March 2011
14 posts
Vartn - ווארטן
Vartn - ווארטן \VART-en\ Verb:To wait for, await, be in store for. Note: “Waiting” in the sense of “to wait on someone at a restaurant” is expressed with the words badinen (באדינען) or sarvern (סארווערן). Also, a “waiter” is either a sarver (סארווער) or a kelner (קעלנער). Pronunciation: Click here to hear a native Yiddish speaker use this word in conversation....
Conf, etc.
For those interested, the Program of Jewish Civilization at Georgetown University recently hosted an evening discussion between Miriam Isaacs and Judith Roumani entitled “What Do Yiddish and Ladino Have to Say to Each Other?” Each scholar discussed the history of her language of study and scholarship, as well as the contemporary situation of each language among Jews alive today....
Kinig/Kenig - קיניג/קעניג
Kinig/Kenig - קיניג/קעניג \KIN-ig/KEN-ig\ Noun \ Masculine \ Pl. Kinign/Kenign: A king. Note: The words kinig and kenig are both valid and equivalent terms for “king;” the latter is simply more Germanic than the former. Throughout this e-mail, I will tend to use the kinig form more, but, in each case, the kenig form works as well. So, for example, kenigraykh (קעניגרייך) works just as...
Tash - טאש
Tash - טאש \TASH\ Noun \ Masculine/Feminine \ Pl. Tashn:A pocket, pocketbook, bag, pouch, purse, satchel. Pronunciation: Click here to hear a native Yiddish speaker use this word in conversation. Synonyms: baytl (בייטל), keshene (קעשענע), tayster (טייסטער), zekl (זעקל). Note: Weinreich, in his dictionary, seems to very much prefer keshene (from Polish “kieszen”) to tash for...
Yiddish Tweets
For those interested, a newly-started Twitter feed, called “Yiddishclasses,” tweets about Yiddish courses, classes, seminars, and summer programs around the world, allowing browsers to compare different programs and find the ones that suit them best. If you’re looking for a good Yiddish summer course now, check it out.
In addition, two fun YouTube videos: the first is a...
Anonymous asked: Oys nam (sounds like)
My mother used to use this expression for something that was particularly delicious. In English, the equivalent of "out of this world"
My mother used to use this expression for something that was particularly delicious. In English, the equivalent of "out of this world"
Raysn - רייסן
Raysn - רייסן \RAYS-en\ Verb:
To tear, rip, pull, rend. Note: Raysn, the noun, is the name used in Yiddish for (Ukraine and) Belorussia. From there, we get the words raysish (רייסיש) - Belorussian - and oysraysn (אויסרייסן) - from a great distance (source: Weinreich 1 and 2). Pronunciation: Click here to hear a native Yiddish speaker use this word in conversation.
Synonyms: shlepn (שלעפן),...
Shlisn - שליסן
Shlisn - שליסן \SHLIS-en\ Verb:To close, conclude, lock, click. Pronunciation: Click here to hear a native Yiddish speaker use this word in conversation.
Synonyms: dringen (דרינגען) , endikn (ענדיקן), farmakhn (פארמאכן), farriglen (פארריגלען), riglen (ריגלען), sogrn (סוגרן - in Yiddish thieves’ slang; see Wexler), tsudrikn (צודריקן), tsumakhn (צומאכן).
German equivalents: blockieren,...
Understanding Yiddish Information Processing
For those interested, the Understanding Yiddish Information Processing (UYIP) website and listserv are great resources for background on how to write and process Yiddish text on your computer. Though it is a bit outdated (the copyright expired in 2009), much of the information is still pertinent to today’s users. At least, I think it is; truth be told, I think I had an easier time...
