מענדעלע

Sylvia Schildt enjoyed listening to Sholem Aleykhem's letter to Bialik about Bialik's slippers [6.198]. The letter (that was written in 1907) was published twice in Russian translation (Sholom Aleikhem, Sobranie Sochinenii, 1974, v.6, p.591 and 1990, v.6, p.273). Apparently it was published in Yiddish as well. If somebody is interested I can e-mail Russian text off-list.

Iosif Vaisman

My thanks to Michael Kranz for his felicitous translation [6.199] of those last two lines from Wagenseil. The structure of that sentence eluded me.

Thanks also to Ron Robboy. I did, indeed, "misremember" the precise wording of the Mahler review--juedelt, not mauscheln. I read the original several years ago while standing _af eyn fus_ in the home of Slonimski's daughter in New York. The association I made between the two words is a reasonable one, though, isn't it?

Mikhl Herzog

[Es vayst zikh oys dem shames az mit dem fodem zaynen mir farforn in der velt arayn, vayt vayt funm derekh hayidish. Efsher shoyn a sof?

We may have reached the limit--and then some--of discussing a topic whose ties to Yiddish might have been tangential to begin with. In the absence of fresh material that brings the discussion back to our central focus, no more please. nm]

I am collecting information on the mezinke - the origins, any special customs, songs, etc. associated therewith. This is the song that is played when he last child of a family is married. Thank you for any information.

Les Train

I purchased the Yiddish Language Tapes referred to by Leybl Botwinik [6.198] several years ago, and was (unfortunately) disappointed. They are more in the nature of an audio phrase book than an actual language course. As best as I can remember, they give a fairly good example of certain phrases that would be useful to a traveler. However, they are not complete enough to constitute even a beginner's course in Yiddish.

George Fogel

Leylb Botwinik fregt in Mendele Vol 6.198, vegn kasetn far lernen Yidish... "Language 30 Yiddish".

durkh Yidish fun Groys Vashington farkoyf ikh di bikher fun Arbeter Ring, N.Y. un hob dos farkoyft emitzer far ir zun, alt arum 20-30 yor. zi hot mir dertseylt az er hert zikh tsu az er fort zikh in oyto un es gefelt im, es iz klor far im tzu farshteyn.

Through Yiddish of Greater Washington, I sell the books from the W.C. Book Center, N.Y. and I sold this to someone for her son, 20-30 years old. She told me he is enjoying the tapes which he plays in his car. They are easy for him to follow.

Marcia Gruss Levinsohn

In Vol6.198 Ruben Frankenstein wrote:

>.. The vowel extension with guttural sound of the hebrew >_ayin_ finds no appropriate substitute other than the corruption through >the nasal _n_...

The following will also be posted to _heblang_, but it clearly has significant relevance to the history/development of Yiddish, as well. Therefore, (at the risk of irritating Dr. Frankenstein further,) is it safe to assume that throughout Ashkenaz the Hebrew _ayin_ had the guttural pronunciation until relatively recent times?

Irving D. Goldfein

s'iz fun di gringe zakhn tsu definirn dem "mendele" af english: s'iz dokh a "mailing list." der pshat derfun iz "adresn-reshime," oder "post-reshime"; di-o terminen klingen ober nisht azoy yidishlekh. vi azoy darf men af yidish derklern dem tamtses fun noyekhs mitsves-haklal? khane un yosl mlotek hobn in zeyer "forverts"-rubrik banutst zikh mitn vort "kompyuter-program," vos iz take sheferish (a ponem afn model fun "televizie-program," "radio-program," ua"v), ober nisht pinktlekh. ot leyg ikh fir, az der "mendele" iz a "kompyuter-meldtovl," oder bekitser a "meldtovl." dos iz gor poshet, un lozt zikh farglakhn mitn englishn "bulletin board." (agev oyb me lozt zikh arayn in kompyuterishn pilpul iz der "mendele" nisht keyn "bulletin board," vos fodert funem tekhnishn shtandpunkt a tsentraln kompyuter in velkhn me redlt arayn mitn modem--nor meyle. af yidish iz di-o umpinktlekhkayt nisht azoy shayekh.)

vi meynt ir?

sholem berger

* * *

It's easy to say what Mendele is in English--it's a mailing list. The literal translation of this into Yiddish would be "adresn-reshime" or "post-reshime," which don't sound so natural. What's the solution? In their Forverts column, the Mloteks once made use of the term "kompyuter-program," presumably on the model of "televizie-program," "radio-program," etc. This is creative but inaccurate. Better, to my mind, would be "kompyuter-meldtovl," or, in short, "meldtovl," which is quite simple and compares favorably with the English "bulletin board." (If you want to get technical Mendele isn't actually a bulletin board, and so using the Yiddish equivalent is a slight inaccuracy in itself--but never mind, since the Yiddish term has none of the technical connotations of the English.)

What do you think?

Sholem Berger

Emetser hot mikh gefregt vegn a lid vos heyst "a mayse mit a mantl." Er hot gezogt az dos iz oder fun Kadya Maladovskin oder fun Mangern. Mir iz dos lid nisht bakant, freg ikh bay di Mendelistn tsi eyner fun aykh veyst mer vegn dem. A dank foroys.

Khane-Faygl Turtletaub