Mendele: Yiddish literature and language ______________________________________________________ Contents of Vol. 4.190 November 20, 1994 1) Patshi patshi kikhelekh (David Sherman) 2) "The Pious Cat" by Peretz (Moishe Feller) 3) Campaign for a New Edition of Steinmetz's Book (Zellig Bach) 1)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 19 Nov 94 22:31:39 EST From: dave@cai.lsuc.on.ca Subject: Patshi patshi kikhelekh My 3-year-old can answer this one for you: patshi patshi kikhelekh di mame vet koyfn shikhelekh der tate vet koyfn zekalekh far fisalekh! There are lots of minor variations. One has the last line as "dos kind vet esn kikhalekh!". David Sherman 2)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 17 Nov 1994 21:01:53 -0700 (MST) From: feller@pcef.pc.maricopa.edu Subject: Interpretation of "The Pious Cat" by Peretz Our little leyenkreis has just read "Di Fruhmeh Kahtz" by Peretz. It does not seem to be "stam" a "meiseh", but rather an allegory. We would like to know if anyone on Mendele has an interpretation for this story, or if anyone can lead us to a reference which discusses the meaning and significance of the story. Moishe Feller 3)---------------------------------------------------- Date: Sat, 19 Nov 1994 20:11:20 -0500 From: zellig@aol.com Subject: Campaign for a New Edition of Steinmetz's Book Sol Steinmetz, the well-known lexicographer and Executive Director of the Random House dictionaries, is a "yidisher yid" in all respects. He is a true "khoyveyv yidish," a lover of Yiddish, and his book _A Century of Yiddish in America: Yiddish and English_ is one of the few books seriously treating the influence of Yiddish lexemes and usages upon contemporary English. The book demonstrates not only his scholarly research, but the care, enthusiasm, and love he invested in his work. It is an enriching, _teacherly_, book, with a special chapter on romanization and a short glossary of Yiddish words and their English equivalents, an excellent reference work for anyone interested in Yiddish. The book, however, published in 1986, is out of print. I sent a letter to the University of Alabama Press, its publishers, urging them to issue a new edition of the book. Herewith a copy of my letter: May I respectfully suggest to re-issue Sol Steimetz'es book _A Century of Yiddish in America_for the following considerations: a) There is a definite strong movement of interest and renewal in academic institutions, offering courses in Yiddish and Yiddish literaturte; b) Many well-known universities and colleges are establishing in their libraries special sections of Yiddish literature sponsored by the National Yiddish Book Center; c) There is a wide movement of Yiddish Clubs all over the United States fostering the maintenance and furtherance of the Yiddish language. These Clubs just held in Toronto, Canada, their Second International Conference (October 7-10, 1994). Number of participans 184, an inctrease of 45 participants from the First International Conference of Yiddish Clubs a year ago. d) The electronic E-mail group called _Mendele: Yiddish Literature and Language_. The number of current subscrikbers to Mendele is about 600, and the subscriber list increases every montn by 8 -10 new members. It is to be expected that this list will within one year's time reach ther 1,000 mark. And continue growing. Mendele subscribers arer hundreds of plain folk, as well as from different academic fields, not just Linguistics--faculty members, retired academicians, instructors, students. Mendele distributes to its subscribers 7 - 8 times a week its lively bulletins, filled with rich materials about Yiddish, Yiddish literature, history of the Jewish people and the recent past, scientific inquiries, etc, representing a colorful exchange and lively discussion forum of opinions and views. All published matter in Mendele is written by its members. Please note that the Mendele list of subscribers consists not just of members in the United States, but also from all over the world, namely from: Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Hong Kong, Israel, Italy, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, South Africa, Switzerland, Turkey. On the basis of all the above enumerated factors, it is evident that you would now have a ready target audience, with a much greater buying potential than when you published this book in 1986. In a follow-up letter several days later I mailed to the University of Alabama Press a front-page article from the English _Forward_ (October 22, 1994), entitled "Reyd Nor Yidish" (Speak Only Yiddish), a detailed and enthusiastic report of the Second International Conference of Yiddish Clubs in Toronto. I called their attention to the last paragraph of the article: "With the love that brings these neo-Yidishists together... the air was full with joy at being in the bosom of the _mishpokhe_ and of being flagrantly addicted to--Yiddish." Let's hope this type of gentle pressure from the public will bear results. Zellig Bach ______________________________________________________ End of Mendele Vol. 4.190 Mendele has 2 rules: 1. Provide a meaningful Subject: line 2. Sign your article (full name please) A Table of Contents is now available via anonymous ftp, along with weekly updates. 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