Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 2 no. 103 December 1, 1992 1) Sneezes (Zev Hochberg) 2) Sneezes (Parets Mett) 3) Doggerel (Norman Zide) 4) Various (Benson Ginsburg) 5) Khaleria (Gerald M. Philips) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: 28 Nov 1992 18:10:51 -0500 (EST) From: Zev Hochberg Subject: Sneezes Shulamith Berger writes: > Does anyone have any information on what people say on > hearing someone sneeze? I grew up hearing the following > from my mother, who was born in Kovno and grew up in a > Yiddish speaking household in Chicago: Tsu-gezunt, tsu > leben, tsu vaksen, tsu kvelen, a yingel vestu hobn, un > khasene vet veln. The commas basically indicate the > sneezes, i.e., a sort of punctuation mark. > ... ... > I have never heard anyone else go further than tsu leben. > Admittedly I was a champion sneezer as a child, but has > anyone out there ever heard anything similar, or know if > anyone has ever written anything on this? Yup, I can get you past tsu leben. My grandmother's formula was Tsu gezunt, tsu leben, tzu vaksen - then one I can't quite remember, which sounded like tsu geesen. She was from near Lodz, incidentally. Zev Hochberg 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 30 Nov 1992 11:29:25 +0000 From: P.Mett@open.ac.uk Subject: Sneezes Shuli Berger (Mendele 2.101) writes: although it didn't rhyme, namely, gey shoyn in der erd, du host shoyn a kalt. It also sounds very American. I have **** Sounds very American to me too. A kalt? I can only think of the adjective -kalt-. I would have said -du bist farkeeelt- Payrets Mett 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 30 Nov 92 04:36:05 CST From: norman zide Subject: Yiddish doggerel I am interested in hearing about genres (with examples) of Yiddish and English-Yiddish macaronic doggerel, like - or unlike - those below. 1. conventionalized Yiddish phonology (and contraction) in one word 'tsungem or tsungoem' ( e representing fronted schwa), Eng. 'chewing gum' My mother gave me a nickel (quarter, dollar ) (SUNG) To buy a pickle ( (some) water, collar) I didn't buy a ( or 'no') pickle I bought some tsungem Tsu tsu tsu tsu tsu tsungem How I love tsungem (I am not sure of the last two lines; they may repeat the previous two, or the last line may be 'I DO like tsungem.') 2. Conventional - but not throughout - Yiddishized phonology, with some Yiddish vocabulary tsu hum (a) yu spikn, tsu hum tsu hum tsu hum (a) yu spikn, tsu hum a(l) giv yu a knyak, yu paskudnyak tsu hum (a) yu spikn, tsu hum (STRONG 4 BEAT RHYTHM) 3. Minimal (more or less ?) Yiddish (loud) cheer - at athletic events, particularly basketball, heard at summer camps in the mid, late thirties tsu brech a fus, tsu brech tsu brech a fus, tsu brech tsu brech a fus, tsu brech a fus tsu brech a fus, tsu brech ! (Yay, Muzzy ) Norman (neachchaim) Zide 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 29 Nov 92 15:46:25 EST From: Benson Ginsburg Subject: Various I have recently returned to Mendele and have enjoyed catching up on the mail. I particularly enjoyed the remarks on God and tenure. Regarding foot and leg, I have never heard them distinguished. To spread one's legs is "tsushpreiten die fees". With respect to Arn's remarks on Hobm and Khurbm, I have never heard them pronounced that way among the native Yiddish speakers I know. They end those words with a"nun". Following on Maylekh's note about original Yiddish songs, There was recently an international Jewish song competition sponsored by the Hazzan Mendelson Music Foundation, for original compositions with a Jewish content. Fifteen finalists were picked from over 160 entries. These represented the U.S., Canada, Australia and Israel. Four of the songs were in Yiddish. The finals were held last week in Montreal. I believe that tapes will be available. More when I know. Benson Ginsburg 5)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 30 Nov 92 10:26 EST From: "Gerald M. Phillips 238-2943" Subject: Khaleria My grandmother used a phrase which has become part of my own vocabulary: "zollt a chaleria chappen dir in heint." I believe she meant, "the devil should grab you by the ass." A colleague in linguistics tells me the word "chaleria" refers to the the disease, cholera, and the curse is metaphoric not literal. Does anyone have anything definitive on the meaning of the word? Gerald M. Phillips ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol 2.103