Yiddish

Factual Questions
41

Of course the 60’s is “very recent”. Great God! we’re talking about a radical connotative shift in a common word; one would expect it to take centuries.

Has Goethe been removed from the syllabus?

John W. Kennedy
“Compact is becoming contract; man only earns and pays.”
– Charles Williams

42

OK, found this “veyb” quote. It’s from a musical that was produced in the 1950’s. The stanza could be older, though.

 Toyznt VEYBER hot gehat
 Shloyme hamelech der kliger.
 Fargst nisht az tsa yedn VEYB
 Hot ir oych gekrign a shviger!

::chuckle, snort::

–Rivkele

43

For each of the thousand wives, he also got an in-law?

44

A MOTHER-in-law. It’s amazing to me that you understand, jens, because I don’t understand German at all.

–Riv

45

In German, “Schwieger” is just a prefix, “Schwiegervater” is father-in-law, “Schwiegermutter” is mother-in-law. Interestingly, “Schwager” is brother-in-law, “Schwaegerin” is sister-in-law.

What is the Yiddish for father, brother, and sister-in-law?

46

father-in-law = shver
sister-in-law = shvergerin
brother-in-law = shvoger
daughter-in-law = shnur
son-in-law = aydem
your child’s mother-in-law = mechuteneste
your child’s father-in-law = mechutin

–Rivkele

47

Thanks, Rivkele. Interesting that the sister and brother match the German, but the son and daughter and the last two bear no resemblance. I wonder if those came from the Hebrew?

If so, did they use Hebrew forms where they couldn’t find good German ones? Or German forms where Hebrew forms were lacking?

Or maybe Russian?

48

Only the children’s in-laws words are Hebrew, as far as I know. They’re from a not-often used word for marriage, “mechutin.” Actually, I’m not sure whether this word means “marriage,” or just “wedding.” “Chatan” is a bridegroom, and sometimes also is used for “son-in-law.”

I’m not sure about the others; “aydem” and “shnur” totally elude me. I hope to heck that “shnur” isn’t related to “shnorr,” a verb that means something like “mooch.”

–Rivkele

49

“Schnur” in German means string, which doesn’t seem enlightening vis a vis the in-law situation either.

Although some jokes beginning with “A string went into a bar” might become more meaningful using a little German/Yiddish :slight_smile:

50

Actually, I suppose “shnur” and “shnorr” could be related. They could both mean someone “strung,” or “tied” to you and your family.

“Shnorr” is used in Hebrew, but I don’t know whether it originated in Hebrew, or came to modern Hebrew by way of Yiddish. It sounds Yiddish, but I’m just guessing.

Where’s Dex? He usually knows stuff like this.

–Rivkele