Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 2 no. 126 December 21, 1992 1) -m vs -n (Yankl Matisoff) 2) Book Peddlar (Hershel Bershady) 3) Yiddish Day (Daniel Galay) 4) Phila. inquirer, sunday, dec. 20 (Ellen Prince) 5) -e -ey and -ay (P(ey)rets Mett) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 18 Dec 92 14:43:23 -0800 From: matisoff@garnet.berkeley.edu Subject: RE: -m vs -n sheynem vs. groysn sure looks like dissimilation to me. Yankl Matisoff (matisoff@garnet.berkeley.edu) 2)---------------------------------------------------- From: hbershad@sas.upenn.edu Wed Dec 16 23:04:44 1992 Date: Wed, 16 Dec 92 23:04:48 EST Subject: Book Peddlar Dear Noyekh, A friend dropped off a copy of the magazine of the National Yiddish Book Center, BOOK PEDDLER. Did you ever mention this on Mendele? The issue I have is Summer, 1992/5752 Number 17. It's got lots of good stuff in it, funny stories, poetry, news, scholarly articles, among other things. Mendele readers should be alerted to this if they aren't already. In this issue there's a lexicon of Yiddish names for zoo animals -- fascinating. Since I've only recently become interested in Yiddish as more than a particularly juicy collection of curses and sighs, I was excited to learn that there is a Yiddish translation of the Old Testament available by Yehoash. I'm sure you knew this, but do all Mendelnikim know this? This is available in 4 different editions, all translated by Yehoash: Tanakh, 8 vols., NY, 1926/36, Yiddish text only $64/$48 per set. (Cat #6340); Tanakh, 2 vols., NY, 1938/39, Yiddish text only, $18/$13.50 per set (Cat. #6355); Tanakh, 2 vols., various printing dates, 1941ff, Hebrew/Yiddish, $25/$18.75 per set (Cat #1191) The two prices represent, first, the standard price, second the price to members of the National Yiddish Book Center. When ordering, include postage and handling: U.S. and Canada: 1st vol. $2.25, additional vols. $.55. Make check payable to national Book Center P.O. Box 969 Amherst, MA 01004. Hershel [Not to mention thousands of other titles. I'm practically certain that everyone who reads Mendele is already a member of the NYBC, but just in case.. nm] 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 20 Dec 92 13:21:22 IST From: HISHTALMUT Subject: Yiddish Day Answering to the important questions aroused by Dan Breslauer in relation to the Yiddish Day at the Knesset, I would say that this event that will take place the 4th of J A N U A R Y 1993, is a big achievement. Now , more specifically. The official position of the Zionist Movement and the State of Israel towards Yiddis Culture did not change at all. It is negative as it allways was. But here and there we are witnessing some hints that things can change in a desirable direction. Answering to the second question. Official linguists are still worring about corruption from Ashkenazic influence, and this is the main problem. In the future I will write more extensively about it. In any case, our cooperation and ideologic understanding with iddishists from abroad can be crucial in order to change official positions in Israel and ultimately also in Jewish Communities over the world. The Hemsheck Dor Kybhobers fun Yiddish is the central organization that tries to debate this and other themes concerning the Yiddish Revival. Daniel Galay, Tel-Aviv. 4)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 20 Dec 92 10:02:13 EST From: "Ellen F. Prince" Subject: phila. inquirer, sunday, dec. 20 the magazine section in today's philadelphia inquirer has a long article on molly and bob freedman, a wonderful couple that some of you know, who happen to have what may well be the largest private collection of yiddish music (records, tapes, cds) in the world. and the article is not bad at all, with only a few sillinesses (above average for an article pertaining to yiddish, imho). 0 ellen prince 5)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 21 Dec 1992 11:30:25 +0000 From: P.Mett@open.ac.uk Subject: -e -ey and -ay For Mikhl H: 1. I have no objection (especially since you're so polite about it !) 2. It has been worth spelling it this way just to have your useful summary. Although I am generally familiar with what you said, I probably could not have set it out so neatly. I suppose my original choice of spelling reflects (a) I have recently become apprised of the "official" transliteration (b) 'ey' looks odd in English anyway and gives little clue to the uninitiated (c) many people here (in England) trnsliterate using Germanised spelling with "ei" which causes the same problem - German and Central Polish speakers pronounce it the way you pronounce "ay". I hope this makes some sense. P(ey)rets Mett ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol 2.126