Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 1 no. 216 April 14, 1992 1) Rosenberg (Ira Robinson) 2) Eppes/etwas (Evelyn Ehrlich) 3) Eppes/etwas (Zev Bar-Lev) 4) Arbeiter Ring's Third Seder (Henry Mullish) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 14 Apr 1992 13:54 EDT From: ROBINSO%Vax2.Concordia.CA@YALEVM.YCC.Yale.Edu Subject: RE: Mendele Vol 1.212 Dear Dr. Band, Thanks for your suggestion. Eli Yassif and I have corresponded regarding Rosenberg and I have given him some material which he graciously acknowledges in his preface. He and I are not the only ones to be interested in Rosenberg. The list includes as well Yosef Dan, Moshe Idel and Sid Leiman. All the best, Ira Robinson Concordia University 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 14 Apr 92 11:16:27 PDT From: Evelyn Ehrlich To: mendele@Vax1.Trincoll.Edu Herr Noah, was fuer eine brief introductory statement wollen Sie von mir lesen? Anything I reveal about myself will be used against me. I am originally from Hungary (booo), and work at the Leo Baeck Institute (deytshen - double booo), as cataloger and local computer guru. For the past two weeks I have been searching for the origins of Herr Schlemihl and Reb Schlimmazal, very confusing. Regarding "eppes / etwas" (Mendele 1.215 item 2.) Being a newcomer I do not know the rules of the game, but if one is allowed to use books, the standard "Weinreich- dictionary" (v. etwas) refers to eppes and also mentions "a bissl". No doubt, that this is correct. Eppes comes from the old Germanic *bis root, used also in English for that little something that is either 1 or 0. Nothing unusual, that such an archaic word survived on the fringes (like Swiss or Yiddish) and disappeared from mainstream, although "ein bisschen" (a bissl) is used regularly. Eppes is not related to etwas, although they ended up meaning eppes the same thing. Evelyn Ehrlich 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 14 Apr 92 11:46:39 -0700 From: zbarlev@sciences.sdsu.edu Subject: RE: Mendele Vol 1.214 i've always thought that _epes_ represents a straightforward evolution from _etvas_: first the _t_ assimilates to the labiality of the following _v_, giving _epvas_, then the _v_ drops out. something like english _sumpin_ from _somethin'_ (but the aassimilation goes in the reverse direction here). if _etvas_ also exists in yiddish, it was probably reborrowed from german, just as _filial_ is reborrowed into spanish, parallel to the original and evolved _hijo_. zev bar-lev 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Tue, 14 Apr 1992 15:13 EST From: MULLISH%NYUACF.BITNET@YALEVM.YCC.Yale.Edu Subject: The Workmen's Circle Third Seder As a member of the choir of the Workmen's Circle in New York, I just wanted to take a few minutes of your time to make a short report on the extensive but equally enjoyable Third Seder which was held last Sunday at the Sheraton Hotel in New York. It was an afternoon crammed full with the finest of Yiddish song, dance, oratory and spirit. The ballroom was crammed full with people of all ages, all with a central love, namely Yiddish. The main speech was delivered (in the most delightful Yiddish, of course) by Joseph Mlotek who suffered a heart attack a few years ago and now walks with the aid of a cane. Many of our Russian brothers were present and for their express benefit we sang a song called "N'ye Bayussiya" written by a refusenik. The dance company accompanied the song with a spirited rendition of the famous Russian-style of dance and to say that it was a special hit would be a gross understatement. On the way out after the Seder was finished, I went over to a woman in a wheelchair and asked her how she enjoyed the performance. With her handkerchief in her hand she said: "I cried from the first song to the very last one. Don't ask me how I enjoyed it!" It was a wonderful afternoon and I only hope that your Passover is as zees as the Third Seder was. Henry Mullish New York University ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol 1.216 Submissions: mendele@vax1.trincoll.edu Business: nmiller@vax1.trincoll.edu Please sign your articles.