Mendele: Yiddish literature and language
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Contents of Vol. 6.295
May 4, 1997

1) Etl -betl (Ruben Frankenstein)
2) Khanike-dreydl (Ruben Frankenstein)
3) Forming diminutives (Zellig Bach)
4) Fun a rufnomen tsu'n an oyfruf-nomen (Zellig Bach)

1)----------------------------------------------------
Date: Thu, 1 May 1997 11:27:11 +0200 (MESZ)
From: frankens@mail.uni-freiburg.de
Subject: Etl-betl

[see 6.291, 6.292]

Yekhiel Shtern farruft zikh oyf ot dos shpil (YIVO Bleter Band
XXXI-XXXII, p. 63). S`iz geven eyner fun den hentshpiln im
(ibersetz-)kheyder:

     Eyn kind tut on oyf sayne dlonyes a shtrikl tsunoyfgebundn in a
     krayz. Dos kind viklt arum yede dlonye mitn shtrikl eyn mol. Di
     tsvey krayzn vos bakumen zikh shpant er on oyf yedn mitlstn
     finger fun der antkegn- diker hant. Di bakumene figur ruft zikh
     _etl-betl_. Der mitshpiler nemt iber di figur mit zayne finger
     bay di shnaydpunktn  fun shtrikl un baym droysndikn krayz. Di
     naye figur ruft zikh _lekekh_. Dos ershte kind nemt vider iber
     di figur bay di shnaydpunktn un es bakumt zikh a _reshete_, dos
     tsveyte kind nemt iber di naye figur oyfn dermontn oyfn un es
     bakumt zikh a _netsl_ mit a sakh eygelekh. Azoy geyt iber dos
     shtrikl fun hant tsu hant shfndik yedes mol naye figurn. Di
     letste figur heyst _shpizlekh_. Dos shtrikl iz shoyn demolt
     farplontert un fidlt zikh oyf di finger vi shpizlekh mit velkhe
     men shtrikt a zok.

Ruben Frankenstein

2)----------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri, 2 May 1997 18:04:01 +0200 (MESZ)
From: frankens@mail.uni-freiburg.de
Subject: Khanike-dreydl

Ver veyst dem emes iber dos dreydl-shpil? Faran heypekhdike informa-
tsies vegen dem in den lexikonen: Heinrich Loewe (Juedisches Lexikon,
Berlin 1927) halt az di oysyes heysn:  Shin - shtel ejn (zeyer
shlekht); Nun - nem! (zeyer gut); Gimel - gib! (nit azoy shlekht); He
- halb (nit azoy gut). Ober Symcha Pietruszka (Yidishe
Folks-Entsiklopedye, Montreal 1943) un Alexander Harkavy
(Yidish-english-hebreisher verterbukh, New York 1928) un oykh Max
Grunwald (Juedisches Fest - juedischer Brauch,Berlin 1937) un Hayim
Schauss (Dos Jontef-bukh, New York 1933) zogn: Gimel - gants/gor
(zeyer gut); Nun - nisht (shlekht). Ver iz gerekht?

Ruben Frankenstein

3)----------------------------------------------------
Date: Sat, 3 May 1997 22:32:36 -0400 (EDT)
From: zellig@aol.com
Subject: Forming diminutives

Certain diminutive or endearing names drop the first syllable of their
original names.

For instance, the name Yisroel becomes in the several variants of its
diminutive/endearing form Srol, Srul, Srulik, Sruleniu, Srultshe.

Similarly, Akive, becomes Kive, Kivele; Avigdor, becomes Vigder,
Vigderke; Betsalel becomes Tsalke, and so on.

There are many, many more such examples.

What is the reason for dropping the first syllables of these names
when forming their diminutive or endearing forms?

Zellig Bach
Lakehurst, NJ

4)----------------------------------------------------
Date: Sat, 3 May 1997 17:25:59 -0400 (EDT)
From: zellig@aol.com
Subject: Fun a rufnomen tsu'n an oyfruf-nomen

Fun an rufnomen tsu'n an _oyfruf_-nomen -- from a given Yiddish name
to a name by which one is called up, in bes-medresh [synagogue], to
the reading of the Toyre.  (Oyfruf-nomen from the verb "oyfrufn.)

Some time ago I proposed in _Mendele_ ((6.092,6) that a given name in
Yiddish be called "rufnomen," and that in response to the question "vi
ruft men dir (aykh)?" the answer be:  "mayn rufnomen iz" ------.

In the recent discussion of the Yiddish name Leyb, a number of
responses pointed out that the traditional custom is to pair such a
name with its Hebrew cognate, such as Arye-Leyb.  Thus, the Yiddish
name Hirsh would be paired with its Hebrew equivalent Tsvi and Volf
(Velvll), with Z'ev.

These Hebrew-yiddish name combinations converted them from their daily
rufnemen to specific oyfruf-nemen, that is to names by which the man
received the public honor of being called up to the reading of the Law
from the opened Toyre scroll.

If nowadays a boy is given a general name, neither Yiddish, nor
Hebrew, such as Norman, or Seymour, such names too would for the
purpose of an oyfruf-nomen be paired with Hebrew names, but not
necessarily with their Hebrew equivalents, but rather with a name that
started with a similar initial consonant, for instance, Noyekh-Norman,
Shleyme-Seymour.

Many Jews carried their combined Yiddish-Hebrew oyfruf-nemen
throughout their life, especially those versed in religious learning
far beyond khumesh [the Five Books].

For instance, Dov-Ber der magid fun Mezritsh (the Mezritsher
preacher), famous for his very lively "illustrative"
fire-and-brimstone descriptions of the punishments that await the
earthly sinners in the next world.

Zellig Bach
Lakehurst, NJ

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End of Mendele Vol. 6.295