Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 1 no. 228 April 27, 1992 1) Gut yor (Bob Werman) 2) P'nai (Bob Werman) 3) Messages (Mikhl Herzog) 4) Introduction (Cal Pryluck) 5) Yidlish (Hershel Bershady) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 26 Apr 92 20:10 +0300 From: RWERMAN%HUJIVMS.bitnet@YaleVM.YCC.Yale.Edu Subject: RE: Mendele Vol 1.226 Gut yor Relating to the discussion by David Braun of "gut yor," I would like to bring up two factors that are not taken into account in his accurate description of "gut yor" being a universal response to all sorts of greetings. 1] There is a custom among the religious [and Yiddish was influenced by the religious] not to return the same coin in greeting. Thus, "shabbas shalom" is not an answer to "shabbas shalom" but "shabbas shalom u'm'vorach" is acceptable; although this example is Hebrew, Yiddish greetings are similarly returned with extra baggage among the religious. "A gut yontif" leads to "a gut un zis yontif." I would suggest that "gut yor" has a high value on the scale of "gut [some time or other]." 2] Another factor in greetings among the religious is the difference in time that results in some people having completed a ceremony while others have not. For example, when someone leaves shul after daving ma'ariv on motzi shabbas, he is apt to say "shavu'a tov" or "gut voch" but this would be incorrect and an unfeeling way to address someone who is coming to shul and for whom "gut shabbas" would be more appropriate. One accepted solution which avoids this conflict is to say "gut yor," always acceptable. __Bob Werman rwerman@hujivms.bitnet rwerman@vms.huji.ac.il Jerusalem 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 26 Apr 92 20:31 +0300 From: RWERMAN%HUJIVMS.bitnet@YaleVM.YCC.Yale.Edu Subject: RE: Mendele Vol 1.227 Noykh, our devoted shammas, asks about p'nai. The use of panim [p'nai is the construct form of this plural noun] as person - rather than face - is classic [see TB Ketubot 7b], and is found in panim Hadashot, a new guest, a requirement for sheva brachot after the Hupa [or wedding], for example. The mizraH, or east of [western] synagogues was reserved for prominent people, usually guests. May I speculate that such prominent guests, assigned "mizraH setzen," [to sit in the east of the the synagogue] were "panim Hadashot," or new guests. The "pnai" which I have also heard implies a contraction, perhaps "pnai mizraH." __Bob Werman rwerman@hujivms.bitnet rwerman@vms.huji.ac.il Jerusalem 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 26 Apr 92 00:15 EDT From: ZOGUR@CUVMB Subject: Re: Mendele Vol 1.226 David: Maybe French toast too. But think of how one"freshens" a piece of stale bread. Toast it. Vicki: where was your father from? Mikhl Herzog 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 26 Apr 92 16:57:35 EDT From: Cal Subject: Introduction What to say? On July 1 I shall be an emeritus professor; that is, I will no longer meet classes; otherwise I expect my life to be the same. Since leaving New York forty years ago I have been a token Jew at various universities from California to North Carolina. I spent my childhood summers at Camp Kindervelt until they expelled me after I punched Zvee Schoolar in the stomach for no reason that I can remember. The following few summers were spent at another Yiddish camp, Camp Naivelt. In short, it's been much more than fifty years since I have participated in any kind of Yiddish discourse. Although my father was a fervent Yiddishist, and my first language was Yiddish, my mother and he started speaking English to me in preparation for entering kindergarten. From there on it was all downhill. After a while I barely understood my father's Litvak accent, although I made out pretty well with my mother's Galitiziana accent. So, what am I doing on this list? Blame Henry Breitrose. BTW, my recipe for matoze bri differs from the others that appeared in recent postings. Before I had to give up eggs for the usual reasons, I would whip two eggs, add an eggful of milk. Into this mix I broke a slice and a little more of matoze and stirred around; fry in a 12-inch pan; slide into a platter for easy turning-over. Serve with butter/margerine and cinnamon. Cal Pryluck 5)---------------------------------------------------- Date: 26 Apr 92 17:14:24 EST From: "Dr. Harold Bershady" Subject: "yidlish" (not "Yinglish") [Hershel Bershady was asked for a refresher on some of the important work he has been doing over the last 20 or so years. Here is the reply.] Dear Noyekh, I enclose [..] a short list of English words that "sound" Yiddish (sound being accent, pronunciation, etc.) alter, antic, apostle, bludgeon, boxkite (by Tom Wasow), bustle , chortle, cluck, crept, cryptcal,, diminish, dirndl, disciple, dwindle,famish,farfetched, feldspar, fetlock, fettle, fleck, fondle, forlorn, function, gate, glisten, gondola, hate, heckle, heft, hustle, hut, intermission, kleptic, lintel, mention, moist (by Suzanne Bershady), noon, optical, pestle, shuttle (by Helen Schneyer), solstice, spatula, speckle, spindle, truncheon, tumble, tumult, varnish, venue, vesicle, vision, vista.... Zei gesint. Hershel ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol 1.228 Submissions: mendele@vax1.trincoll.edu Business: nmiller@vax1.trincoll.edu Please sign your articles.