Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 14.010 September 29 , 2004 1) Mechl Asheri a"h (Family) 2) Introduction (Sara Abosch) 3) Introduction (Joel Ratner) 4) botchvines (Eli Goodman) 5) shier nisht (Hugh Denman) 6) shier nisht (Paul Glasser) 7) Sholem Aleichem's "Narrenberg" (Barry Schechter) 8) Yiddish Magazines for Children (Naomi Miller-Tureck) Visit Mendele on the Web: http://www.mendele.net 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: September 18, 2004 From: donnom@netvision.net.il Subject: Mechl Asheri a"h In grief, we announce the petirah our loved husband and father, Donn Michael O'Meara on Wednesday, September 8th. He died at home, suddenly, of a heart attack. May he intercede for us in Shamayim. The family 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: August 10, 2004 From: abosch@hotmail.com Subject: Introduction Please start my subscription to the Mendele list. I have just finished an intensive course in 'Yiddish for Holocaust Research' taught by Brukhe Lang Caplan and Marc Caplan at Indiana University and am interested in following the various Mendele list discussions. I have a PhD in Modern European/British History and for my next project I am researching the Yiddish-speaking Eastern European Jewish refugee population resident in London between the mid 1930s and the immediate post-war period. Sara Abosch 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: September 8, 2004 From: Joelrat@aol.com Subject: Introduction I have joined the group at the behest of Sylvia Schildt. My area of interest is Litvak genealogy, specifically the Vilna uyezd [district] within what was Vilna gubernia in Imperial times. I run a research group for those interested in the shtetls of this particular area. The Vilna District Research Group is part of the LitvakSIG, which can be found online at www.jewishgen.org/litvak . For those interested in Vilna, please visit my Vi lna Shtetlinks page at www.shtetlinks.jewishgen.org/vilna/vilna.htm . The following is a list of our groups past translation projects: 1858 Revision List [Revizskaya skazka] E28093 1858 census of the Kahal 1915 Vilna city directory E2809CVsia VilnaE2809D [All Vilna] 1942 Vilna ghetto census Graduates of the Vilna 1st gymnasia 1837 - 1903 1894 Vilna Talmud Torah donors The Yizkor book E2809CBleter Vegn VilnaE2809D has been partially tran slated into English [50%]. In a short time, we will have access to most of the vital records [b,m,d] for the city of Vilna from 1837-1915 as well as for many shtetls including Nemencin, Antokol, Snipishok and Novygorod. We are seeking to index the name s contained in the records to provide a guide for researchers. I have seen re cords from several years, including 1883. These records are written both in Russia n [old Cyrillic] and, on the opposite page, in Hebrew/Yiddish. Our finances are not unlimited, so we cannot afford professional translatio n resources. We are looking for people who have an interest in translating/transliterating these records, have a solid grounding in the languages required, and for whom the pecuniary aspect is not a prime motivation. Anyone interest ed in participating in this activity should contact me at Joelrat@aol.com. I can also provide a sample record to those who express interest. A groysn dank. Joel Ratner 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: September 8, 2004 From: JEGCC@CUNYVM.CUNY.EDU Subject: botchvines Can anyone tell me the meaning and origin (as well as the correct transliteration) of the word I know as `botchvines,' as in the phrase `er misht kashe mit botchvines'? Eli Goodman 5)---------------------------------------------------- Date: September 28, 2004 From: h.denman@ucl.ac.uk Subject:Re: shier nisht In response to numerous contributions to Mendele 14.009, is it superfluous to remark that one should not confuse the Germanic 'shier' spelled phonetically (shin khirek-yud ayin reysh), used in the phrase 'shier nisht' meaning "almost", "nearly" and the Semitic 'shier' spelled traditionally (shin [yud] ayin vov reysh) meaning "measure" and "lesson"? So much is succinctly recorded in Weinreich's dictionary. True, the etymological origins are not mentioned, but the contrast between phonetic and traditional spelling should suffice to make this clear. Incidentally, the semasiological connection between the two Hebrew senses is that a lesson is viewed as a measure of learning. Hugh Denman London 6)---------------------------------------------------- Date: September 28, 2004 From: pglasser@yivo.cjh.org Subject: shier nisht a) Matthias Lexer, Mittelhochdeutsches W”rterbuch, lists the Middle High German word "schier" and glosses it, among others, 'beinahe', i.e., 'almost'. Evidently, the word no longer exists in modern German. b) Uriel Weinreich does not conflate "shier" 'almost' (spelled shin khirik-yud ayin reysh), of German origin, and "shier" 'lesson; limit, measure' (spelled shin yud ayin vov reysh), of Hebrew origin - they are two different entries. He does list both Hebrew-origin meanings in one entry, and they are apparently of a single etymology, even though the meanings are quite different. Interestingly, Ernest Klein, Etymological Dictionary of Hebrew, says that the meaning 'measure, limit' is post-biblical, whereas the meaning 'lesson' is modern Hebrew. c) As the discussants have already noted, "Vifl iz der shier?" and "on a shier" are etymologically unrelated to "shier nisht" and should not be confused. Paul Glasser 7)---------------------------------------------------- Date: September 29, 2004 From: BarrySchUS@aol.com Subject: Sholem Aleichem's "Narrenberg" Does anyone know of an English translation of Sholem Aleichem's "Narrenberg"? Barry Schechter 8)---------------------------------------------------- Date: September 8, 2004 From: ptureck@rogers.com Subject: Seeking Yiddish Magazines for Children I don't know if you can post my query on Mendele. I am seeking copies of the children's Yiddish magazine published in Wilno (Vilna in Yiddish) between 1918-1940 called di grininke beymalekh. I am also seeking copies of children's Yiddish magazines and Yiddish writings for children from Argentina. If anyone wants to donate them to me or sell them to me, I will be happy to hear from you. Naomi Miller-Tureck Toronto, Ontario Canada (416) 783-3439 ptureck@rogers.com ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 14.010 Address for the postings to Mendele: mendele@lists.yale.edu Address for the list commands: listproc@lists.yale.edu