Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 08.103 December 24, 1998 1) Khoyzek (Ruben Frankenstein) 2) khoyzek (Hugh Denman) 3) From Treves to Dreyfuss (Dan Leeson) 4) regional variations (Joachim Neugroschel) 5) standard Yiddish vs. the dialects (Joachim Neugroschel) 6) English in Yiddish / Yiddish in English (David Sherman) 7) Mame Loshn NW (Joan Rudd) 8) latkes/doughnuts (David Herskovic) 9) meditsin un religye (sholem berger) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 20 Dec 1998 10:06:48 -0500 (EST) From: frankens@uni-freiburg.de Subject: Khoyzek As Mikhl Herzog said (8100) Khoyzek does not derive from the hebrew, though all dictionaries "fun Hebreismen in Yiddish" (Spivak 1926, Krupin 1957, Lewin 1958) include it because of the hebrew form and the doubt it could derive from the identical hebrew word for "strength, force, intensity". Harkavy believes it comes from the Middle High German "hosche" or the Old High German "hosc" (i.e. - mockery), Bernstein and Spivak follow him. But more interesting is that "Khoyzek" xame from the Yiddish into the hebrew. "Khozek" or "Ma'asse Khozek" meaning "jest", and "Makhazaka" in the same meaning. Ruben Frankenstein 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1998 04:29:15 -0500 (EST) From: Hugh Denman Subject: khoyzek With further reference to Elozor Oisher's query [08.098] concerning the origin of "khoyzek", is it not at least likely that the word is a semi-jocular coinage that arose among Yiddish speakers in Eastern Europe playing with a Hebrew shoyresh? Can we not imagine "khoyzek" having been generated as a pseudo-kal present participle from "khazak, lakhazok" playfully imagining it to be conjugated like "khazar, lakhazor", the semasiological twist having something to do with strong language? Of course, as Mikhl Herzog points out [08.100:2], there may well be, as so often is the case in Yiddish etymologies, some reciprocally reinforcing contribution from one of the coterritoral languages. Hugh Denman London, England 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 20 Dec 1998 09:09:39 -0500 (EST) From: "Dan Leeson: LEESON@admin.fhda.edu" Subject: From Treves to Dreyfuss I thank Joachim Neugroschel for his helpful remarks about the relationship between the German town of Trier and the Alsatian family name of Dreyfuss. It is a strong argument and has been long suggested as being the geographic origin of many Alsatian Jews who bore the name Dreyfuss. However, there is another point of view with respect to that name, one having to do with house signs. We all know that the Rothschild family is suggested to have been named that because an ancestor lived in a home identified by a "Red shield" and, thus, they eventually assumed that house sign as a family name. The argument about "Dreyfuss" is similar, namely that some progenitor lived in the house with the sign of a "tripod" or "Three feet" which, of course, became "Dreifuss" and whose spelling was subsequently modified to "Dreyfuss." The name is as common to Alsace as Smith or Jones and, though most spell it "Dreyfuss," a substantial minority spelled in "Dreifuss" in the 18th century, as attested by A. A. Fraenckel's "Memoire Juive En Alsace, Contrats de Mariage au XVIIIeme Siecle," a book that I have been indexing for almost two years. I do not suggest that Mr. Neugroschel is incorrect in his point about the relationship between the Yiddish for "Trier" and "Dreyfuss" only that it is one of two suggested origins for the family name. In a bizarre case of "back to the womb," there is, in Meridian, MS an important building called "The Threefoot Building." It was built for the Dreifus family branch that moved there and prospered. One branch of that sub-branch finally changed the name to "Yard." You also find another variant of the name in the elegant glove manufacturer, "Treyfoos." Dan Leeson, Los Altos, California 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 20 Dec 1998 10:25:18 -0500 (EST) From: ACHIM1 Subject: regional variations Zachary Baker raises a very interesting issue about current Yiddish--namely the use of the accusative feminine singular article after a preposition. However, this usage is not new, and language observers might want to study to what extent this trend is rooted in European Yiddish. In regional Yiddish (Central, i.e. "Polish" Yiddish), the dative & genitive of the feminine singular is pronounced sort of "de"--sounding almost like the nominative/accusative form "di". And authors using that regional trait spell the dative/genitive feminine singular article "di". An excellent example is the prose of Sholem Asch, whose story "Di Mayse mit di (!!!) Sheyne Mari" (like most of his fiction) is filled with countless instances of this widespread deviation from standard Yiddish. I've also found it in many other Yiddish writers. For the record: to prevent the outbreak of an all-out standard vs. dialect war, I am simply observing this usage and neither condoning nor condemning it. Another source may be the attempts by some Yiddish writers to follow Russian or German usage rather than Yiddish usage. in DER SHRAYBER GEYT IN KHEDER, Lamed Shapiro explains that when he began writing in Yiddish, he looked to Russian grammar as a guide--specifically the Russian distinction between the prepositional case after a preposition describing location and the accusative case after a proposition describing motion (the difference in English between "in" and "into"). Shapiro tells us that he deliberately made that distinction in Yiddish--where it is more noticeable since Yiddish has definite and indefinite articles and Russian doesn't. Other Yiddish writers may have been following German usage, which likewise distinguishes between the dative for location (Ich stehe im Haus) and the accusative for direction (Ich gehe ins Haus). In both Russian and German this distinction applies only to certain prepositions. Unlike the component languages, Yiddish plurals do not indicate case or gender, so that might have a flattening effect on singulars--especially since the masculine singular article in Yiddish is "dem" for genitive, dative, and accusative. And in Litvak Yiddish there's no neuter, hence no distinction between accusative "dos" and genitive/dative "dem" for nouns that are neuter in other dialects and in standard Yiddish. Joachim Neugroschel 5)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 20 Dec 1998 10:39:42 -0500 (EST) From: ACHIM1 Subject: standard Yiddish vs. the dialects I dont quite understand why people are wasting so much time and energy arguing the pros and cons of standard Yiddish vs. the dialects. And I dont quite understand why the pro-dialecters are attacking the YIVO. The YIVO, by co-sponsoring the Atlas of Yiddish Dialects, has done far more for Yiddish dialects than the pro-dialect squawkers. Without the Atlas, we would know next to nothing about the Yiddish dialects (aside from earlier scholarship in the Soviet Union). The YIVO has no power to enforce the standard language--and those people who don't want to use it don't have to--indeed shouldn't. I suppose it depends on why an individual is interested in Yiddish. If you want to read Yiddish literature, then you'll have to face the--perhaps unpleasant--fact that most Yiddish authors wrote more or less in a standard language, though possibly with regional coloring and some regional vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammar. If you want to read Vaisenberg, then naturally you'll have to learn Polish Yiddish, and your input would be invaluable. You might then, of course, learn dozens and dozens of Yiddish dialects to read those authors who used a heavily regional Yiddish. I wish you luck. Being very lazy, I prefer learning standard Yiddish alone, which enables me to read most Yiddish literature. The thing I understand least of all is: if you prefer Yiddish dialects to standard Yiddish, why don't you post your messages in dialects? Why stick to English--and standard English at that? If you dont wish to write in a Yiddish dialect (even though you vociferously champion it over standard), why dont you write in an English dialect? Liverpudlian or Manx--why give in to a snobbish elite that insists on using standard English? Joachim Neugroschel 6)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 20 Dec 1998 12:06:01 -0500 (EST) From: "David M. Sherman" Subject: English in Yiddish / Yiddish in English Marc Sacks wrote: "The infusion of English into American haredi Yiddish would be a fine study for a folklorist; I suspect someone must have done one by now." Take a look at _Frumspeak: The First Dictionary of Yeshivish_, by Chaim Weiser (Jason Aronson Inc., 1995). It's available at Eichler's and similar Jewish bookstores. It's more about Yiddish/Hebrew used in English as spoken in the frum world than about the use of English in Yiddish, but obviously there's a continuum and a mid-point where it would be hard to identify which is the base language being spoken. (Our home is starting to sound like that as our kids use more English.) David Sherman, Toronto 7)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 22 Dec 1998 11:21:12 -0500 (EST) From: Joan Rudd Subject: Mame Loshn NW Despite a sudden snow storm preceding the opening of Mame Loshn NW 1998 the event did take place with approximately 1/2 attendance Sat night and 2/3 attendance Sunday day. Only two of ten workshops did not take place due to faculty that live on hills. The caterer's van got stuck 6 blocks from the center and the dinner had to be brought down in 4-wheel drives. Whoever thinks Yiddish will die is wrong. Paula Kirman came from Vancouver BC on the bus (8 hours instead of 3). The Bertram Levy Klezmer Trio came from Port Townsend as did guests from Port Angeles and Bellingham. (The Portland contingent stayed home as the storm was moving south.) In general, depite local travel advisories not to travel unless absolutely necessary, and the complete unavailabilty of cabs, people would not stay away! Some highlights: Pesakh Fiszman, NYC, who flew in a day early to go sightseeing, got a little lost, and used his Spanish to get directions back to Northend Seattle. People here were delighted and inspired by his visit! He had mild and sunny weather the day before the snowstorm, and NO rain at all in Seattle! His teaching was extraordinary, not just an "appetizer", but real meals. Other levels of Yiddish proficiency were handled by Rita Katz. Gerry Tenney, Oakland, jammed with Bertram Levy, as well as finding one of his "kids" from Camp Kinderland, now all grown up with a kid of his own. Gerry's set for the children's program attracted all the adult musicians too and functioned as teacher training as well as fun. The children's program included a mix of art, music, gym, stories and songs. It was an intergenerational event that included both children and seniors, with some charming moments, especially when the smell of cinnamon wafting from the rugelach baking brought people hurrying to the kitchen. A twelve year old was praised "She's good!" by someone else's grandmother, who was also the one who showed us all how to shape the rugelach. Seattle musicians Susan Lewis and Janet Stecher led a participatory workshop on Songs of the Activists, focusing on the history of the Spanish Civil War and of Labor Organizing. They have been collecting and performing of social change movements for over two decades. A special thank you to the Jacob T. Zukerman Fund of the Workmen's Circle/ Arbeter Ring as well as to the Forward Association for the basic funding to get the Pacific NW Branch's event off the ground. Additional thanks to the Secular Jewish Circle of Puget Sound as well as the Seattle Yiddish Group. The University of Washington Jewish Studies Program also supported Mame Loshn NW as part of their effort to create an accredited Elementary Yiddish course in Seattle.The Department of Germanics will offer a 15 credit 9-week course this summer June 21-August 20, 1999. Joan Rudd 8)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 23 Dec 1998 13:46:17 -0500 (EST) From: David Herskovic Subject: latkes/doughnuts I always believed that the reason for eating latkes on khanike was its association with oil. Well, according to a book I bought my son for khanike there is another reason. latke is similar to late, yidish for patch. This is supposed to symbolise the thirteen breaches in the wall of yerisholayim by the forces of antiyokhes which were then 'patched' up. According to vaynraykh yidish for doughnuts is donats. Had vaynraykh not heard of pontshkes? David Herskovic 9)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 23 Dec 1998 14:39:42 -0500 (EST) From: "Sholem Berger" Subject: meditsin un religye ikh hob a hipsh bisl gelernt fun der gelerntyer diskusye af mendele vegn dem nisimdikn heylmitl -- vyagre. ikh vil tsugebn a shtikl khidesh. reb yistkhok (niborski) hot ongevizn af dem, vos vyagre iz a remez af "[koyekh] gavre." nimtse, vos in dem vort ligt oykh a remez af "gvure": "gevyra," heyst es. un az me git a kuk in gevures, baym shminesre, varft zikh in di oygn, vos di anshe keneses hagedoyle hobn befreyresh gevust vegn di meditsinishe pele-peloim vos veln zayn in undzere teg. dehayne: mekhalkeyl khayem bekhesed: on dem iz dos lebn keyn lebn nisht. mekhaye meysim: on dem iz dos lebn toyt biter. soymeykh noyflim: mit dem heybt men oyf. royfe khoylem: az m'iz shvakh iz men dokh krank. mater asurem: a frayer mentsh geyt mit glaykhe eyvrem. lesheyne ofor: keyn mol mer vet men aroysgevorfn vern fun bet. mi khomoykho bal vyagros? ver iz glaykh tsu dir, bal-vyagros? a gutn 99 (vos iz dokh begimatrye -- khay) sholem berger ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 08.103 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://metalab.unc.edu/yiddish/mendele.html