Mendele: Yiddish literature and language
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Contents of Vol. 6.115
December 2, 1996

1) In vos bashteyt der yidishizm? (Sholem Berger)
2) "A tropn af a heysn shtein" (Joachim Neugroschel)
3) Helft nit, shodt nit (Mechl Asheri)
4) Saying "please" in Yiddish (Leah Krikun)

1)----------------------------------------------------
Date: Sun, 01 Dec 1996 12:42:28 +0000
From: bergez01@mchip00.med.nyu.edu
Subject: In vos bashteyt der yidishizm haynt-tsu-tog?

in zayns a "mendele"-brivl shraybt mechl asheri [6.104] az dos zayn a
yidishist iz keyn gedule nisht, bansher di gantse unternemung fun der
veltlekher yidishkayt ligt shoyn nayn mayl in der erd un bakt beygl.
ikh hob etlekhe taynes.

ershtns er farmisht di yoytsres.  "yidishizm" iz nisht taytsh dafke
"veltlekher yidishizm"--s'heyst nor a pozitiver, a aktiver, an
aktivistisher tsugang tsum tog-teglekhn shtitsn di yidishe shprakh.  in
mayner yidish-redndiker svive, vos bashteyt mershtns fun
"yugntruf"-mitglider ["yugntruf" iz a yidishe yugnt-organizatsie in
nyu-york] zaynen do i frume yidn, i fraye.  un mir ale--religieze un
veltlekhe--haltn zikh take far yidishistn, un rekhenen dem titl a
sheynem un bekovedikn.  a bal-gayve vil ikh nisht zayn (dos vort iz mir
tsu gnay), nor a shtoltser bin ikh yo.  ikh vil dem khosheven fraynd
asheri haltn take far a yidishist, afile ven er vil nisht--vayl er makht
a savore vos er ken kedey yidish zol zikh vayter tseblien.

far vos zhe shrayb ikh "vayter"?  ot iz mayne tsveyte tayne tsum fraynd
asheri. s'iz dokh bavust alemen, az s'halt gor shmol bay undz, di
veltlekhere yidish-reders.  ("veltlekhe" iz korekt nor in farglaykh mit
di same khoredishe yidish-reders; vi s'shteyt shoyn oybn, "yidishizm"
nemt arayn i frume yidn, i nisht-frume.)   nor di shprakh blaybt tsvishn
undz nokh lebedik, nokh shpanendik, nokh shprudlndik mit
zikh-opfrishndike koykhes.  ikh heyb tomid nisht on tsu farshteyn, far
vos me vil haltn undzer shprakh far a toyte, ven zi vert geredt,
geshribn, geleyent, gelernt, un take geshtist durkh yungen.  yo, mir
geyen durkh eymedike shverikaytn un ikh kuk nisht aroys af zeyere
baldikn sof.  fundestvegn mir hofn shtendik, un mir haltn zikh
beshum-ofn nisht far a tsushmeterung.

der fraynd asheri zogt, az der veltlekher yidishizm hot nisht "matsliekh
geven". der inyen shtekt nisht in "matsliekh zayn" tsi nisht.  mir ale
vos shtitsn di sprakh, veltlekhe tsi frume, goyim tsi yidn, zaynen
yidishistn.  mir darfn ale zikh obgebn a kheshbn mekoyekh der arbet vos
andere makhn, un nisht haltn andere yidish-redndike sektorn far toyte.

oyb mir, di veltlekhere yidishistn, makhn kholile a shtarb, vel ikh
avade oyfshteln a brivele af "mendele."  ober dervayle...

farblayb ikh ayer mit derekh-erets

sholem berger

2)----------------------------------------------------
Date: Sun, 1 Dec 1996 13:16:09 -0500 (EST)
From: achim1@cris.com
Subject: "A tropn af a heysn shtein"

Mendele Vol 6.114

In a frierdikn blitsbriv hob ikh os-be-os ibergezetst dem daytshn idyom
"ein Tropfen auf den heissen Stein" vayl ikh hob nisht gevust vi azoy me
drukt dos oys oyf yidish.  nor nekhtn hot mir mordkhe shekhter derklert
az me ken nitsn dos yidishe veltsvertl:  "a lefl tsuker makht nisht zis
dem yam" (in a sheynem vaysn fers).

Joachim Neugroschel

3)----------------------------------------------------
Date: Sun, 01 Dec 1996 21:10:24 +0200
From: donnom@netvision.net.il
Subject: Helft nit, shodt nit

I've forgotten the first part but the proverb speaks of "dray zakhn vos
zay helfn nit ober zay shodn nit". The second two are,"bankes" un "zogn
t'hilim". Who can tell me the first item? The proverb has its obverse
side not as well-known. "Dray zakhn vos zay pasn nit ober zay shodn nit:
az an alter man nemt a b'sulo, a trink bromfn nokh dem esn un shlogn dos
vayb".  No, I don't want to know how you say, "male chauvinist pig" in
Yiddish.

Mechl Asheri

4)----------------------------------------------------
Date: Sun, 1 Dec 96 21:18:11 PST
From: lejim@netvision.net.il
Subject: Saying "please" in Yiddish

Ikh bashtim mit Joachim Neugroschel's verter vegn "please", un hob
efsher take nit in gantsn farshtanen zayn frierdike briv. Zayne
bayshpiln fun andere shprakhen hobn mir dermont az nit in yeder shprakh
muz men hobn eyn eyntsik vort tsu zogn vos men vil. Ober di
kontseptsie fun vort "please" is a spetsiele, und ikh bin shoyn lang
tzugevoynt tzu 2 shprakhn velkhe hobn eyn vort - english un ivrit.
Ikh vil oykh zogn, az ikh bin a tokhter fun eltern bay vemen a
rikhtige, gramatishe yidish is geven a vikhtike zakh. Mayn mann
kumt fun a heym vu yidish eez geven die shprakh tzvishn eltern und
kinder, ober zeyer yidish, nokhdem vos zey zaynen gekumen tzu
amerika, iz gevorn - vi hayst dos - "yinglish". Dos hot mir zeyer nit
gefelt, ober mit di yorn hob ikh ongehoyben beser und beser tzu
farshteyn az der iker iz a lebedike shprakh, un do bin ikh maskim
mit Yosef Herskovic. Abi men redt, abi yidish blaybt mit unz, bifrat
mitn yungern dor, iz es nisht azoy! geferlakh oyb di shprakh iz nit
ingantzen gramatish. Es iz bay mir a kheylek funm natur,fun der heym un
fun yidishn shul az di "di"en, "dos"en un "der"en zaynen zeyer vikhtik.
Ober nit ale hobn gelebt un gelernt vi ikh hob, un nit ale kenen redn
"vi men darf, vi es shteyt geshribn". Beser a yidish mit grayzen,eyder
gor kayn mame loshn.

Leah (Selchen) Krikun

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End of Mendele Vol. 6.115