Mendele: Yiddish literature and language
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Contents of Vol. 3.033
June 13, 1993

1) Books/noyekh and grayzn/freezing (Mikhl Herzog)
2) The husband of rabbi (Walter Zimmerman)
3) Yiddish in the DC area (Arnold Kuzmack)

1)----------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu Jun 10 10:40:03 1993
From: ZOGUR@CUVMB.Columbia.edu
Subject: Books/noyekh and grayzn/freezing

BOOK NEWS

"The Field of Yiddish, Fifth Collection", Northwestern University
Press and YIVO, has now appeared. Edited by David Goldberg. It looks
like a beautiful job.

Volume II of the "Language and Culture Atlas of Ashkenazic Jewry",
primary editor Andrew Sunshine, will appear in the Fall. Max
Niemeyer Verlag, Tuebingen.

"FROZEN DATIVES"

Of the sort that have been offered, see Weinreich, s.v. "harts" for
numerous expressions. Note the distinction between "a klap ton in
harts" and "a klap ton in hartsn".

I wonder if the concept "frozen" is better applied to expressions
whose origins are opaque. Try "skotsl kumt", for example, or
"mishteyns gezogt".

NOYEKH MIT ZIBN GRAYZN

Eli Katz: Some belated comments on the expression "Noyekh mit zibn
grayzn".

     1. Your interpretation of its MEANING is correct, of course.
The question of its origin is less unambiguous. I think there's a
discussion of it among Dov Sadan's treasures. (Can anyone out there
confirm this?) He attributes its origin to the manner in which
children were taught to write--by joining a specified number of
little circles ("krayzn") set out on a page.

     For nun, three "krayzn"; thus  .:
     For khes, four "krayzn"; thus  ::

In all, "noyekh mit zibn krayzn".

     Assuming that he is correct, we'd have to explain the change
from "krayzn" to "grayzn" either as a result of the loss of the
practice itself, leading to a reinterpretation of the unfamiliar or,
to some phonological factor. Of the latter, the only one I know,
that might be invoked, is the (essentially) Alsatian Yiddish merger
of "k" and "g" before "r". It yields variants like "holegra:sh" for
general Western Yiddish "holekra:sh" ('a naming ceremony'), "greyn"
for (otherwise) WY "kreyn", EY "khreyn"), "grimzl" (and "frimzl")
for (otherwise WY "krimzl", EY "xremzl"), "yagres", elsewhere
"yakres" ('scarcity').

     2. I venture forth on the word "grayz" again. The last time I
did it, the long knives were waiting for me, but I'm feeling brave.

     Whence the word "grayz" ('error') itself? Unless there's
someone out there who knows better, I don't think we can find either
a Slavic or a German cognate (much as it "looks" like it might be of
German origin). If it were German, we'd expect to find a medieval
German variant in long "i:"; cf. Yiddish "tsayt, raybn, mayn", etc.
Is there one?

     Here again, I think it was Dov Sadan who offered a Hebrew
source, with (long?) "i" (at least "i" in open syllable): the word
"giml, reysh, yud, ayin, vov, sof", griut (cf. garua 'bad'). I have
no trouble with whatever shift in meaning may be involved here but
the presumed phonological development does present a problem. The
long "i:" to "ay" is the rule but, NOT in the Hebrew component. What
do you think?

     3. Aside from that, I've been musing on the phonologically
anomalous Yiddish name "Feygl", whence "Feyge" (Central Yiddish
"Faygl"/"Fayge"). Shall I go on or would you like to play with it a
bit?

Mikhl Herzog

2)----------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri Jun 11 09:26:54 1993
From: Walter Zimmerman <zimmerma@lib.uwo.ca>
Subject: The Husband of Rabbi

Nenry Breitrose in Mendele 3.032 asks the question of how to address
the husband of a rabbi.  If I'm not mistaken, a recent issue of
Moment has the answer and it's "Rebbets" or maybe it was spelled
"Rebbetz," I'm not sure.  My library doesn't carry this wonderful
periodical so I can't check it right now.  If I'm right about the
source, it's probably the May, June or July issue, 1993.  Perhaps
someone can check it and send the correct spelling.

Walter Zimmerman

P.S.  If David Roskies is on the Mendele list, would he please
contact me at his earliest convenience.  Danke.

3)----------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri Jun 11 17:50:50 1993
From: lkuzmack@sytex.com
Subject: Re: Yiddish in the DC Area

In Mendele 3.032, Diane Valsamis asked about Yiddish activities in
the DC area.  I responded to her privately but would also like to
make the information available to the list.

The Washington, DC area, including suburban Maryland and Virginia,
has many Yiddish activities and classes, most under the auspices of
or connected with Yiddish of Greater Washington.  We put out a
bilingual newsletter every two months except during the summer.

I would like to invite any Mendelniks in the DC area (or outside it,
for that matter) to e-mail me their mailing address to receive
several complimentary copies of our newsletter.  We hope  that local
people with an interest in Yiddish will join.

The next newsletter will appear in early September and will include
a listing of Yiddish classes in the area.  (I maintain the mailing
list and produce the Yiddish portion of the newsletter.)

Arnold Kuzmack

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End of Mendele Vol. 3.033