Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 3.055 July 11, 1993 1) Idioms (Shleyme Axelrod) 2) Orthography (Pe'rets Mett) 3) Goy (Martin Davis) 4) Second Internat'l Yiddish Conf. (Avrom Blair) 5) Introduction (Rachely Galay) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu Jul 1 10:55:08 1993 From: Seymour Axelrod Subject: Idioms Nokh etlekhe idiomen funem Judeo-Sorbianer loshn. 1. "hefker petrishke" = anything goes [U. Weinreich]. I think I recall it being used to disparage a chaotic state of affairs. 2. "a lek un a shmek, abi geton!". Criticizing an inadequately (because too-hurriedly) performed task. 3. "bakumen dos pekele tsores" = to menstruate. Weinreich gives, in addition to "menstruirn", "hobn/krign di tsayt"--not nearly as vivid. 4. "a nomen fun der haftoyre" = a fictitious name (lemoshl, Pavel Slobodjanskyj). 5. "nisht [emetsns] khazershe biznes" = none of [someone's] damned affair. "Vifl hostu farlorn nekhtn banakht in pinakl?" " 'Siz nisht dayn khazershe biznes!" said my nasty Uncle Max. 6. "makhn mit di zaytn" = to writhe with pain [A. Harkavy]. A sardonic reply by the same Uncle Max to the friendly greeting/inquiry "Vos makht a yid?" was "A yid makht mit di zaytn." 7. "alts ye, dos nit" = "I'm prepared to consider/permit many requests/actions, but never *that* one." (A *Redensart* rather than an idiom, if I understand the distinction, since a literal translation works.) The "ye" is not a typo; that was the pronunciation of my vilner-gubernye-geborene tate-mame. --Shleyme Axelrod 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu Jul 1 11:37:55 1993 From: P.Mett@open.ac.uk(Percy Mett) Subject: Orthography Roslyn Kalifowicz-Waletzky <0005943838@mcimail.com> writes [Mendele Vol. 3.047] >recidivist challenge to Yivo orthography that is totally >destructive to the whole Yiddish terrain. Then there are others >who could While you may consider the misuse of pseudonymic authorship to be a criminal activity, I fail to see why you have to be so derogatory about those who are unhappy about Yivo orthography. I do not even know whom you have in mind, but I (in common with most Yiddish speakers) find the Yivo latinization scheme highly confusing . (OK maybe most Yiddish speakers have never seen the Yivo scheme so they aren't bothered by it.) A recent posting decried the use of -ch- for tes-sheen. This seems pretty harmless compared with a transliteration scheme which requires me to stop and think at every -ey- and -ay- , having got used to thinking of -u- as the i/ee sound. Is a little tolerance in order? pe'rets mett 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri Jul 2 17:47:27 1993 From: davism@turing.cs.nyu.edu (Martin Davis) Subject: Is "goy" necessarily derogatory? I think this essentially repeats a previous discussion of "shiksa". Many will be adamant that this is not a proper term to use in English. However, examples can be found where the intended use is friendly and will so be taken. Martin Davis 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri Jul 2 21:32:26 1993 From: Allan E Blair Subject: Second Internat'l Yiddish Conf. ATTENTION ALL LEBADIKER MENDELNIKS: The First Internal'l Conference of Yiddish Clubs was a huge success. So much so, that an intrepid trio if Yidishers, Harold Black of Washington, DC, Fishl Kutner of San Mateo,California, and Allan Blair of Columbus, Ohio, set out to get the ball rolling for THE SECOND INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF YIDDISH CLUBS. The chosen city has been thoroughly researched by Kutner, Blair, and Black. We think that the meetinf AND the city will be more than stupendous. Since the firers and the vikhtiker mentchen of this marvelous haven't given us the official acceptane, the hekhshur as it were, we cannot tell you where it is. However, We garauntee that you'll love it! Dr. Avrom Yitzkhok Blair vos voint in Columbus, Ohio 5)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon Jul 5 12:49:45 1993 From: HISHTALMUT Subject: Introduction Dear Mendelniks, Let me introduce myself. I'm an israeli' young musician (18) that is also interested in all what means Yiddish Culture. During the month of July I'll be at a Coursee of Chamber Music at APPLE HILL, East Sullivan, NH. You can live a message for me at the office (phone: (603) 8473371. Since the 26 of July at the 2 August, I'll be at New York City, Phone: (718) 4638239. I'll be very greatfull if someone can show me the city. I'll be glad to pass to Israel any massages to the local Yiddish Hemsheck Dor. Zait mir gezunt un shtark, Rachely Galay (Tel-Aviv). ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 3.055