Yiddish

[Knothead]

There's a thread going on right now that I wanted to add this to, but it wouldn't fit...this is about the Yiddish language, and this Irishman is going to address it, in "Himself's" usual bull-headed fashion.

Years ago, I worked for this Orthodox Jewish guy. I was the only non-Jew in the place, and I got to experience lots of this fascinating language. It is LOADED with sly glimpses of humanity, Jew and non- Jew alike.

There's a whole mess of words that start with "Sch"... like schmuck, schlemiel, schlmozzel, etc. that are absolutely hilarious and rather illuminating as to man's nature...AFAIK, there are no English words to compare them to. The art of the Yiddish language holds a communicative power that is unique to the language.

Boy, have I been screwed over by the schtarkehs!! Just the syllables alone have a healing power.

But I've been saving the best for the last...have any of you ever been called a Mensch?

If you have, and you know what it means, you will not ever shake it off. It's that powerful, and possibly the most perfectly loving thing in human vocal language that you'll ever hear.

[vass0922]

ok, yeah I knew schmuck was a yiddish word...
what about putz? lol
gotta love the grumpy old men
I think I've had a very sheltered life, because I really haven't known that many jewish folks
Not my fault, just dont know of any lol
Either that, or knew them but didnt know they were jewish... shows how much it matters to me lol

[Warthog]

I called my friend a schmuck once Freshmen year in a comp lab. I told him I didn't know what it meant...little did I know there was a loud, obnoxious, Jewish english teacher (who I still dislike) who said, rather yelled,

"IT MEANS *****!"

I'm like...whoa...sorry

lol..

There's also putz and schmutz

Warthog

[pickel]

WE used to hassle the "Yentas" that gathered on the benches in the neighborhood park amnd do anything to give them something to gossip about. LOL
Our neighborgood was about equally split between Goyum and Hebrew. We'd all go to school and to Mass on on Sunday. The Jewish guys would never know when to stand, sit or kneel and we'd laugh at them and make a specticle of ourselves in church, but it was fun...no disrepect intended. Always felt funny wearing the Yomica...

[Theophylact]

"Schmutz" just means "dirt" or "filth".

For a real treat, read Leo Rosten's The Joys of Yiddish". You'll kvell.

[caddmannq]

Or in my case, kvetch.

http://www.bergen.org/AAST/Projects/...sh/comwor.html

[vass0922]

farklempt --- bummed out, bad mood --- She looks very ferklempt.

that's where that came from! LOL
SNL Skit, mike meyers always says "Ah, I'm getting ferklempt
learn something new everyday

Ok they have shlemil.. what about schlamazel!?
(wasn't that the other one they said in laverne and shirly in the theme song lol)

[Brainchild]

That's what I always think of when I hear either of those two words..lol
Guess TV does influnece our lives