מענדעלע

Hello.

I am a genealogical researcher with a particular interest in Jewish names. (My Ph.D. thesis will be published in four volumes in the summer of 1999 by Luz University Press under the title "The nomological suffix -berg: a mountain or a molehill?")

Just now I am completing a grant application based on a compelling phenomenon that has come to my attention: many informants have come forward to alert me to the existence of a fascinating name. Its variants are too many to be listed here, but the first that comes to mind is "Kahan," also "O'Koon," and in rare but politically notable instances "Kahane." I am trying to track down the provenance and meaning of this nomeme but have had little luck. (One Web source tra ces it to the Basque "azaliteariakohoon," meaning "pig's feet in aspic," but I place little credence in this theory.)

Any help would be greatly appreciated and will most certainly be acknowledged in any publication.

Please be advised that the grant is due very soon -- specifically, the night of March 11th. I would need any information by this date.

A dank foroys,

Aridoso Parshandoso Qush Universty, Uzbekistan

Vi eyner fun di organizatorn, volt ikh gevolt shraybn a por shures vegn an ovnt fun klezmer-muzik, vos iz forgekumen in kobe, yapan - mistome an ort, vos s'rov mendelyaners hobn zikh nit forgeshtelt far aza impreze - dem 22stn februar. Dos iz geven der ershter ovnt in yapan, vos iz gevidmet der klezmer-muzik.

S'zaynen ongekumen mer vi draysik mentshn, derikersht hige yapaner, vos zaynen farinteresirt mit yidisher kultur, un a por yidn, besoykhem Yankl Halpern, der prezident fun dem yapanishn yidish-klub, fun tokyo. Nokh a kurtser derklerung vegn klezmer-muzik fun Yankl un dem shrayber fun di dozike shures, hobn mir beyde koydem-kol gelernt mit zey tantsn loyt klezmer-muzik vayl far s'rov onteylnemers iz es geven dos ershte mol in zeyer lebn tsu hern klezmer-muzik un, farshteyt zikh, tsu tantsn loyn dem.

Vayl s'zaynen nito keyn hige klezmorim un mir hobn nit gehat keyn budzhet ayntsuladn emetsn fun oysland, hobn mir geshpilt lebedike un freylekhe nigunim fun Andy Statman, Joel Rubin, Giora Feidman, Israel Zohar, Hanan Bar-Sela, Kapelye, Machaya Klezmer Band, Klezmer Conservatory Band, Klezmatics, Brave Old World, Salomon Brothers, Budapeshter Klezmer Band un azoy vayter af diskn. Yapaner zaynen barimt vi shemevdike, ober undzere onteylnemers hobn poshet nit gekent zikh anktegnshteln aza mekhayediker muzik un zitsn shtil vi a goylem.

Loyn zeyere penemer, ken ikh zogn, az zey hobn hanoe gehat funem ovntm khotsh s'hot zikh oysgezen, az di fis tuen zey shtark vey nokh aza intensivn tants. Vi a libhober fun yidisher kultur bikhlal un fun klezmer-muzik bifrat, hof ikh, az me vet organizirn aza ovnt nokh a mol un vider a mol in dem dozikn "ek velt" fun yidishn kukvinkl.

Mit yidishe grusn fun goles kobe,

Tsuguya Sasaki

The following is from 'Seyfer Beheymes' by Mendele:

es farshteyt zikh, az far groys simkhe un azoy fil gesheftn hob ikh mir farshpetikt kumen in kheyer, un gekhapt a miesn psk. nor petsh zenen petsh un kelbl iz kelbl. di gemore ligt far mir ofn un es kukt aroys fun dort, es dreyt zikh mir far di oygn - kelbl. es krikht, krikht mir in kop a mordetske, a sheyns, a getokts, oyerlekh kleynitshke, oyfgeshtelte, a kepele, a heldzele. der rebe knelt, mruket mit a gmore-nigun, un mir in di oyern meket di ku nokhn kelbl. der rebe tut zikh a heyb funem benkl - dos kelbl a heyb oyf di fislekh; der rebe shtrekt oys di hant - dem kelbl farrayst zikh dos ekl: hots-hots-hots - un es flit a patsh! der rebe iz beyz, fregt, vu ix halt? ix halt mikh der bak. es halt shoyn by mkayem-psak zayn. ikh halt es nisht oys. efnt zikh plutslim di tir - un es efnt zikh mir vider a velt. skotsl kumt, rebetsin! aha, ot iz vider dos kelbl. di rebetsin loyft aroys beyz, a klap gebndik mit der tir, der rebe, aroys fun di keylim, lozt oys zyn shver-biter gemit tsu mir.

I am wondering if anyone who has access to that work would be kind enough to check for any mistakes in the quotation, and also if anyone has any comments on how to translated 'mekayem-psak zayn' in this passage.

Many thanks in advance.

A Manaster Ramer

Instead of offering a pronouncement about the nature of Mendele for everyone, I'd like to offer a brief review of how I, personally, see the ways in which Mendele serves. After years on Mendele, I am naturally inclined to the view that Mendele serves best when it serves me. Probably, I am not alone in this. However, no one person can define, set borders or limit the scope of Mendele.

1) I find Mendele most valuable when there is mutual learning and teaching in the fields of Yiddish language and literature. Light and breezy comments and entertaining posts are always a pleasure, and often educational, too.

2) Mendele publishes. I regard posting facts or speculations or any communication on Mendele as a publication. Once published, it is fair game for comment.

3) While a post on Mendele is a publication, in no way is it equivalent to publication in a journal whose editors are obligated to subject all submissions to rigorous peer review by professionals in the field. Therefore, I understand that all submissions to Mendele have not passed that test. I try always to maintain that perspective.

4) Still, I understand the Mendele moderators have subjected submissions to certain tests. These are (among others): that posts must be relevant, coherent, free of vituperative, abusive language, with no ad hominem or ad feminam argumentation.

Louis Fridhandler

Bravo, A. Manaster Ramer, for standing up to be counted as a linguist and calling an 'ayin a phoneme! Sad to say, just as so many of us believe ourselves to be natural born (albeit untrained) art directors, so do we often rush into areas marked "linguistic angels beware!"

May A.M. Ramer and his colleagues continue their good fight. With the best of intentions we often fill these electronic pages with nonesense. Moreover our nonesense must be especially painful to our linguist-pedagogues because we are so earnest in our half baked views. One is sometimes reminded of the good hearted melamed of Chelm whose piety is exceeded only by his ignorance.

As to the "maynse" discussion, (say I, illustrating by example) surely this is an infection from Polish. Polish nasals are so pervasive that when attempting another Slavic language Polish speakers often turn "gluboki" into "glumboki" etc. On the other hand their nice open vowels add a new lustre to, say, Slovakian or Russian. Yiddish too, I believe, must have gained something from the phonemic influence of Polish.

Yiddishists should count their blessings. Think of the poor Celticist who must deal with languages that change both their endings AND their initial consonants, rendering dictionaries useless. "Sagart" can suddenly become "Tagart" or even "Hagart" before our startled ears. Maybe a little "maynse" isn't so bad.

And how true is the observation that spelling reflects how a language USED to sound! English and, in differing ways, Hebrew, Greek and Russian are notable proof of this.

W.H. Phillips

Several people have written to me expressing genuine interest in Yiddish linguistics, but two pointed out that in my zeal to spread the message of linguistics I have gotten carried away. Since one cannot judge oneself, I must accept that they are right, and that I have been tactless and for this I apologize.

A Manaster Ramer

Take, ikh ken dus Galitsyanerishe shprakh gantz git.. un nokh beser, mane eltern hobn gevoynt leybn Dnyester takh, in a gegn vus iz oyket in Moldave yetst...(efsher Ukrayine?)

Man tate (o. ha Sh.) hot gevoynt in Horodenke (yetst Gorodenke) un mayn mame (oykh o.ha Sh.) hot gevoynt in Zalishtshik.... Af Khanike, Hob ikh gekrign a matune fin mane kinder, (a geneology CDrom software); Ikh hof ikh az efsher vel ikh gefinen kroyvn, un efsher durkhzikhn durkh di fiftzik yurn fun ven der khorbn hot pasirt....

'Khof az efsher kenen andere Mendlyaner epes tsushteln 'manses' veygn zeyere kroyvn/mishpukhe fin dortn?

Zayt gezindt un shtark, Mendy Fliegler

In Kanade hob ikh keynmol nisht gehert dem aroysred, Keshenev. Di Kanader hobn es aroysgeredt Kishinev oder Kesheniv. S'rov lantslayt hobn gezogt Kesheniv. Un in Montreal hot der groyser taykh nisht vayt fun Kesheniv geheysn Dnyester nisht Nester.

Amol iz Kesheniv geven a leybedike velt far di yidishe aynvoyners. Me iz geforn keyn Varshe, Keyn Yasi, keyn Ades, afile keyn Amerike, u.z.v. un me iz tsurikgekumen. Me hot zikh ongehert fun andere mentshn andere leshones, andere nuskhoes, un tsurikgebregnt keyn Kesheniv.

Amol hot men dertseylt vi a Kesheniver yid iz avekgeforn un iz tsurikgekimen un hot dertseylt a manse. Er iz avekgeforn nokhamol un iz tsurikgekumen un hot dertseylt a mayse.

In Kanada hot men derhert alerley aroysredn. Ikh gedenk es. Fun Kesheniv gedenk ikh aleyn gornisht.

Louis Fridhandler

David Roskies is right saying that "the truth of Sutzkever's poem transcends its facticity" [07.157]. To me this poem seems to be parabolic in the first place. However the conclusion that the event described in the poem did not happen cannot be based solely on technical issues.

"Type metal" used in typography is an alloy containing lead, tin, and antimony (and sometimes other components). Its melting temperature (depending on composition) is 180-230 C (355-445 F), which means that small amount of type metal can be melted in a kitchen oven faster than the tsholnt would be warmed up, and a blast furnace is not needed.

Twenty five years ago melting type metal scrap to make "tin" soldiers, fish line sinkers, and other valuables was one of the popular afterschool activities among my fifth grade friends. The "technology" we used in our school's backyard could have been easily used by the Vilna ghetto partisans.

Iosif Vaisman