Mendele: Yiddish literature and language
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Contents of Vol. 15.021
, 2005
1) Yiddish in LA (Lucas Bruyn)
2) Yiddish in LA (Dina Levias)
3) Yiddish in LA (Hershl Hartman)
4) Jacob Jacobs' birthplace (Pavel Greenberg)
1)----------------------------------------------------
Date: July 14, 2005
Subject: Re Yiddish in L.A.
Robert Berkovitz writes:
'the whole idea of a transliteration system, whether created by YIVO or
anyone else, is that it provides a consistent and intelligible method
of knowing how to say Yiddish words for those who do not read Yiddish."
This statement is exactly the root of the continuing misunderstanding of
the YIVO system. A transliteration system is not meant to reveal the
pronunciation of a language, but only to transform writing in one script
into another. In order not to start a discussion on the difference between
transcription and transliteration: whatever you want to call the YIVO
system used to romanize Hebrew script Yiddish text, it certainly does not
tell an American reader how to pronounce Yiddish unless you provide him
with a pronunciation key. Again, it only indicates, in roman script, how
the word is written in 'real' Yiddish. A Galician native speaker and a
Lithuanian might pronounce the same written word according to their
dialect, but the spelling remains the same, in Yiddish and in romanized
Yiddish.
The system is not perfect, neither is the Standardized Yiddish orthography.
Lucas Bruyn
2)----------------------------------------------------
Date: July 14, 2005
Subject: Re: Yiddish in Los Angeles
As a professional translator (from Russian) I have often been faced with
the question, do I transliterate the pronunciation of the word, or the
spelling ? In the case of proper names already familiar in English : e.g.
the Russian film-maker's name, Aizenshtain, (itself already a Russian
transliteration of "Eisenstein") the answer was relatively obvious.
Slightly more problematic are names which in Russian begin with "E":
Evtushenko, Elena, etc., since the initial E in Russian is pronounced "Ye"
: should I write "Yevtushenko"( following the pronunciation ?) or
"Evtushenko", following the spelling ? Furthermore, the transliteration
depends on the language into which I am translating, and transliterating :
the above example holds for English, but not for German, where the "ye"
sound must be rendered by a "J", and the "sh" sound by "sch". This is why
music recording catalogues will confuse some people who seek music by
Tchaikovski: they will find Chaikovsky, Tschaikowski, and even Caicovschi..
So: is the YIVO system really "a consistent and intelligible method of
knowing how to say Yiddish words for those who do not read Yiddish" ??? I
wonder. Is it true for French-speakers ? The "sh" in "Yiddish", for
instance, means nothing to a French person ! It should be spelled
"Yidiche" !
I happen to be part of a group, here in Geneva (Switzerland), who are
trying to learn Yiddish; one member of our group is a Belgian woman called
Sara, who recently sent the rest of us a message which she signed "Sourel?"
! Now what would an English-speaking person make of that transliteration ?
And yet, it's a perfect rendition in French of the way her name is
pronounced in Yiddish !
Oy vey !
Dina Levias
3)----------------------------------------------------
Date: July 19, 2005
Subject: Yiddishkayt LA
b'nigeye dem shturemvint in a sholekhl vos es hot af a tsayt gebushevet
arum Yiddishkayt L.A. (YKLA) vil ikh farzikhern di ale onteylnemer in dem
geshprekh az mir do in la-la-land kenen gants gut di YIVO klolim fun
transkriptsye -- ober nit in dem geyt es.
In relation to the storm in a teacup that raged briefly around Yiddishkayt
L.A. (YKLA), I want to assure all the participants in the discussion that
we here in la-la-land are well-acquainted with the YIVO transcription
standard -- but that's not the point.
Rather, what's involved is an exciting new marketing approach that has, in
the course of the past decade, drawn many thousands of young people to
Yiddish events who would otherwise have shied away from "senior citizens'
stuff." We were very aware that "yidishkeyt" is the "proper" transcription,
but we deliberately -- which means, after research, discussion and
soul-searching -- decided that "Yiddishkayt" would be both more
understandable to our target audience (tsil-bret oylem?) and would tie-in
with our breezy, now-generation kite logo. (Yiddish-kite, get it?)
Similarly with the choice of the transcription "avada" for our programs
specifically directed at 20- and 30-somethings, and the double-entendre
title of their language classes, "red Yiddish," to connect with the Avada
tag-line, "a revolution in Yiddish."
In the same way, our innovative pilot project bringing Yiddish and Yiddish
culture classes into three L.A. Hebrew day schools is dubbed "take
Yiddish." (Read it as a transcription or as an invitation to students.)
All of this flows from a concept that the way to assure the future of
mameloshn is not with academic conferences and learned dissertations
(though they're not unimportant), but through programs and activities that
exude the feeling of "now," "cool," even "bad," if you will...
We've taken clues from some highly-successful examples of modern marketing.
To cite just one: Apple Computers turned around their declining business
with a huge campaign headlined "Think Different." Grammarians groaned and
muttered imprecations. Consumers laughed and...bought Apple's products.
Yiddishkayt L.A. (sic) does not oppose the YIVO transcription standards.
Check out the Newsletters on our website, .
However, we reserve the right to bend the rules for marketing purposes in
pursuit of our goal: to advance yidishkeyt in the 21st century in happening
L.A.
Hershl Hartman
Board Secretary, YKLA
4)----------------------------------------------------
Date: July 22, 2005
Subject: Jacob Jacobs' birthplace
I'm trying to establish Jacob Jacobs' (Yaakov Yakubovitch) birthplace.
By accordance to the Zalman Zylbercweig's `Leksikon fun Yidishn Teater' he
was born at 2.01.1890 in Risk (1) (????), Hungary. (2)
But on any Hungary's or Romania's maps (3) I can't find this town. (4)
From the other side, there are so many different versions! (5)
Maybe here, at Mendele, is someone who definitely knows were the man who
wrote `vu ikh hob mayne kindershe yorn farbrakht` was actually born? (6)
Any help (even a small "hint" like `he was born near the.') will be
appreciated.
A git shobes un a sheynem donkah in advance!
Pavel Greenberg
PS
Sorry for my worst English, but my Yiddish is nokh erger.
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1) It's logical that Zylbercweig prefers shtetl's `yiddishe nomen'. For
example, Moyshe Oysher was born in Lipkon, not in Lipkan. Or Alexander
Olshanetsky was born in Ades, not in Odessa. So maybe `Risk' is not
official town name too?
(2) According to Museum of the City of New York records Jacob Jacobs was
born in Czechoslovakia in 1891.
(3) Of course, there was no `Hungary' as independent state in 1890, but
Austro-Hungarian Empire.
(4) Unfortunately, there are no strongly "geopolitical" names in
`Leksikon'. For example, Alexander Olshanetsky was born in `Ukraine' (which
was a Soviet republic in 1931). Isa Kremer and Leon Gold were born in
`Bessarabia' (official name of Russian Empire province).
(5) Shtetl-country list:
a) Risk, Hungary (by `Leksikon')
b) no named town, Czechoslovakia (by Museum of the City of NY)
c) R”szke (Recsk), modern Hungary
d) Rechka, modern Ukraine that was called Ricska in Maramaros (Romania)
e) Ruscova (Riskova, Riskovi, Ruskava, Ruskova), modern Romania. (in Yiddish Riskeva, Riskeve). Former Hungarian Viso, Visa Orom, Visha Orom, Visooroszi.
f) Brisk, former Russian Empire's Brest-Litovsk.
g) Risca, modern Romania. Former Hungarian Riska
(6) What additional "information" I have?
First, his stage name `Jacob Jacobs' "points" to (as far as I know) regnant
in Translylvania and Bukovina `Jakab Jakabs' name and surname, not only to
his own.
Second, his father was a possessor (???????). In Bessarabia, for example,
sometime this term was equal to `lessee, farmer'. So maybe he was born in
countryside, not in a city?
Third, in his survived `ikh bin a border bay mayn vayb' record he sing (or
I hear?) `mayn' not `mein', etc. But I have no knowledge about Hungarian or
Czech Yiddish accent.
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End of Mendele Vol. 15.021
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