As the main spoken language of the Jews for more than a thousand years, Yiddish has had plenty to lament, plenty to conceal. Its phrases, idioms, and expressions paint a comprehensive picture of the mind-set that enabled the Jews of Europe to survive a millennium of unrelenting persecution: they never stopped "kvetching"---about God, gentiles, children, food, and everything (and anything) else. They even learned how to smile through their "kvetching" and express satisfaction in the form of complaint. In "Born to Kvetch, " ...
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As the main spoken language of the Jews for more than a thousand years, Yiddish has had plenty to lament, plenty to conceal. Its phrases, idioms, and expressions paint a comprehensive picture of the mind-set that enabled the Jews of Europe to survive a millennium of unrelenting persecution: they never stopped "kvetching"---about God, gentiles, children, food, and everything (and anything) else. They even learned how to smile through their "kvetching" and express satisfaction in the form of complaint. In "Born to Kvetch, " Michael Wex looks at the ingredients that went into this buffet of disenchantment and examines how they were mixed together to produce an almost limitless supply of striking idioms and withering curses (which get a chapter all to themselves). "Born to Kvetch" includes a wealth of material that's never appeared in English before. You'll find information on the Yiddish relationship to food, nature, divinity, and humanity. There's even a chapter about sex. This is no "bobe mayse" (cock-and-bull story) from a "khokhem be-layle"(idiot, literally a "sage at night" when no one's looking), but a serious yet fun and funny look at a language that both shaped and was shaped by those who spoke it. From "tukhes" to "goy, ""meshugener" to "kvetch," Yiddish words have permeated and transformed English as well. Through the idioms, phrases, metaphors, and fascinating history of this "kvetch-"full tongue, Michael Wex gives us a moving and inspiring portrait of a people, and a language, in exile.
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Seller's Description:
Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
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Very Good. Very Good condition. Good dust jacket. A copy that may have a few cosmetic defects. May also contain a few markings such as an owner's name, short gifter's inscription or light stamp.
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Good. Good condition. Very Good dust jacket. A copy that has been read but remains intact. May contain markings such as bookplates, stamps, limited notes and highlighting, or a few light stains.
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Seller's Description:
Good. Reasonable and presentable hard covered edition in a full dust jacket. Just a bit of shelf wear to the dust jacket. Pages inside look clean and good.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Very good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority!
I've seldom seen a book about Yiddish that was as thorough and entertaining as "Born to Kvetch." Wex's knowledge of the Bible, the Talmud, the Yiddish language, Hebrew, and the cultural milieu in which Yiddish developed are amazing. And he puts this knowledge in cultural terms in which Americans who have lived in the last half of the 20th century can readily relate.
The book helped me understand many of the Yiddish phrases that my parents and grandparents used so often when they weren't speaking English.
