- Mass Market Paperback: 592 pages
- Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd; New edition edition (28 Oct 1971)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0140030689
- ISBN-13: 978-0140030686
- Product Dimensions: 19.6 x 13 x 3 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
73,277 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #1 in Books > Languages > Grammar, dictionaries & phrasebooks > Yiddish
- #1 in Books > Languages > By Language > Other European Languages > Yiddish
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Product Description
Book Description
Do you know when to cry Mazel tov -- and when to avoid it like the plague? Did you know that Oy! is not a word, but a vocabulary with 29 distinctvariations, sighed, cried, howled, or moaned, employed to express anything fromecstasy to horror? Here are words heard 'round the English-speaking world: chutzpa, or gall, brazen nerve, effrontery, "...that quality enshrined in a man who,having killed his mother and his father, throws himself on the mercy of the court because he is an orphan." Then there's mish-mosh, or mess, hodgepodge,total confusion...and shamus, or private eye.
They're all here and more, in Leo Rosten's glorious classic The Joys of Yiddish, which weds scholarship to humor and redefines dictionary to reflect the heart and soul of a people through their language, illuminating each entry with marvelous stories and epigrams from folklore and the Talmud, from Bible to borscht belt and beyond. With Rosten's help, anyone can pronounce and master the nuances of words that convey everything from compassion to skepticism. Savorthe irresistible pleasure of Yiddish in this banquet of a book! --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A fair overview of common words and phrases in the (mainly Poilisher dialect of) Yiddish. This book won't teach you to speak Yiddish, but is invaluable in understanding and appreciating Jewish humour, some of which features even in Gentile American comedy. Rosten illustrates the majority of the entries with anecdotes and jokes, most of which are very funny indeed.
One thing though; if it's Hebrew you want to know about, well, it's an entirely different language and, as a hebraist myself, I have to say that some aspects of Rosten's notes on Hebrew are rather troubling. But his Yiddish seems sound, and that is, after all, what I bought this book to sample. I did so in 1980, and still dip into it on occaision.
Enjoy!
Aleichem (or, dear Ladies, Aleichen) Shalom,
John Griffiths RGN BD(hons.)
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
I owned this book a long time ago but lent it out and it never returned. I suddenly realised that I wanted to enjoy its humour once again, but moreso because of my continuing interest in language - and also studying the German language - made me want to read it again for all the links it makes both to English and other languages. So I hunted out a secondhand copy of the original edition I had had and I was delighted to do so!
If you have never read it before and have an interest in the wider aspects of language do try it! It is full of extraordinary links to show how language and words travel -- and especially how humour evolves across cultures. Words and phrases that I heard in my childhood in London, like "mishmosh/mishmash", suddenly take on a new life after reading this! The detailed explanation in the early part of the book of how the inflection in Yiddish can change the meaning of the same sentence many, many times is alone worth the price of the book - and so, so very funny!
Truly, this is where much of "stand-up" humour begins!
A classic - whatever your background, language or culture - and an absolute steal - whether new or secondhand!
If you have never read it before and have an interest in the wider aspects of language do try it! It is full of extraordinary links to show how language and words travel -- and especially how humour evolves across cultures. Words and phrases that I heard in my childhood in London, like "mishmosh/mishmash", suddenly take on a new life after reading this! The detailed explanation in the early part of the book of how the inflection in Yiddish can change the meaning of the same sentence many, many times is alone worth the price of the book - and so, so very funny!
Truly, this is where much of "stand-up" humour begins!
A classic - whatever your background, language or culture - and an absolute steal - whether new or secondhand!
9 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Mass Market Paperback
Whether you want to know the tonal permutations of Oy!, or need a couple of good Jewish jokes for a wedding/ barmitzvah, this is the place to swot up. Leo gives us some insight into the Jewish mentality through its phrases and anecdotes - great for anyone trying to make their way into that world - or for one who's been there for years without knowing their ogerke from their pupik.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
mother tongue explained
Commentary, and Stories from the Old Country, and wisecracks from the New World illustrate the subtle and not so subtle thoughts pain and happiness of life's ups and downs in the... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Klabbiosh
An absolute gem
I was first put on to this book many years ago by a friend with a love for all sorts of humour. The copy I bought, and loved, was lent and never returned (which I see happened to... Read more
Published 5 months ago by hiljean
Listmania!
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