May 2010
16 posts
Hoykh - הויך
Hoykh - הויך \HOYKH\ Adjective:
High, tall; loud; exalted. (The noun hoykh means “breath.”)
Pronunciation: Click here to hear a native Yiddish speaker use this word in conversation.
Dialectical variant: hoyekh (הויעך) - another instance of epenthesis, as discussed last week.
Synonyms: groys (גרויס), langvuksik (לאנגוווקסיק).
German equivalent: groß, hoch, hohe.
Etymology:...
Mendele Poems and Essays
For those interested, a while back Mendele posted a series of poems and essays about the Hebrew alphabet (Yiddish: alef-beyz) in memory of Eliyohu (Elias) Lipiner, the author of Idielogye fun Yidishn Alef-Beyz (Buenos-Aires: YIVO, 1967) (The Ideology of the Jewish Alphabet; Table of Contents available here). You can read some of those poems and selections from his work (unfortunately not available...
Milkh - מילך
Milkh - מילך \ MILKH \ Noun \ Feminine \ Pl. Milkh:
Milk.
Pronunciation: Click here to hear a native Yiddish speaker use this word in conversation.
Dialectical variant: milekh (מילעך). This form of the word is more common in Southern Yiddish (i.e. Polish and Ukrainian) dialects of Yiddish. The process by which a vowel is added to a word to form a new one, which is exactly what happened here,...
Dr. Seuss in Yiddish and More!
For those interested, Zackary Sholem Berger, an MD/PhD and lover of Yiddish, has translated several children’s books from English to Yiddish, including Dr. Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat and One Fish, Two Fish, as well as H. A. Rey’s Curious George. He also has a Yiddish blog (and an English one), where he reports on Jewish and Yiddish happenings, translates other pieces into Yiddish,...
Lernen - לערנען
Lernen - לערנען \LERN-en\ Verb:
1. To teach. 2. To study [with reflexive zikh (זיך)].
Alternate spelling: lerenen (לערענען).
Pronunciation: Click here to hear a native Yiddish speaker use this word in conversation.
Synonyms: (Sense 1:) mekhanekh zayn (מחנך זיין); (Sense 2:) shtudirn (שטודירן).
German equivalents: (Sense 1:) lehren, unterrichten. (Sense 2:)...
Shovues Songs in Yiddish!
For those interested, in honor of Shovues, I have transcribed and translated the words of “Oylem Habe,” a Yiddish song popular in Haredi circles which emphasizes the absolute, unparalleled importance of Torah study in the Jewish tradition (and perhaps goes a little overboard in doing so). Please see below.
Another classic Yiddish lullaby, “Unter Dem Kinds Vigele,” also...
Check out this post about YWOTW on the Forward... →
Tseyln - ציילן
Tseyln - ציילן \TSEYL-en\ Verb:
To count.
Pronunciation: Click here to hear a native Yiddish speaker use this word in conversation.
Synonyms: dufen (דופען); kalkulirn (קאלקולירן); kheshbnen (חשבנען); rekhenen (רעכענען). German equivalents: berechnen, gelten, zählen.
Etymology: The word derives from the German “zählen,” itself from Proto-Germanic taljanan, which is related...
Wex's Websites
For those interested, Michael Wex, the popular Yiddish author and playwright, has two websites, his older one here and his newer one here. On both, one can enjoy his knowledge of native Hasidic Yiddish, see videos of his performances, and review some of his writings. Warning: He is, at times, more than a bit crass, so view responsibly.
Epl - עפל
Epl - עפל \EP-el\ Noun:
An apple.
Pronunciation: Click here to hear a native Yiddish speaker use this word in conversation.
German equivalent: der Apfel.
Etymology: The word derives from Middle High German “apfel,” which in turn comes from Old High German “apful” or “aphul,” eventually from Proto-Germanic “apulaz.” It is related to Dutch...
Japan Yiddish Club?
For those interested, Yankl (Jack) Halpern and Tsvi Sadan (Tsuguya Sasaki) once upon a time together ran a Japan Yiddish Club in the Tokyo Institute of Jewish Studies, which put out an annual newsletter entitled Der Yapanisher Yid. Unfortunately, the last issue of the newsletter available on the website was published in 1997, so it is probably defunct by now, but it is nice to know that there was...
