Mendele: Yiddish literature and language
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Contents of Vol. 1 no. 208
April 6, 1992

1) A correction (Dovid Braun)
2) Lakhn mit yashcherkes (Bob Rothstein)

1)----------------------------------------------------
Date: Fri, 03 Apr 92 17:08:54 EST
From: David Braun <braund@linc.cis.upenn.edu>
Subject: tikn-toes

leshem pinktlekhkayt:  in di ershte 2 shures fun ukrainishn
lid zaynen geven tsvey toesn. vetoes leoylem khoyzer.
gedarft hot shteyn:

        pshiyekhali panyetshi
	ritsheniki upyetshi

---------
[ay] in the "Standard Language" (written as pasekh tsvey
yudn) corresponds to [a:] (almost) across the board in
Central Yiddish ("poylish yidish, ingerish yidish,
galitsyaner yidish"), so vayn and zayt gezunt are va:n and
za:t(s) gezint.  fleysh is not a good example:  it is [ey]
in "Standard" and [ay] in Central Yiddish, because of the
(almost) across the board correspondence of Northeastern/
Southeastern Yiddish [ey] with Central Yiddish [ay].
Western Yiddish, though, has [fla:sh], about which M.
Herzog is sure to want to comment.

Dovid Braun


2)----------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, 6 Apr 92 00:12:21 -0400
From: ROBERT.ROTHSTEIN@SLAVIC.umass.edu
Subject: Lakhn mit yashcherkes

["Lakhn mit yashcherkes"]

Those of you who read the English "Forward" may have
noticed the column by "Philologos" in response to a
question about the Yiddish expression meaning "to laugh
through tears."  For those who didn't read the column and
don't know the expression, the expression literally means
"to laugh with lizards" and uses a Slavic-origin word for
"lizard."  "Philologos" was unable to provide an etymology
for the expression--as am I--but the column provoked me to
send its author the following reply, which may be of
interest:

        <Your April 3 column on "lakhn mit yashcherkes," a
subject discussed inconclusively in the Yiddish "Forverts"
not so long ago, cited a Yiddish-speaking acquaintance of
Professor Leonard Prager, who "seemed to remember an
Eastern European folk belief that lizards were able to
laugh."  That started me looking, and I have come up with a
Belorussian folktale that may (or may not) be relevant to
the Yiddish expression.  According to the Belorussian
folklorist Lev Barag, who first published it, the oldest
literary version of the tale can be found in the Sanskrit
"Panchatantra."

        "The Musician and the Lizard" (a variant of
international folk-tale motif #285, "The Child and the
Snake") tells of a down-on-his-luck peasant who was playing
his violin to take his mind off his troubles.  A lizard
came out of its hole to listen to the sad music, and when
the musician switched to happy music, the lizard started
dancing.  When the musician finished playing, the lizard
gave him a ruble.

        The incident repeated itself and gradually the
peasant's economic situation improved.  His wife was
curious about the source of this new-found fortune, and he
reluctantly told her the story. She accused him of dealing
with the devil and insisted that he take an ax with him the
next time and kill the lizard. He obeyed and took an ax
along but could not bring himself to kill the lizard.  When
the lizard was leaving, however, he did swing the ax at it
and chopped off its tail.  In response the lizard bit off
the peasant's nose.

        The peasant had to spend all his money on doctors
for his nose and returned to his original impoverished
state.  One day he was again playing his violin on the old
spot and the lizard reappeared.  The peasant apologized
profusely for having listened to his wife and having
chopped off the lizard's tail.  The lizard assured him that
it held no grudge, but said that every time he looked at
the peasant's nose, it reminded him of his tail.

        The story doesn't say anything about the musician
laughing at this point (together with the lizard?), but if
he (they) did, it would presumably be laughter through
tears.  Thus a possible "explanation" of "lakhn mit
yashcherkes"--offered purely in the spirit of folk
etymology.>

Bob Rothstein

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End of Mendele Vol 1.208

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