Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 12.013 February 19, 2002 1) Dictionnaire Yiddish-Francais (Hugh Denman) 2) Aron Tseytilns poem (Laura Mincer) 3) how is "lamed yod" pronounced? (Andrew Firestone) 4) a folkloristishe frage (Yael Chaver) 5) Dogma or semantics? (Claus Buryn) 6) lullaby (Michael Teitelbaum) 7) translation software (Marcelo Goland) 8) Seeking a reference (Irwin Lebow) 9) "Ester di Manilke(?)" (Mikhoel Ron) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 21 Dec 2002 09:00:41 -0500 (EST) From: Hugh Denman Subject: Dictionnaire Yiddish-Francais There has recently been some not terribly well informed discussion on our sister mailing-list UYIP re Yiddish dictionaries. It occurs to me that perhaps it would not be entirely amiss if I were to repeat here what I said there: Of course, the current state of Yiddish lexicography is not overly felicitious. In addition to the works mentioned by colleagues [i.e. Weinreich (1968), Harkavy (1928/ 1988), Niborski (1997) etc.] it is often necessary to have recourse to the various "component-dictionaries", i.e. dictionaries of Hebrew, Aramaic, Middle High German, Polish and particlarly Ukrainian, as well as to the four existing volumes of the _Groyser verterbukh_, but I am very surprised that so far nobody has mentioned that the situation has recently been substantially improved by the appearance of Yitskhok Niborski's _Dictionnaire Yiddish-Francais_, Paris: BibliothŠque Medem, 2002, 632pp. [ISBN: 2-9511372-7-3], Euros 32.00 [h.b.], which with its 37,000 lemata has now (for more than six months already) become undoubtedly the finest single-volume Yiddish dictionary in existence, despite the fact that unfortunately it does not incorporate 100% of the lemata and all the rich phraseology to be found in his earlier _Verterbukh fun loshn-koydesh shtamike verter in yidish_, Paris, BibliothŠque Medem, 1997, 306pp. [ISBN: 2-9511372-0-6]. Naturally, for English (or any other language)-Yiddish Uriel Weinreich (1968) remains unsurpassed, even allowing for M. Tsanin, _Fuler hebreish-yidisher verterbukh_, Tel Aviv: H.Leyvik Farlag, 1983, 888pp. As I wrote to a friend recently, "Niborski and his co-author Bernard Vaisbrot (with the assistance of Simon Neuberg) have done exactly what many of us have been advocating for years. They have created a dictionary which combines the philological virtues of Weinreich with the breadth of vocabulary of Harkavy, Niborski's own dictionary of Hebraisms, Stutshkov's _Oytser_ and material from the _Groyser verterbukh_. The next stage would be to do the same thing in English, but on an even larger scale, by taking more material from the _Groyser_ (and its archive) and inviting people who have been annotating their dictionaries for decades to submit material. In addition more citations of usage from authors' works (as already in the _Groyser_) should be included. The resultant work could be in two volumes, be called the _Kurtser_ and play a role corresponding to the _Shorter OED_. Pipe-dreams, I suppose." p.s. Both the Niborski dictionaries are available direct from the BibliothŠque Medem, 52 rue Ren‚-Boulanger, 75010 Paris, tel: +1 48 03 20 17, fax: +1 42 02 17 04, e-mail: Hugh Denman, London 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 24 Oct 2002 10:10:36 -0400 (EDT) From: "Laura" Subject: Aharon Tseytlns poem Dear Mendelianer, dear friends, Who can help me? I am writing a chapter on Yiddish and Jewish-Polish literature in Poland for a new History of Polish Literature to be published in Italy by Einaudi. I need the Yiddish version of some lines of the famous poem by Aharon Tseytln "Once upon a time in Poland" (1946), that I know only in the Polish translations. In English it could roughly sound as "It has been a long time ago/in a certain country/a long long time ago/Once upon a time, in Poland" (The Polish translation is: "Bylo to dawno temu/w jakies krainie,/bardzo dawno temu/kiedys w Polsce"). I need also the exact Yiddish quotation of the famous 'slogan' by Sholem Ash, "Vistula speaks Yiddish to me". Thank you in advance for your help - A sheynem, a groysem dank! Laura Mincer, Rome 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 17 Nov 2002 00:18:22 -0500 (EST) From: "Andrew Firestone" Subject: how is "lamed yod" pronounced? Dear friends, Would "lialke" be pronounced identically if written "lalke"? ie is the orthography a pre-YIVO historical accident only? Or is it to indicate a softer L sound than otherwise? A friend has suggested moreover, that the yod is sometimes used to show accent, eg, kapelie, not pronunciation. Your comments would be appreciated. Andrew Firestone Melbourne Australia 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 18 Nov 2002 21:56:16 -0500 (EST) From: "Yael Chaver" Subject: a folkloristishe frage Tayere Mendelyaner, Does anyone know the Yiddish parody (sung in my family) on the part of the Passover Seder that is based on Psalm 115, which mocks the idols? The parody starts with the first Hebrew line "eynayim lahem ve'lo yir'u" (they have eyes but do not see), then translates "oygn hobn zey un zeen nit," then mocks: "oy iz tsu zey un vey iz tsu zey, a blindn getshik hobn zey." As the Hebrew continues, mentioning ears, mouth, nose -- the Yiddish follows derisively: "a toybn getshik... a shtumen getshik... a fonfevatn getshik." I am looking for a source or documented tradition. Any tips would be greatly appreciated. A sheynem dank alemen, Yael Chaver 5)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 29 Nov 2002 08:16:54 -0500 (EST) From: "L.M.B." Subject: Dogma or semantics? The Yiddish 'apikoyres' is a sad figure, despite his epicurian origin. Being an 'apikoyres' in the nineteenth century meant that one was attracted to the ideas of the 'haskole' movement that one was a 'maskl', a believer in enlightment, western education. During the second half of the nineteenth century being married to an 'apikoyres' provided a woman with grounds for getting a 'get', a divorce. Hebrew and Yiddish dictionaries appear to side against the 'apikoyres'. Though several Yiddish dictionaries agree that an 'apikoyres' is merely a free-thinker or an atheist, others insist that he is a heretic. The standard defenition of a 'heritic' does not square with the meaning 'freethinker' or 'atheist'. For someone who abandons a faith or a religion, English uses the word 'apostate'. However, Hebrew and Yiddish dictionaries agree that an apostate is a 'meshumed', while a meshumed is someone who has converted to another religion, notably the Christian religion. I wonder how this change in meaning, whereby an apostate became a heretic came about. Toe illustrate the problem I give what I have found on the subject in several dictionaries: Ben-Yehuda's Pocket Engl.-Hebr.; Hebr.-Engl. Dictionary Engl.-Hebr.: apostasy: kfirah; hamarat dat apostate: mumar; kofer heresy: kfirah heretic: kofer atheism: kfirah, epikorsut, shlilat elhim atheist: kofer, epikoros Hebr.-Engl. kfirah: cub; denial; atheism hamarah: change; apostasy mumar: convert, apostate kofer: unbeliever, atheist meshumadut: apostacy meshumad: apostate shmad: religious persecution; apostacy shmad: to be destroyd shimed: to force to convert epikorsut: atheism, heresy epikoros: atheist, freethinker, heretic minut: heresy, sectarianism min: kind; sex, gender; sectarian; heretic kafran: denier, lier Niborski: apikorses: fraydenkeray; skeptitsizm; nisht-orthodoksishe oder nisht-ongenumener meynung. apikoyres: yidische fraydenker, nisht gleybiker yid; skeptiker mumer: meshumed, getoyfter, yid vos hot ongenumen dem kristlekher gloybn. koyfer: nisht gleybiker, got farleykener, ateist meshumed:yid vos hot ongenumen a fremden gloybn, optriniker, oysvarf, shlekhter mentsh. shmad: aribergang fun a yi tsum kristlekhn gloybn, dos toybn zikh; optrinikeyt, heretishkeyt shmadn (zikh): bakern (zikh) tsum kristlekhn gloybn Tsanin (Yid.-Hebr.; Hebr.-Yid.): apikoyres: koyfer, epikoros, min, kafran epikorsut: frayzinikeyt epikuros, apikoros: frayziniker; koyfer beiker Weinreich: apostasy: shmad apostate: meshumed; mumer heresy: herezie, apikorses heretic: heretiker, apikoyres freethinker: fraydenker atheism: ateizm atheist: ateist; koyfer-beiker apikorses: heresy apikoyres: heretic Harkavy apostate: meshumed; geshmadt heretic: apikoyres free-thinker: fray-denker apikoyres: heretic, unbeliever, free-thinker Webster: epicure: 1. a person who enjoys and has a discriminating taste for fine food and drinks. 2. [Archaic] a person who is especially fond of luxury and sensuous pleasure. Epicurian: a follower of Epicurus or his philosophy. Epicurus: 341?-270 B.C.; Greek philosopher; founder of the Epicurian school, which held that the goal of man should be a life of calm pleasure regulated by morality, temperance, serenity, and cultural development. apostasy: an abandoning of what one has believed in, as a faith, cause, principles, etc. apostate: a person guilty of apostasy; renegade. heresy: a) a religious belief opposed to the orthodox doctrines of a church; esp. such a belief specially denounced by the church; b) the rejection of a belief that is part of the church dogma. 2. any opinion (in philosophy, politics, etc.) opposed to official or established views or doctrine. 3. the holding of any such belief or doctrine. heretic: a person who professes a heresy; esp. a church member who holds beliefs to church dogma. Oxford: apostasy: Abandonment of religious faith, vows, principles, or party apostate: (One) guilty of apostasy. heresy: Opinion contrary to the orthodox doctrine of the Christian Church, or to the accepted doctrine on any subject. heretic: holder of an onorthodox opinion (orig. in the matter of religion). Claus Buryn. 6)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 30 Nov 2002 23:04:26 -0500 (EST) From: Michael Teitelbaum Subject: lullaby Hi, I'm trying to find a recording of a Yiddish Lullaby my parents used to sing to me, for my 2 year old daughter. Unfortunately, I don't know what it's called. Phonetically, it begins: I le loo le, mein gedoo-le, shlof ze aygaloch tzu If you can be of any help, I would greatly appreciate it. Michael Teitelbaum, NY 7)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 3 Dec 2002 12:57:37 -0500 (EST) From: Marcelo Goland Subject: translation software I am looking for a software for translating yiddish to english, does anybody know if there is one on the web? Thank you, Marcelo Goland 8)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 6 Dec 2002 12:16:07 -0500 (EST) From: IrwinLe@aol.com Subject: Seeking a reference I am seeking a reference to a short story in which the "hero" is a man whose main role in his shtetl is to receive the aliyah in which the tochechah (Parashat Ki Tavo) is read. The man leaves town and the townspeople are in a quandry. If you are familiar with this story, I would appreciate the title and author. Irwin Lebow Chevy Chase, MD 9)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 6 Dec 2002 14:44:21 -0500 (EST) From: "M. Ronn" Subject: "Ester di Manilke(?)" Khosheve Mendlistsn: Kh'zukh dem taytch fun a vort vos kh'hob gefunen in der avtobiographye fun a yidn fun Tiraspol, vos iz gevezner Khersoner gubernye un hart lebn Besarabye. Er shraybt vegn eymetsn vos me flegt onrufn "Ester di manilke" (oder monilke, munlke, manlke, un azoy vayter) -- oysgeleygt mem-alef-nun-yud-lamed-kuf-ayen. Tomer veyst eymetser dem taytsh, zayt mir azoy gut un shikt mir tsu, akhuts tsu der grupe, a blitspostl oykhet. Ayere, Michoel Ronn (Mikhoel Ron) ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 12.013 Address for the postings to Mendele: mendele@lists.yale.edu Address for the list commands: listproc@lists.yale.edu Mendele on the Web: http://www.mendele.net http://ibiblio.org/yiddish/mendele.html