Mendele: Yiddish literature and language
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Contents of Vol. 5.314
May 6, 1996

1) Tsatske/tshatshke (Rick Turkel)
2) Tsatske/tshatshke (Paolo Agostini)
3) Yinglish lists (Fred Kotler)
4) Alsatian Yiddish (Bob Werman)
5) The Opatoshu family (Marjorie Schonhaut Hirshan)
6) Hiner shpinkes/shpilkes (Mendy Fliegler)

1)----------------------------------------------------
Date: Sun, 5 May 1996 22:52:31 -0400
From: rturkel@cas.org
Subject: Tsatske/tshatshke

[Apropos Bob Rothstein's statement (4.237) that tsatske may be derived
from the Polish _cacko_ (tsasko):]

Yes, a nursery word that quite possibly got to Polish from Hebrew tza`atsu`a
(via Yiddish, of course), to which was added a Slavic diminutive ending.

Rick Turkel

2)----------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, 06 May 1996 22:49:22 +0200
From: pagos@mbox.vol.it
Subject: Nokh tchatchkes

For the sake of discussion, I'd like to add that we can find in many languages
words which bear a close resemblance to Yiddish  tshatshke.

German  "Tschatsch" (=toy, plaything, knick-knacks, bauble); Czech c^ac^a
(=beautiful, nice-looking, comely;  pr. "tshatsha");  Russian "tshatsha"
(=beautiful,  nice-looking);  Votyak "tshatsha" (=knick-knacks, gimcrack,
gew-gaw); Cheremissian "tsetse" (=nice-looking, comely; knick-knacks);
Hungarian "csecse"  (=pretty, lovely; sweet, dear; gew-gaw, bauble; fancy
articles. Approx. pr. "tshetshe")

Cp. also Hungarian "csacska" (approx. pr. "tshatshka") -- which has the
meaning of "talkative, garrulous, prattling, silly" with a note of endearment,
being mostly referred to young girls or to children. From this word originate
both  "csacskasa'g" (=talkativeness, loquacity, garrulity) and the verb
"csacsiskodik" (=to be childish, to say silly things).

Paolo Agostini

3)----------------------------------------------------
Date: 6 May 1996 09:05:52 -0400
From: kotler.fred@mail.ndhm.gtegsc.com
Subject: Yinglish lists

In 5.312 Howard Kusnetz asked about Yinglish lists. One approach is to use an
electronic dictionary and reverse search for "Yiddish" or other appropriate
words. The following unedited list is the result of  a search on "Yiddish"
using the American Heritage Dictionary, Third Edition v4.0. (Note that the
recently discussed "tsatskes" is here listed as "chachka" with "tchotchke" and
"tsatske" listed as alternate spellings. The word origin is said to be:
Yiddish tshatshke from Polish dialectal czaczka.)

Adler          Aleichem        Asch             Ashkenazi
bagel          blintz          borscht          chachka
chutzpah       copacetic       derma (2)        dreidel
dybbuk         farfel          fin (2)          flanken
fleishig       ganef           gefilte fish     gelt (1)
glitch         goy             gunsel           haimish
hoo-hah        kibitz          kishke           klezmer
klutz          knish           kosher           kreplach
kvetch         landsleit       landsman (2)     latke
lox (1)        Lubavitcher     matzo            maven
mazuma         mensch          meshuga          meshugaas
milchig        nebbish         -nik             nosh
nudge (2)      nudnik          pareve           pastrami
putz           Reb (2)         rebbe            schav
schlemiel      schlep          schlimazel       schlock
schmaltz       schmeer         schmo            schmooze
schmuck        schnook         schnorrer        schnoz
shammes        shegetz         shiksa           shiva
shtetl         shtick          shul             Singer
smack (4)      spiel           teiglach         tref
tsimmes        tsuris          tummler          tush (3)
vigorish       West Germanic   yarmulke         yenta
yid            Yiddish         zaftig

Fred Kotler

4)----------------------------------------------------
Date: Sun, 5 May 96 21:40 +0200
From: rwerman@vms.huji.ac.il
Subject: Alsatian Yiddish

[Regarding Dan Leeson's post in 5.302:] Claude Vigee is a good friend.  I have
a tape of him reading some Alsatian Yiddish texts that I can copy for
interested people, at their expense.  Mikhl Herzog has a copy, too.

Bob Werman
Jerusalem

5)----------------------------------------------------
Date: Tue, 7 May 1996 09:09:19 -0400
From: shirshan@aol.com
Subject: The Opatoshu family

Unlike Macbeth, Dovid Opatoshu was of woman born, and I offer some remem-
brances of her.

In the '40s, Adele Opatoshu had the respected distinction of being the only
female teacher in the Arbeter Ring Hekhere Coursn. She was slender and lithe
which matched her soft, gentle speech and manner. She taught us Yiddish, and
parsing was fun, even the pluperfect - hot geven gehat gegangen - went down
easily with her spoonful of sugar method. She loved words and instilled a
deeper respect for language in all her fortunate students.

She touched hundreds of students with her motherly mien and sharp mind.
Humility was another of her aspects, as we learned of her son's acting and her
husband, Joseph's writing talent, from Yudl Mark and N.B. Minkoff.

Marjorie Schonhaut Hirshan
Boynton Beach, Florida

6)----------------------------------------------------
Date: Mon, 6 May 1996 23:10:17 -0400 (EDT)
From: efliegle@CapAccess.org
Subject: Hiner shpinkes/shpilkes

Khaver Gevaryahu, in Vol.5.312, fregt vegn vus blaybt ven men tzit aroys di
federn fun a hin... un vus blaybt, take?  Dus zaynen, vi mayn miter hot gezugt:
shpilkes, oder efsher shpinkes....nor ikh gedenk oyf inzer farm fun dray
toyznt hiner... ven di Mame flikt, blaybt shpilkes, un zi hot zey gesmolet oyf
a fayr, az zey zoln upbrenen....

Mendy Fliegler

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End of Mendele Vol. 5.314