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Loading... Born to Kvetch: Yiddish Language and Culture in All of Its Moods (P.S.)by Michael Wex
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will love Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. I really wanted to like this book and like the curate's egg, it was good in parts. Wex tells us early on that Yiddish is the language of complaint and sets out to prove that statement the entire rest of the book. The book is very scholarly and much of it is of interest but still, towards the end I was so depressed it was a struggle to finish it. Yiddish may be the language of complaint but its complaints turned humorous in possibly the most onomatopoeic language in the world. (Does schmuck sound anything but a stupid person? Does a schloff not sound like the nap you need after too big a lunch?)Jewish humour is a very strong strand in the humour of the US. Where the prevailing paradigm is to be on the side of the winner, always to have great self-esteem and to look good in the eyes of the world, the humour is the opposite: the small man who triumphs despite the odds. Two of the most well-known proponents of this are Woody Allen and Mel Brooks and where would they be without their joyous use of Yiddish? Indeed where would New Yorkers be if all the yiddish words were taken from their slang?The book would be best enjoyed by dipping into it now and again, no point in being heroic and finishing it straight through. A good book, a worthy book, but enjoyable - hmmmm? (  ) Savondujour | Jan 30, 2009 |  Yiddish language--History.  icm | Oct 3, 2008 | This book is hilarious and informative. It really gets down to the mentality behind the Yiddish language and the reasons for it. Very easy to read and enjoyable and full of amusing Yiddish axioms. (  ) aces | Feb 10, 2008 | Oy, this book is just too good. Oy, this book is just too good. Oy, this book is just too good. Oy, I can't believe I've read such a good book. (  ) freudslip | Jan 15, 2008 | OK, so some chapters were better than others -- but really, that's to be expected when you have an entire chapters devoted to cursing and body parts! Overall, this is hysterical and great to understand how Yiddish has really developed. So stop kvetching and read this book ;-) (  ) bfertig | Nov 27, 2007 |  no reviews | add a review
Amazon.com Product Description (ISBN 0061132179, Paperback)A delightful excursion through the Yiddish language, the culture it defines and serves, and the fine art of complaint Throughout history, Jews around the world have had plenty of reasons to lament. And for a thousand years, they've had the perfect language for it. Rich in color, expressiveness, and complexity, Yiddish has proven incredibly useful and durable. Its wonderful phrases and idioms impeccably reflect the mind-set that has enabled the Jews of Europe to survive a millennium of unrelenting persecution . . . and enables them to kvetch about it! Michael Wex—professor, scholar, translator, novelist, and performer—takes a serious yet unceasingly fun and funny look at this remarkable kvetch-full tongue that has both shaped and has been shaped by those who speak it. Featuring chapters on curse words, food, sex, and even death, he allows his lively wit and scholarship to roam freely from Sholem Aleichem to Chaucer to Elvis. Perhaps only a khokhem be-layle (a fool, literally a "sage at night," when there's no one around to see) would care to pass up this endearing and enriching treasure trove of linguistics, sociology, history, and folklore—an intriguing appreciation of a unique and enduring language and an equally fascinating culture. (retrieved from Amazon Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:58:01 -0400) The first test round has been closed. Visit the Open Shelves Classification group for details. |
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