Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 08.041 August 11, 1998 1) English in Yiddish (Rukhl Eissenstat) 2) Yinglish (Yosef Gilboa) 3) English in Yiddish (Harvey Spiro) 4) English words in Yiddish (Shaya Mitelman) 5) Sholem Aleichem's Letter to Yoel Engel (Bob Freedman) 6) Yiddish (Feygl Infeld Glezer) 7) Yiddish & 'kvas' (Lucas Bruyn) 8) Yiddish in Israel - scholarly abstract (sylvia schildt) 9) Yiddish in Israel (David Herskovic) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 7 Aug 1998 03:21:22 -0400 (EDT) From: Eissenstat@aol.com Subject: English in Yiddish Tsulib dem vos ich bin a mame mit kleyne kinder, gefelt mir zeyer dos yinglishe vertl "sharapnikl" far "pacifier" oder "soske". Es kumt fun "sharap"(shut up), un punkt azoy hot mayn eygene mame gezogt far "shvayg" tsu mir. Khotch zi hot gekent az es is "shut up" ven zi hot defart gebn aza geshray,is es aroysgekumen "sharap".Nor grine voltn azoy geredt, un fun dem geshafn "sharapnikl". Ich meyn az aza vertl vos me ken nit farsheyn af english iz a koshere yinglish-yiddish vort. Oych dermont es mir vos mayn tate hot gezogt vegn dem Forvets-- az fun es leyen,hot er ongehoybn tsu lernen English vayl 'siz geven azoy fil Englishe verter inem banutzed! Nu, iz do a yidish vort far a "pull-up"? A dank. Rukhl Eissenstat 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 7 Aug 1998 04:06:34 -0400 (EDT) From: AJ Gilboa Subject: Yinglish Has anyone remembered to mention in this discussion the obvious fact that English and Yiddish are both basically Germanic languages? Yinglish doesn't seem so odd when viewed in this way, any more than the massive incorporation of Aramaic roots, usages, etc. into Hebrew (as well as Yiddish). Yosef Gilboa 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 7 Aug 1998 14:00:46 -0400 (EDT) From: Harvey Spiro Subject: English in Yiddish Marjorie Schonhaut Hirshan asks (Mendele Vol 8.037) why yidishe lingvistn sneer at commonly used Yiddish words that are derived from English. Here are a few thoughts from this non-linguist. The struggle for *pure Yiddish* was not just against English words. At different times, the Germanic, Slavic and Hebrew/Aramaic elements of Yiddish have also come under attack. To 18th century Berlin maskilim like Mendelssohn, Yiddish was a contaminated German, and hence the roadblock to assimilation and opportunity. To the 19th century Russian Haskole (and to the Zionists), Yiddish was simply zhargon, lacking the yikhus of loshen koydesh, and bearing the further stigma of sounding like bad German. The influence of these two *enlightenment* movements, together with the rise of German literacy among Jews in the 19th century, caused many Yiddish speakers to infuse their Yiddish with daytshmerisms, which they felt added sophistication (or legitimacy) to their proste mameloshn. Sholem Aleichem campaigned against daytshmerism, and publicly criticized the daytshmerish Yiddish of the popular author Shomer. In an earlier generation, Mendele had protested against the proliferation of excessive Slavicisms in Yiddish. Sholem Aleichem*s writings are filled with Russian and Ukrainian words, both as separate phrases and as integral parts of his Yiddish. Soviet Yiddish writers, in turn, were urged to strip their Yiddish of Hebrew-Aramaic elements, because they recalled the religious underpinnings of Yiddish that, of course, had no place in the Workers* Paradise. Yet although America was good for the Jews as individuals, the Yiddish-English connection was particularly dangerous for Yiddish. Unlike the broken promises of the European enlightenment movements, the promises of the goldene medine were fulfilled. In America, a Jew could be accepted as an American, merely by learning English. When languages rub shoulders, they influence each other. When Ukrainians and Jews lived in the same town, each one*s language influenced the other*s. The same is true for Polish and Russian, German and Dutch, and other languages that share borders. The English spoken in southern California and Texas has much more Spanish vocabulary and word formations than that spoken in Glasgow, Jamaica or New Delhi. But there*s the rub. In pre-war Europe, Yiddish was a healthy, living mameloshn, spoken by porters and innkeepers, accountants and doctors, and most importantly by millions of children. Even if it lacked borders and an army, Yiddish could withstand and absorb the influences of neighboring languages. But in the goldene medine, the transition from vinde, next-doorke and payde to no Yiddish at all took place in a generation, or less. Under different circumstances, the addition of yet another layer to our wonderful fusion tongue should have been no more threatening than is the influence of Spanish (or, for that matter, Yiddish) on American English, that other fusion language that most of us speak. However, I think that many Yiddishists find it particularly bitter that, at a time when Yiddish had become an endangered species, in a country where it could be freely spoken and printed, Jews themselves chose to abandon Yiddish. Harvey Spiro Vienna, Virginia 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 8 Aug 1998 13:54:54 -0400 (EDT) From: Serge Mitelman Subject: English words in Yiddish. To think that there is some extraneous censorship that disallows us to use English words sounds a bit too strong. Who are those academicians with the hatred for all the things English? ( "Academie Yiddishais", as Harvey Varga calls them; vol.08.039.8). Mordkhe Schaechter? Or maybe Mikhl Herzog? I believe we are free to use as many English words and Americanisms as we want . As a matter of fact, this is exactly what the news section of "Forverts" regularly does. With a bit of taste they could make nice localisms. We may even speak pure English (which is easier), rather than substitute the established Yiddish vocabulary. The situation is much worse than Marjorie Schonhaut Hirshan suggests (vol.08.037:8). The proportion of Slavisms in the American Yiddish publications is incomparably higher than it has ever been in Slavic-speaking countries. Therefore, we can add that the "Academie Yiddishais" not only censors out the Americanisms, but also selectively imposes on us numerous Slavic derivatives. For example, the following poem (A gram, Zhohana Yakubovich, Di Pen, #15, Oktober 1995) would never make it on the pages of "Sovetish heymland" or "Di yidishe gas": Af vemen bistu podobne? Af dem zun vos mir veln hobn. A sharf ponim mit shvartse oygn. Du zest oys teylmol azoy smutne Az dayne oygn vern vi khmares, Zey blondzhen ergets vayt in der velt, etc. (agev, vu iz der gram?) To me - this is "a bezvkusitse" ( kakapitse, geshmaklozikayt). The Russian-speaking community in New York, by analogy, has also "invented" some beautiful local neologisms : chardzhat', endzhoyat', affordat', yuzat', etc., etc. Nobody, though, has yet called for their inclusion into the literary Russian language. A tiny bit of literary exility would not harm us either. Shaya Mitelman. 5)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 7 Aug 1998 16:14:59 -0400 (EDT) From: Bob Freedman Subject: Sholem Aleichem Letter to Yoel Engel In an article published in "Der Yud" (Krakow, 1901) Sholem Aleichem replied to Yoel Engle who was critical of the characterization of Warshavsky's songs as "Folkslider". The article was published in two parts in the Mlotek columns of the Forward (Yiddish) of June 1 and June 15, 1984. Does anyone know whether this article has been translated into English, and if so, where??? Bob Freedman 6)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 7 Aug 1998 11:01:37 -0400 (EDT) From: yiddish1@juno.com (Feigl I Glaser) Subject: Yiddish A yasher koyekh Leybl Botwinik, Sylvia schildt un ale di vos zaynen bemes, fun gantsn hartsn, farinteresirt oyftsuhaltn Mame-Loshn. Noyekh Miller un andere vi er zaynen btokh tseshterer, nisht boyer fun Yidish. Yidish tsu im iz nor vikhtik, in zayne eygene verter, vi "instrumentale un sentimentale sibes, ober nit vi an end-tsil". "Vos es izyo vikhtikt, "zogt er, "iz di toyznt yorike oyfklerndike geshikhte". Zayt mir moykhl, ober azelkhe ...yaner vi er, hobn biz ahergeholfn un helfn vayter koylen di Yidishe shprakh mi ale ire oytsres. Mentshn vi Sylvia Schildt, Leybl Botvinik helfn boyen un shafn Yidishe shuln, Yidish reders un ernste libhobers fun Yidish. Ikh bin oykh mer farinteresirt in vayter tsien un boyen dos tayere Yidishe vort, mayn, mayne eltern's, bobe-zeydes' un mayne kinder's Mame-Loshn, vi tsu zukhn dem opshtam fun Yidishe verter un oysdrukn (khotsh in gevise faln iz dos oykhet vikhtik). Ikh bin tsufridn az es iz faran a Mendele nets -- iber der gorer velt -- vos iz ernst farinteresirt tsu lernen, redn un vayter antviklen Yidish -- nisht gekukt oyf dem vos zeyer religyezer, sotsyaler oder politisher gloybn zol nit zayn. Zayt geshtarkt, khosheve Mendelyaner un Mendelyanerkes un ale mitarbeters un mitglider funem nets vos helfn oysbreytern un antviklen Yidish redn, Yidish zingen, Yidish shraybn un Yidish leyenen. Un lomir take hofn, az di Isroel medine un dos Yidntum in di farsheydene kvutses veln endlekh helfn tsurik oyfboyen vos zey hobnt biz itst bavustzinik un aktiv geholfn tseshtern - dos libe un heylike Yidishe vort. Mit vareme grusn, Feygl Infeld Glezer 7)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 7 Aug 1998 15:30:11 -0400 (EDT) From: "L.M. Bruyn" Subject: Yiddish & 'kvas' In response to Sylvia Schildt: First of all, I would like to support David S. Braun's motion to create some clarity about the issue of Yiddish in Israel. The contents of the law in question were sketched by Leybl Botvinik in Mendele V05.258. The law seems to be aimed at propagating Yiddish culture in all its aspects. The word 'school' or 'teaching' are not mentioned. The interpretation given by Sylvia Schildt: "Budget is for expansion of activities from 40 schools to a much greater number -- I believe there are around 200 to 300 schools in the land." seems to be a free interpretation of the law. Further I would like to remind my dear opponent that since the creation of Israel several 'alies' have settled down in the country, to form a multi-cultural society far different from what Zionist had imagined. If the Israeli government passed a law in support of Yiddish Culture, I can only imagine that it did so in the spirit of the new Israel, to enable all cultural groups in Israel to show their best. Finally I would like to remark that the notion of "$1000 a plate dinners" sounds disgustingly American to my ears as well. I know that Israel's survival largely depended and depends on American funding, obtained through lobbying. The blessing is mixed. Could I interest Politico-Mendelist in an action for the re-introduction of 'kvas' in the former Soviet Union? Kvas, well known from Yiddish literature, was the national soft drink for many centuries but has within a few years time completely disappeared from the market. All factories were bought up and liquidated by the two Cola companies. Lucas Bruyn. 8)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 8 Aug 1998 17:39:43 -0400 (EDT) From: creativa@charm.net (sylvia schildt) Subject: Facts/Yiddish in Israel/scholarly abstract While surfing the net trying fruitlessly to locate the name and address of the Minister of Education, I came upon an excellent pre-publication abstract, which presents an in-depth and updated look at the issue of language in Israel. It considers the antecedents of Hebrew (Turkish, English, Arabic, etc.) from the Allenby days and explores firstly the moves toward monolinguism and now the new moves to linguistic pluralism. It is a lengthy, thoughtful and informative document with facts and figures about who speaks what, what the forces are surroundeding the various linguistic groups, and of course the role of Yiddish. It documents the changing role of Hebrew, even the more threatening encroachment of English. I believe it puts our concerns over secular Yiddish education in a detailed context. What amazes me is that, given the growing respect for multilingualism in Israel, the acceptance by the Minister of Education of the importance of "heritage languages" such as Yiddish (215,000 speakers) and Ladino (100,000) speakers, the existence of Mrch 1996 Knesset law, that Yiddish has been so glossed over. Perhaps some Israeli Mendelyaner in or out of the Yiddish clubs and organizations, can enlighten us. sylvia schildt baltimore, maryland 9)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 9 Aug 1998 11:37:19 -0400 (EDT) From: David Herskovic Subject: Yiddish in Israel Yiddishistn who really care for Yiddish should, in my opinion, be thankful that Israel never placed its hands on Yiddish and thus allowed Yiddish to remain true to its roots as a Jewish language, the language it has always been, and not acquire the ambiguous term of an Israeli language, with its Jewishness vaguely defined. That Israel has done its utmost to the obliteration of Yiddish inside as well as outside Israel should be a matter of regret for Israel rather than for those concerned with the survival of Yiddish. For what future can a country have if it seeks to deny the history of its own people to its own people? Let farbisene anti-Yiddishists pretend that Jewish history has a large void between the revolt of Bar Kochba and the Basel conference. Those who know better, though, know that there were quite a few years in between. And in those years Jews lived eating foods other than falafel, spoke a vernacular other than the modern parody of biblical Hebrew and lived in lands of steppes and not in cliches of deserts blooming. Yiddish has always been the lingua franca of Ashkenazi Jews dispersed among their non-Jewish neighbours. If Israel had or has a dream of creating a 'new' kind of Jew unencumbered with 'Golus mentalities' then perhaps they indeed have no need for the Yiddish language. But for proud Golus dwellers like myself who, though awaiting their redemption, are enjoying every minute of it while moshiach bids his time, for people like us Yiddish still has a function to play, and an honourable one at that. It is the language of our past as well as our key to the future. To those that the Holocaust means a lot more then ghetto resistance, as heroic as it was, and visiting Auschwitz is more than trampling on sacred earth waving flags and chanting 'Never Again' to those Yiddish is the language of their ancestors which encapsulates within it their entire way of life. It is for their lives and their way of living that were so cruelly annihilated that we mourn and it is through their language that we remember and seek to pass it on to our future generations. But if a country seeks to deny this heritage to its citizens then what hope can the future hold for it with no past to look back to, how will they be judged by future generations if their own past has been obliterated by state imposed amnesia, and how can a country ever aspire for pluralism if whole dialects have been rooted out and not even the ashkenazi pronunciation of Hebrew nor Ashkenazi surnames have been allowed to survive? Selectiveness in history and culture is also only a step away from complete ignorance. To prove this point try making a search for Hebrew poetry. One will find nothing from Ibn Gevirol; no mention of Yehuda Halevi's evocative 'Tsion Halo Sishale...' in fact no medieval poetry whatsoever. And it's no better with the modern poets. To date I have found one Tshernokhovski and one Bialik, the Bialik not being his 'City of Slaughter' although Yevtushenko's 'Babi Yar' is readily available. And the difficulties of Hebrew on the web is no defence. Scores of pages full of venom and hate concerning politics seem to find their place all too easily despite the different languages. More to the point, the language barrier has not stopped Refoyl Finkel and Andrei Bradstein, to name but two, from having lovely collections of Yiddish poetry in Hebrew letters on their web sites. Those campaigning selflessly for the survival of Yiddish in what should be the Jewish homeland deserve our full support, but in the clamour for petitions and campaigns the greater message should not be lost. Yiddish has survived greater tragedies than the Israeli persecution and Yiddish will overcome this one too. If Israel is spiting anyone it is no one other then themselves and it is they who will pay the price. David Herskovic ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 08.041 Address for the postings to Mendele: mendele@lists.yale.edu Address for the list commands: listproc@lists.yale.edu Mendele on the Web: http://www2.trincoll.edu/~mendele http://sunsite.unc.edu/yiddish/mendele.html