayerer mendelenikes mir moykhl tsu zayn a geferlekher toes (Mendele 6:141). Der vos hot gezogt az "Daytsh iz doyme Yidish, ober nor azoy vi a malpe iz doyme a mentsh" is nit geven der Alter Belzer Rebbe, nor der Rebbe reb Naftoli Ropshitser. Mechl Asheri 9)---------------------------------------------------- Date: 17 Dec 96 07:37:24 EST From: 100114.750@compuserve.com Subject: Yiddish on the BBC Mendelistn lucky enough to be able to receive BBC Radio 4 may be interested in a program titled 'The Joys of Yiddish'. It is a four part series based on Leo Rosten's book of the same name. The first part goes out tommorrow night (Wed, 18 Dec) at 11.45 pm GMT (on FM only) with the rest on the three following Wednesdays. David Herskovic 10)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 16 Dec 1996 22:43:40 +0100 From: doctorkf@gte.net Subject: Jet-lag af yidish A sheynem dank di mendelistn vos hobn zikh opgerufn mit yidishe neologismen far "jet-lag." Khotch "khilshe deporkhe" gefelt mir zeyer vayl mir gefelt di sheferishkayt mit velkhe dos vort iz oysgeklert gevorn, meyn ikh az keyner volt es nisht farshtanen. Un "dzhet farshlofenish" un "dzet shleferikayt" voltn mir beser gefeln ven m'volt gekent oysmaydn dos vort "dzhet." Efsher "fli farmaternish" ? Andere forleygn? Khane-Faygl Turtletaub ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 6.144