Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 4.183 November 14, 1994 1) "Yiddish is not hefker" (Zellig Bach) 2) Zamenhof and Yiddish (Zellig Bach) 3) Zellig Bach queries mashinke (Marcia Gruss Levinsohn) 4) Hebraisms in Yiddish/Blondheim (Lisa-Leah Jenschke) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 13 Nov 1994 19:50:15 -0500 From: zellig@aol.com Subject: A Shmu'es about "Yiddish is not hefker" "Hefker" has no single equivalent word in English (4.160,1). It connotes property that does not belong to anyone and is terefore outside the protection of the law. It occurred to me that the two English words "public domain" convey _in part_ the legal meaning of "hefker" under the following two conditions: One: When something never belonged to anyone and as such was in public domain. There is naturally one important restriction: if a crop is in public domain, for example, one cannot cut or garner it in a way to damage an adjacent crop that has a known or even unknown owner. Two: When patents and copyrights granted by the government Patent Office for inventions, manufacturing processes, literary works, lyrics, musical compositions, etc., conferring exclusive rights of ownership, and said patents and copyrights expired after a specified number of years, all of these guaranteed ownership rights become public domain. Here, too, a significant restriction applies: one may freely publish a book that bore the symbol c (for copyright) when the copyright terms expired, but cannot at will change the contents, let's say, the sequence of chapters, or any other unauthorized emendations. Heirs, or the writer's estate, may still sue protecting the integrity of the work. And now I come to the expression "Yiddish is not hefker." Yiddish, as any language, is in the public domain in the sense that it belongs to no one in particular and in fact and truth _belongs_ to all, to the entire people born and raised in its culture! So how can it be said contradic- torily that it is in the public domain and at the same time is not hefker? Fregt di velt an alte kashe. The basic and only function of Yiddish, as of any other language, is to facilitate communications in as plain, simple, direct, and clear way as possible. Any communication, written or spoken, that does not meet these self-evident conditions, fails the basic test of ready comprehen- sion and does not live up to the basic and obvious purposes of language. This definition may not necessarily apply to poetry or philosophical treatises, which are on different levels of emotional and thinking processes, but we are talking here about the most essential and basic components of communications. There are therefore centuries-old rules (laws) of grammar, syntax, and usage that obligate the speaker or writer to adhere to for the sake of the commonality of language. And thus, not withstanding the fact that a language is in the public domain, it is still _protected_ by the established rules, or laws, that any self-respecting person is expected to follow. It is in this sense that I say Yiddish is not hefker. It was given to us _in trust_, and it behooves us all to treasure it. Zellig Bach 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 13 Nov 1994 19:23:06 -0500 From: zellig@aol.com Subject: Zamenhof and Yiddish Dr. Ludwig Zamenhof, the famous inventor of Esperanto, which he especially designed as an auxiliary universal language for better international communications and understanding. (It is based on only 900 root words and has a simplified grammar of only sixteen rules.) He was a serious and devoted "khoyveyv yidish" (lover of Yiddish), and composed _a yidishe gramatic_ (a Yiddish grammar) that was, however, never published. In an article about Yiddish he wrote, in 1909: "Yiddish should not be written at will, as it pleases one, but eynhaytlekh un rikhtik (uniform and correct). As the languages of even Hottentots or the wild tribal ihabitants of Australia have their strict and formulated grammatical rules, so naturally has Yiddish. Without these rules one Jew could not possibly understand another Jew." I found it curious that Zamenhof's advice concerning spelling is in some degree similar to the correctives in my first posting on romanization (4.102, Section g). He suggested, among other stipulations, to spell "batsoln, zakhn" (no silent /e's/), hant (not hand), got (no double /t/). Zellig Bach 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 13 Nov 1994 21:18:40 -0500 (EST) From: mashinke@wam.umd.edu Subject: Zellig Bach queries mashinke In response to my intro, Sept. 20, Dr. Zellig Bach asked about my Mishpokhe Yiddish classes in the Washington, D.C. area and if the 1st or 2nd syllable of my name was accented. I answered him directly and he said I should share my answer with the Mendele members. I've updated it. 1. Thank you, Zeyde Zellig for your kind words about Mishpokhe Yiddish. Our intention was to involve "di gantse mishpokhe," in passing Yiddish on to young children. And we generally do just that. I had been a CO-OP Nursery School Director/Teacher and thought I would just facilitate the learning experience as "Zeyde/bobe" (the real teachers) passed their "tayere yirushe" on to their "eyniklekh." This has become the exception rather than the rule. The capable Zeydes and Bobes are busy going on Elderhostels and cruises. Consequently I am learning Yiddish and constantly searching for and making up appropriate material for "di zise kinderlekh." 2. Why am I called "Ma'-shin-ke"? It is the diminutive form of Masha. "Di libe Bobe Sore, Tate Menakhem Mendl,(fun Kovne), Mame Bella Leye, un Tante Maynie, (a likhtikn gan eydem zoln zey hobn), hobn mir gerufn Ma'-shin-ke," (accent on the first syllable). Your first thought was correct. If my father were alive, he would, however now call me Ma-shin'-ke with the stress on the 2nd syllable because I'm strugling with and am finally using this wonderful machine. How he would have loved the computer and Mendele! "Ma'shinke iz itzt a mashin'ke." (diminutive of machine, as Dr Zellig Bach pointed out.) It was a pleasure hearing from you. "Zay gezunt," Mashinke P.S. Sunday, November 20, Mishpokhe Yiddish, sponsored by Yiddish of Greater Washington and the Jewish Educational Workshop will be holding another "Zoo-ish Jewish." We'll meet with Miriam Isaacs, Yiddish speaking neighbor of the Zoo, for an Intergenerational Yiddish tour at the National Zoo, Connecticut Avenue in Washington, DC. We will gather in front of the elephant house (benches) at 11:30am. No charge for the Yiddish tour; the park charges $4 per car for non FONZ members. Call "Bobe" Marcia at 301-933-3520 if you can join us and/or for information. Marcia Gruss Levinsohn 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 13 Nov 94 16:20:18 EST From: ljenschk@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu Subject: Hebraisms in Yiddish/Blondheim I'm having some trouble locating an article about the frequency of Hebraisms in Yiddish (women speakers). The article is by D.S. Blondheim and is, I think, in French. If anyone knows the citation for this article or can refer me to other articles about the same subject, I'd be very grateful. a sheynem dank, lisa-leah Jenschke ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 4.183 Mendele has 2 rules: 1. Provide a meaningful Subject: line 2. Sign your article (full name please) A Table of Contents is now available via anonymous ftp, along with weekly updates. Anonymous ftp archives available on: ftp.mendele.trincoll.edu in the directory pub/mendele/files Archives available via gopher on: gopher.cic.net Send articles to: mendele@yalevm.ycc.yale.edu Send change-of-status messages to: listserv@yalevm.ycc.yale.edu a. For a temporary stop: set mendele nomail b. To resume delivery: set mendele mail c. To unsubscribe kholile: unsub mendele Other business: nmiller@mail.trincoll.edu