Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 13.015 March 1, 2004 1) vi zogt men es oyf yidish? (Ruben Frankenstein) 2) kanarik (Meyer Zaremba) 3) kanarik (Jack S. Berger) 4) kanarik (Miriam Isaacs) 5) Auf/oyf? (Perets Mett) 6) VZMAY (Binyumen Schaechter) 7) af tsurik (Miriam Isaacs) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Feb 23, 2004 From: ruben.frankenstein@orient.uni-freiburg.de Subject: re: vi zogt men es oyf yidish? Regarding Izaly Zemtsovsky's query (Mendele 13014): Uriel Weinreich suggests for "Keep your chin up" the yiddish phrase: "Nisht gedayget!" which is more: "don't worry!" but comes very near to it. Ruben Frankenstein, Freiburg 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Feb 23, 2004 From: greenehcuzineh@aol.com Subject: Re: kanarik Regarding Bernard Dov Cooperman's query (Mendele 13014): A "kanarik" is a canary. The Moishe to whom you refer may have raised canaries or have had them for pets. Also, Michel Rosenberg had a comedy monologue that he titled, "Shepsel Kanarik Fun Poughkeepsie" that dealt with a chazan who was making "probe" (auditioning for a cantorial position). Since a canary sings...you can make that connection yourself. Meyer Zaremba 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Feb 24, 2004 From: jsberger@optonline.net Subject: Re: kanarik Here is an excerpt from my translation (expected to go to press in April) of Pinkas Zamosc into English: Jack S. Berger ********* The times of the Polish boycott of the Jews arrived, and this affected our `Blooms.' A certain Pole, Namislovski, founded a peasant's orchestra, a modern one, and they usurped the place of the `Blooms' with the nobles. The musicians then took to other lines of work, and trade as well. After several years of the boycott, the occasion arose for a great ball at the house of a Nobleman. The young nobles invited Namislovski's orchestra. The old Nobleman, however, wanted the merriment to be like it was in the old days, and he invited the `Blooms,' to enliven the guests in their style. When the night of the ball arrived, Binyomi'leh called his sons, and instructed them it will be necessary to prepare themselves very well for the ball. He forbade everyone in his ensemble to drink at the ball - in order to remain alert. His sons heeded his behest. For the whole night, both orchestras played, one after the other; the drunken guests were required to offer an opinion about the music. Before dawn, the old Noble asked of the `Blooms' that they should play a `Kanarikl.' This was one of the really artistic pieces of this ensemble, which the Noble had heard more than once. The ensemble played this `Kanarikl' like never before. Their performance captivated everyone. The old Noble was moved to tears, and all the guests stood and applauded `Bravo!' Namislovski went over and shook the hand of the boycotted Jewish musicians. Binyomi'leh's ensemble left the ball with great honor. 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Feb 28, 2004 From: misaacs@wam.umd.edu Subject: Re: kanarik Isn't kanarik just another version of soloveitchik, a canary? Why that was a name is perhaps the other question. Perhaps someone who sang like one. Miriam Isaacs 5)---------------------------------------------------- Date:Feb 24, 2004 From: p.mett@open.ac.uk Subject: Re: auf/oyf? As one who never knew any pronunciation other than ohfreef until I first left London, let me throw my oar in. Firstly, it a khidesh to me that there ever was a place in Europe where the word was pronounced oyfrif, but I'll accept his word for it. The point I really want to make is that Polish Yiddish also differentiates between prepositional 'oyf' and verbal complement 'oyf-' albeit the differenc is less striking than in Litvish and Voliner pronunciations. In my experience, the OHF pronunciation of 'oyf-' is longer whereas 'oyf' is pronounced with a more clipped OF. But where does the increasingly common AUFRUF come from? (Even my litvishe wife has started using it!!) Was there really such a word amongst German Jews, or have they just made it up in Anglo-Saxon speaking lands? Perets Mett London 6)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Feb 27, 2004 From: bschaechter@nyc.rr.com Subject: VZMAY This letter will be in Yiddish transcription. If you are ever in need of a place to ask "How do you say _____ in Yiddish" or What does [a Yiddish word or phrase] mean in English", read the following: Mir hobn ongehoybn, durkh blitspost, in 2002, a rubrik, VI ZOGT MEN AF YIDISH? (do vayter: VZMAY) Der seykhl fun VZMAY iz, az se zenen do a sakh mentshn vos hobn nisht ken yidish-meyvn af tsu fregn vi me zogt gevise yidish verter oder frazes vos me vil nitsn un vos me ken nisht gefinen ba Uriel Weinreichn in verterbukh. Ikh shrayb zikh bazunder adurkh mit a 4 yidish-mevinim vegn di meglekhe entfers tsu di kashes fun di bateylikte, un dernokh tseshikt men di tshuves tsu der gantser reshime. Dervayle zenen do a 350 bateylikte in der reshime fun arum der velt. ****Shikn mir di farbetung, ir zolt hobn di gelegnhayt zikh tsu bateylikn in dem. Oyb ir vilt, darft ir entfern, az yo.**** A gutn! Binyumen Schaechter New York 7)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Feb 28, 2004 From: misaacs@wam.umd.edu Subject: af tsurik Efsher ken mir emetser oyshelfn mit a frage. Mayne eltern, ven ikh fleg geyn tsuriktsuvegs ven ikh bin geven kleyn, hobn zey beyde gezogt az ikh tor nisht. Ven ikh hob gefregt far vos hobn zey gezogt az dos heyst sheltn tate-mame. In Joshua Trachtenberg's zamlung vegn Yidishn ibergloybn un kishef shraybt er az ton epes af tsurikh iz farbundn mit kishef, lmoshl leynen fun posik af tsurik, oykh varfn epes af tsurik u.z.v. Ober, far vos sheltn tate-mame, farbotn in mishpotim? Ikh gedenk oykh, az varfn a sholekhts fun a frukht ahinter di pleytse, ven es falt af di podlige, vayzt oys mit vemen men vet khasene hobn. A dank faroys Miriam Isaacs ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 13.015 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