Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 7.047 August 8, 1997 1) az me lebt (Michael Kranz) 2) terms of endearment (Rhonda Friedman) 3) Help For Teachers (sylvia schildt) 4) Yiddish on CD-ROM (Louis Fridhandler) 5) Verlaine into Yiddish (Al Grand) 6) vebplats/reshime far yidish pedagogye (leybl botwinik) 7) Information about Khaym Grade (Estelle Souche) 8) More on Joseph Green (Heynekh Sapoznik) 9) drimplen (Harvey Spiro) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 5 Aug 1997 10:09:02 +0100 (BST) From: mk219@cus.cam.ac.uk (Michael Kranz) Subject: az me lebt ... Michael Steinlauf asks in 7.041 about a translation for "az me lebt, derlebt men". It reminds me of the German saying "Wie man sich bettet, so liegt man." and the French "Comme on fait son lit, on se couche." which are both used to point out to someone, esp. children, that a previous behaviour is the cause for current discomfort. The English equivalent has a slightly different connotation in "If you make your own bed, lie in it." being more of an order than an explanation. The Yiddish sentence could be rendered with the talmudic "Whatever you sow, you shall harvest." Cheers Michael Kranz, Cambridge 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 05 Aug 1997 11:26:45 -0400 From: "Rhonda B. Friedman" Subject: terms of endearment Sholom alechem. I am a new student of Yiddish. I was wondering if someone could help answer a question for me. In English we have dozens of words that are used to refer affectionately to one's significant other: darling, honey, dear, baby, sweetheart, sweetie, lover, angel, honeybunch, sugar, precious, doll.... I realize that I don't have a clue what words are used in Yiddish. The only terms of endearment I recall hearing from my mother were tateleh and momeleh, but they were used to refer to us kids, not to my dad. What words are used in Yiddish? I came across the word Tsutsik, used as a nickname in Singer's book Shosha. Is that a term of endearment? I realize that I should try to get my hands on a Yiddish thesaurus, but I haven't yet been able to do so. Thank you for you help. Rivka Friedman Washington, D. C. 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 5 Aug 1997 11:55:58 +0100 From: creativa@charm.net (sylvia schildt) Subject: Help For Teachers Ot. Ot. Dos hob ikh davke gemeynt [7,046;6]. Dos iz an onheyb a khoshevdiker. Yedies vegn konferentzn afn mendele, un nokh mer. A greyse tzol lerer(ins) bakumen nit ot di yedies, oder, veynen tzu vayt zey zoln kenen forn. Efsher volt geven meglekh, nokh di konferentzn, az me volt zikh bamit optzudrukn af Mendele Review di vikhtikste referatn. Un fun ot di temes kenen zikh antviklen diskusies, lokale konferentzn, un der iker, konferentzn afn veb, vos ale lerer(ins) kenen in dem anteyl nemen. Ruft zikh up, lerer(ins) fun yidish. Lozt hern ayere meyningen. Lozt visn vu ir gefint zikh, in velkhe institutzies ir lernt, k'dey studentn zoln kenen aykh tzaylikh gefinen. A dank dir, mashinke. That's it. That's it. This is exactly what I had in mind. This is a most respectable beginning. Information about conferences on Mendele, and more. A large number of teachers do not receive this information, or, live too far to travel. Perhaps it would be possible, after the conferences, to post on Mendele Review the most important workshops. And from these topics, discussions could develop, local conferences, amd most importantly, conferences on the Web, in which all teachers could participate. Speak out, teachers of Yiddish. Let's hear your opinions. Let people know where you are, in which institutions yu teach, so that students can find you in time. Thank thee, Mashinke. sylvia schildt baltimore, maryland 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 5 Aug 1997 15:40:46 -0400 (EDT) From: Lfridhan@aol.com Subject: Yiddish on CD-ROM Hugh Denman's thoughts on integrating several dictionaries on one CD are precisely on the mark (7.046, 3). In the same issue, Bob Rothstein, no doubt after thorough search, discovered drimplen deeply enfolded among a list of words under shpiln in Stutchkoff's Oytser. Such depth of search is what it takes, of course, to really mine the treasures in Stutchkoff's thesaurus. On a CD, that kind of search would be very easy, very rapid. I have met some who think it may be too easy, but I hold that saving time for other pleasures such as learning Yiddish, reading Yiddish literature, conversing in Yiddish, etc. is a basic, most worthwhile goal. A pronouncing dictionary (sound files can be added) would satisfy a genuine need, and would be a useful teaching aid. The student might even be able to explore various dialects, and better grasp the extent and lively nature of Yiddish pluralism. The list of possible computer-generated wonders goes on, but devoted teachers and plenty of books are still sine qua non. Yasher koyekh tsu di kompyutor mevinim, tsu di lerers un lererins, un tsu di bibliotekers! A gezunt af ale zeyere kepelekh! Louis Fridhandler 5)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 5 Aug 1997 18:47:36 -0400 (EDT) From: Savoyid@aol.com Subject: Verlaine into Yiddish I have a particular fascination with Verlaine's famous opening lines from his Forgotten Melodies (Ariettes Oubliees) # 3: Il pleure dans mon coeur Comme il pleut sur la ville Quelle est cette langueur Qui penetre mon coeur? I have three Yiddish versions of these sublime lines - two by M. Litwin from his _Frantsoyzishe Poezie_ and a third version of my own: 1. M. Litwin - Es khlipet in harts Vi s'khlyapet arum mir Fun vanen kumt tsu mir In hartsn der kumer? 2. M. Litwin - Inem hartsn veynt es Vi in shtot der regn Vozhe ober meynt es Ven in hartsn veynt es? 3. Al Grand - Es veynt in mir dos harts Vi es regnt in shtot Vos iz di shlafkayt Vos fargeyt mir in harts? I'd be grateful for other Yiddish versions of these lines to add to my collection that anyone may wish to share. Al Grand 6)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 06 Aug 1997 08:21:47 -0700 From: leybl botwinik Subject: vebplats/reshime far yidish pedagogye sylvia schildt shraybt (Vol. 7.045) az es volt geven gut tsu hobn a reshime oder vebplats gevidmet yidisher dertsiyung, kedey lerers un dertsiyers zoln kenen zikh toyshn mit gedanken, un azoy vayter. dos iz a vunderlekher gedank. ikh bin zikher, az a sakh pedagogn voltn gekent genisn fun dem, un vi a poyl yoytse, voltn di talmidim gehat beser tsugegreyte lerers un lern materyaln. ikh veys fun azelkhe vebpletser un reshimes far lerers fun hebreish un afile far organizirers fun yugnt grupes, zumer-kemp un beys-medresh aktivitetn. to farvos nit oykh far yidish? ikh bin far dem, un bin greyt tsu helfn mit vos ikh ken. ikh ken aza gedank forleygn dem veltrat far yidisher kultur vu ikh bi a vitse-forzitser. es volt ober geven nokh beser, ven etlekhe (tsuzamen) fun di institutsyes vos farnemen zikh mit yidisher dertsiyung zol zikh farnemen mit dem, lemoshl: * der arbeter-ring bildungs opteylung * bar-ilan tsenter far yidish in yisroyl (bildt oys lerers un iz oykh farantvortlekh far ale shuln baym bildungs ministeryum vu men lernt yidish) * oksforder yidish institut (ikh farshtey, az zey hobn spetsyele kursn farn tsugreytn lerers fun yidish) * veltrat far yidishehr kultur (farnemt zikh mit lerer seminarn in di mizrekh eyropeishe lender un in yisroyl) * IAYC -internatsyonaler farband fun yidish-klubn in amerike (zey hobn oyf dem farayorikn konferents in miami ongenumen bashlusn vegn farshtarkn yidisher dertsiyung) * andere ?... un efsher zoln mir gor fodern fun di ekzistirndike azelkhe reshimes un vebpletzer fun di groyse organizatyes vi der yidisher agents, yisroyl bildungs ministeryum, un andere, az zey zoln gebn unds an ort mit a budzhet derfar...? leybl botvinik, netanya 7)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 6 Aug 1997 15:33:58 +0200 (MET DST) From: Estelle Souche Subject: Information about Khaym Grade A khaver of mine is interested in knowing whether the widow of the writer Khaym Grade (1911-1982) is still alive, if yes where she lives and who owns the copyrights for Khaym Grade's works. A dank in advance, Estelle Souche 8)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 6 Aug 1997 09:51:23 -0400 (EDT) From: Sapoznik@aol.com Subject: More on Joseph Green Mendelyaner, An update on materials concerning the Yiddish film pioneer Joseph Green. The National Center for Jewish Film (NCJF) has the papers and archives of the late filmmaker and all his films restored and available in film and video. They are an excellent resource and can be reached by e-mail at NCJF@logos.cc.brandeis.edu Heynekh Sapoznik 9)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 06 Aug 1997 09:57:21 -0400 From: Harvey Spiro Subject: drimplen I smiled when I read Heynkeh Sapoznik's tale of constant banjo playing as a youth, and his parent's description of it as "drimplen." My late parents used to describe my incessant torture of an accordion (and in later years of an equally guiltless guitar) as "grimplen." My brother took to referring to the accordion as my "grimpl-box." After reading the exchanges about drimplen, I went straight to Weinreich, which indeed does list "grimplen," meaning to "strum tunelessly." Following up on Bob Rothstein's discovery of drimplen in Stutshkov, I found grimplen in the index, and enjoyed reading all of the rhymed, onomatopoetic synonyms listed: grimplen, shkrimplen, rumplen, rimplen, drimplen, klimpern, etc. Unfortunately, the distinctions among them are lost to most of us non-native speakers. Admittedly, for me, "strumming tunelessly" was an apt description. My guitar and accordion playing have not improved much since I was a teenager. I still grimpl (infrequently). L'havdil, Heynkeh Sapoznik, a world-famous klezmer, whose drimplen obviously was more successful than my grimplen. Yasher koyekh to Heynkeh. Shpilt, klezmorim! Harvey Spiro Vienna, Virginia ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 7.047