Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 4.299 January 30, 1995 1) Introduction (Zishe Carlow) 2) Introduction (Nukhum Rosenblatt) 3) More on names (Varda Ullman Novick) 4) Shmuel-Za[(y)n]vl (Dovid Braun) 5) How to market yiddish? (Joseph Sherman) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 29 Jan 1995 21:47:54 -0500 From: zishe@aol.com Subject: Introduction; a kashe Heysn heys ikh Zishe Karlov (af goyish: Richard Carlow). Ikh bin shoyn etlekhe khadoshim eyner fun di bahaltene "tsukukers" un ikh meyn az s'iz shoyn tsayt zikh fortsushteln farn oylem. Ikh bin a geboyrener in Bronks un ikh voyn itst in Manhetn. Tsum badoyern bin ikh nisht ufgevaksn mit yidish nor ikh hob zikh gelernt in der Uriel Vaynraykh zumer-program in Kolombye-Universitet. Ikh arbet ba tog vi an ufnemer inem Yidishn Visnshaftlekhn Institut (YIVO). D'h, ikh entfer dem telefon un bagris di mentshn vos kumen tsu undz arayn. Dertsu bin ikh an aktyor i af english i af yidish. Letstns hob ikh geshpilt mit der Folksbine in Nyu-York. Di hayorike pyese iz geven "Mirele Efros" vos me hot zi geshpilt bizn 29stn yanuar. Dos iz geven mayn 8tn sezon mit der trupe. Ikh hob a sakh hanoe fun Mendele un ikh dank dem shames zeyer un take aykh alemen far ayer onteyl. Un itst tsum takhles: Ken emetser mir gebn tsu farshteyn farvos me zogt "in der emesn" ven dos vort "emes" iz loshn-zokher? Dem nun tsum sof vort ken ikh epes banemen vi ba sof andere loshn-zokher-verter in dativ vi "tatn", "mentshn", "rebn". Nor der "der" dort, vu es volt mashmoes gedarft zayn "dem" iz mir a retenish. A hartsikn dank in foroys. Mir iz zeyer ayngenem tsu zayn do tsvishn aykh alemen. Zishe (Richard) Carlow 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 29 Jan 95 19:17:50 PST From: nrosenbl@interserv.com Subject: Introduction I have been "lurking" about, enjoying this delightful group. I have been a bit shy about participating as I am really a novice regarding Yiddish. My parents were immigrants, and although Yiddish was the first language I learned to speak, it is only recently that I began to learn to read Yiddish. You see, it was several years after I myself became a zedeh that I realized the importance of preserving Yiddish. We grow too soon old, and too late smart. I began using "College Yiddish," and did well with it. I then tried to continue using "Yiddish Tsvay" but found that text to be difficult. It is heavy on grammar and I'm not quite ready for it. I need intermediate level material with which to develop my reading skills. I subscribe to the "Forverts," and that is the level at which I can now read, though slowly and with a dictionary near at hand. Can anyone recommend reading material which will help me. My goal is to be able to read Yiddish novels and essays with ease. I suppose literature written for young people would be the most helpful. I support YIVO and the NYBC, and I attend local meetings of the SPY here in San Diego, California. A shaynem dank for any and all assistance. Nukhum Rosenblatt 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 29 Jan 1995 18:32:06 -0800 (PST) From: vunovick@netcom.com Subject: More on names Mikhl Herzog mentions the Workmen's Circle in another context. The original Yiddish name for that organization is Arbeter Ring, no? Does not "Arbeter" translate as "worker?" Does anyone know why the "Workers' Circle" was translated as the "Workmen's Circle?" Apparently the original Yiddish was gender-nonspecific ahead of its time. Mr. Herzog also submitted a very interesting explanation of "various principles at work in Yiddish name-pairing." All of the examples are of men's names. Were women's names paired? If so, could someone give some examples? If not, could someone explain why? Varda Ullman Novick 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 29 Jan 1995 23:58:34 EST From: dovid@mit.edu Subject: Shmuel-Za[(y)n]vl Thanks to Mikhl Herzog for the notes on Yiddish name pairings. Khayem told me that he thought (and perhaps had read somewhere) that Zanvl/Zaynvl/ Zavl was derived from Samuel (Samuel--> Zamuel--> Zamwel --> Zamvel--> Zanvl). It made perfect sense, and we wanted to check whether it was a common pairing (other than in the case of the one Shmuel-Zaynvl I was aware of, namely S._Z. Pipe the folklorist), since that, we figured, would confirm the origin. Itshe-Meyer was the name of a Hassidic rebbe -- I forget which one, but a poylisher. So many poylishe kids were named after him that the name became associated with poylishe yidn and non-poylishe began calling poylishe _itshe-mayerlekh_ or _tshmayerlekh_. (I think these facts, in addition to the identity of the rebbe, are mentioned in Max Weinreich's _Geshikhte_ -- I don't have it at hand to check.) Two pairings which I've come across, which are on the one hand "justifiable" but on the other hand difficult to understand, are _Shmuel-Shmelke_ and _Moyshe-Meshl_. They seem like pairs of Biblical name + corresponding diminutive form, but neither _Shmelke_ nor _Meshl_ is a predictable diminutive of _Shmuel_ or _Moyshe_, respectively. Hmm. Dovid Braun 5)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 30 Jan 1995 08:10:19 GMT + 2:00 From: 071JOS@muse.arts.wits.ac.za Subject: How to market yiddish? After ten years of struggling, we in South Africa have managed to find a sponsor willing to promote a part-time regular course in learning Yiddish -- reading, writing and literature. We have teachers, but now we need students. There is great indifference to Yiddish here in South Africa, largely the result of the combined influences of ignorance and Zionist propaganda of the Ben Gurion type. I would greatly welcome all advice you can give me on how to answer such questions as: Why should we study Yiddish? It's a dead, ghetto language and has nothing to do with the problems of modern Jewry. Why should we waste our time with Yiddish when Hebrew is the language of the Jewish people. Why should I study Yiddish rather than Hebrew or French or German? If you could suugest the kind of wording I might use on a poster to be put all round our campuses here, attracting interest and attention, you would be doing an enormous service for the cause of Yiddish at this end of the world. If we can't get students (10 minimum) what little interest there is here in South Africa will die and we will not get a second chance. Please write to me either publically or privately -- your assistance will be most deeply valued as this is truly our one and only chance. Please help. I hope this message goes through as this is the second time I'm writing. Hope you can hear me from South Africa -- and more, please give generously of advice and guidance. Joseph Sherman Johannesburg, South Africa ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 4.299 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. 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