Mendele: Yiddish literature and language
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Contents of Vol. 2 no. 155
February 22, 1993

1) Khofetz Khayim; zikh hern (Eli Katz)
2) Hear/smell (Moshe Taube)
3) Summer immersion in Yiddish (David Sherman)
4) Ver/vos iz Mendele (Harriet Ottenheimer)
5) Der shames fort avek (Noyekh Miller)

1)----------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri, 19 Feb 93 13:04:37 -0800
From: katz@Sonoma.EDU
Subject: khofets khayim; zikh hern

1. Der Khofets Khayim.  Dem shameses derklerung klept zikh
epes nit.  Der nomen (vi geveyntlekh, der nomen fun bal
mekhabers vikhtikstn seyfer) iz take khofets khayim un vert
oykh azoy aroysgeredt afile fun lit- vakes.  Fun keyn
komets vert nit keyn tseyre afile in der lite.  Fun a
khoylem ken vern a tseyre.

[Oyb Noyekh shraybt men mit ziben grayzn, heyst es az
'sblaybt dem shames nokh finif. ;-)  Viazoy zogt men af
Idish: interdum Homerus dormit? nm]

2. Zikh hern.  Der oysdruck 'es hert zikh' is widespread in
the meaning "something smells," or "I smell something"
(usually unpleasant).  This gives rise to one of the
numerous comic responses to the ubiquitous question, "Vos
hert zikh?" "Vos hert zikh?" "Az s'hert zikh varft men
avek."

Eli Katz

2)----------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, 22 Feb 93 11:27:14 EST
From: Moshe Taube <MAXUS%HARVARDA.bitnet@YaleVM.YCC.Yale.Edu>
Subject: hear/smell

1. Hear/smell rendered by `hern zikh'.

This usage is found in the classics, e.g. in Sholem
Aleikhem several times, of which I can quote one from
memory: In Motl Peysi dem Khazns, the London episode ,
there is the expression: di fish lozn zikh hern. The origin
of this usage is the polysematic `chuty' in Ukrainian, both
`hear' and `smell'. The imitation was probably playful (un
efsher nisht, nor take ernst. Wer weist?)

Moshe Taube

3)----------------------------------------------------
Date: Sat, 20 Feb 1993 21:06:27 -0500
From: dave@cai.lsuc.on.CA
Subject: summer Yiddish immersion

Simone and I are toying with the idea of offering a summer
"Yiddish immersion" program for a student who would like
exposure to daily Yiddish and doesn't mind taking care of
children (in Yiddish, of course).

We have 4 children, ages 9, 7, 4 and 2 (3 girls and a boy).
Our current plans are to send the older two to day camp for
the entire summer, and continue the younger two in the day
care they attend 3-4 days/week.  An alternative would be,
if we had someone to help take care of them, would be to
keep the younger ones home for the summer or part of the
summer. Either way, all 4 are home in the evenings.

We speak exclusively Yiddish to all the children, and they
speak exclusively Yiddish to us and to each other. They're
all completely fluent. (The only English in the house is
between Simone and myself.) We keep kosher and are shomer
Shabbos (I dislike labels, but one would probably call us
"modern Orthodox").  We live in a large house in a suburb
of Toronto, Canada, in the midst of a largely Jewish (but
not largely Yiddish-speaking) community.  My wife works
full-time outside the home, and I work full-time (actually,
about double full time) in the basement of our home.

This might be an interesting way to spend the summer, or a
few weeks of the summer, for a student who would like to
improve their fluency in Yiddish.  At the moment we're just
exploring the idea and don't have any set notions of either
the amount of babysitting/child-care we'd want from the
person, or the appropriate level of remuneration beyond
room and board.

Please contact me directly if you're interested.

David Sherman
dave@lsuc.on.ca
416-889-7658

4)----------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, 22 Feb 93 07:48 CST
From: Harriet <MAHAFAN@KSUVM.KSU.EDU>
Subject: Ver/vos is Mendele?

Can someone explain to me why the list is named Mendele?
Does the name have any special significance as related to
the list?  On it's own?

Thanks in advance,

Harriet Ottenheimer
mahafan@ksuvm

5)----------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, 22 Feb 93
From: nmiller@dot.trincoll.edu
Subject: Der shames fort avek

Higiye hazman, the time has come.  The shames is off for a
couple of weeks of desert and birds and will be back by
March 12.

Please continue to send in contributions so that we can
start up again immediately.  Un zayt mir all gezunt un
shtark.

Noyekh

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End of Mendele Vol 2.155