Yiddish Mailing List, Issue #11 September 27, 1989 122 lines =============================== A mini legend (David Sherman) Skrebl oif yidish (David Sherman) [bamerkung: shik epes, az ikh zol hobn vus aroistsushikn in nekstn numer!] ------------------------ Digest-Message: 11/1 From: dave@lsuc.on.ca (David Sherman) Subject: A mini legend Date: Sun Aug 13 20:21:01 EDT 1989 [This one was posted to the net many years ago, and a number of people have it in tattered-photocopy form. I got this version from Lazer Danzinger. I've standardized the spelling somewhat. -DS] Amol iz geven drei Indians. Der tate, Jeronovitz; die mame, Pocayenta; un die tochter, Minnie-Horovitz. Ein tug iz Minnie-Horovitz gekumen aheim un gezugt tsu Pocayenta, "Mame, ikh vil farheiraten." Zugt Pocayenta, "Gut, s'iz shoin tseit. Du bist yetzt an alte moid, zekhtsn yur alt. Ver iz der bokhr?" Zugt Minnie-Horovitz, "Oy mame, hob ikh getrofn mit a bokhr! Hoikh un heldish, azoi shein, azoi shtark!" "Un vus iz zein numen?" "Er heist zikh Sitting Bullvon." "Un vus far a yikhes hot er?" "Oy, er hot a groisen yikhes. Zein tate, Meshigene Ferd, is der gantser makher fun alle der Shvartse-Fuss leite." Zugt Pocayenta, "Gut, mir veln hobn a groise chaseneh... Oy vay'z mir!" "Vus iz der mer?" "Mir hobn ein tsureh." "Vus iz die tsureh?" "Der tzeepee iz nisht grois genug tsu halten alle die gest fun der chaseneh -- alle die Shvartse-Fus un die Schmohawks un die gantse mishpokheh." Shreit Pocayenta tsu Jeronovitz: "Shtey oif funem tukhes un gey khap far mir a buffalo." Zugt Jeronovitz, "Far vos vilst du a buffalo?" "Mit dem fleish funem buffalo ken ikh makhn a gut gedemte tzimmes, un mit der peltz ken ikh makhn gresser der tzeepee, un mir veln kenen einladen die gantse velt tsu der chasseneh." Arois iz gegangen Jeronovitz. Ein tug hot passiert, tsvei teg, un nisht kein Jeronovitz. A vokh shpeter kumt aheim Jeronovitz mit gornisht in zeine hent. "Shlemiel, vu iz mein buffalo?", shreit tsu eim Pocayenta. "Du un dein buffalo tzimmes, ikh hob eikh beide in dr'erd." "Far vus? Vus iz der mer?" "Der ershte tug hob ikh gezen a buffalo nisht gut genug far der tzimmes, nisht grois genug far der tzeepee. Der tsveite tug hob ikh gezen anander buffalo, grois genug ober mit a farfoilte peltz; aza mieskeit fun a buffalo hob ikh keinmol nisht gezen. Nokh a pur teg hob ikh gefinen a buffalo -- shein, shmaltzdik, un grois. An oisnam!" "Un nu, vuden?" "Vuden, ikh hob gegangen tsu shekhten dem buffalo, ikh hob gekikt in mein tasch, un... du veist vus? Ikh hob mitgebrengt nor mein milkhikn tomahawk!" ------------------------ Digest-Message: 11/2 From: dave@lsuc.on.ca (David Sherman) Subject: Scrabble in Yiddish Date: Sun Sep 10 21:37:04 EDT 1989 We had a terrific time at the Yugntruf Yidish-Vokh in Copake NY, from Aug 31 to Sept 6. (Dos vet zein nokh a briev, ven ikh vel hobn tseit tsu shreibn fun dem.) Among the unplanned activities, we found ourselves in a game of Scrabble in Yiddish with Josh Waletsky and his family. They have a Scrabble set which has been done over in Yiddish. Josh told me the value and breakdowns of the letters were done by someone else about 50 years ago. I think some of them need adjusting. Josh's set had only 90 letters instead of 100: Letter Value How Many Tiles ====== ===== ============== aleph 1 12 beis/veis 3 4 gimel 3 4 daled 2 3 heh 3 3 vov (vowel) 1 5 vov-vov (cons.) 2 2 zayin 1 1 ches 10 1 tes 2 5 yud 1 4 yud-yud ("ey") 2 3 caph/khaph 4 2 lamed 2 3 mem 2 4 nun 2 4 samekh 1 3 ayin 1 6 pey 3 2 fey 3 2 tsadik 8 2 kuph 4 3 resh 1 4 shin 2 4 tof/sof 10 1 0 3 A computer-based analysis of word frequencies in something like a dictionary (not just written text) would be helpful, but I'm pretty sure the above numbers need some adjustment. Clearly there should be more zayins, for example. Anyway, it was a great way to improve our vocabulary. (Did you know that "mi", mem-yud, means "effort"? Or that "mesh", mem-ayin-shin, means "brass"?) ------------------------ A k'siveh v'khasimeh toive tsu alle, un zolt ir alle hobn a gut gebensht yur. END OF ISSUE #11 ------------------------ David (Daniel Moishe) Sherman, Toronto Moderator, mail.yiddish { uunet!attcan {AT&T Sites}!att pyramid!utai utzoo } !lsuc!dave dave@lsuc.on.ca attcan!lsuc!dave@uunet.uu.net