yiddish pronunciation

Re: yiddish pronunciation


I only know a few of the words. Bubbe is grandmother and Zayde is grandfather. I realize you weren't looking for a translation but hey, I don't recall a lotta Yiddish.

As for pronunciation, for Bubbe, the u is like the oo in book. The e is short, kind of like the e in get.

For Zayde, the ay is long like the ay in day. The e is similar to the e in Bubbe.

For the sentence, Az der bubbe vot gehat baytzim volt zi geven mein zayde, I am guessing it is pronounced kind of like this: oz dur bubbe vut g'hot baytzeem vult zih gevayn mine zayde

Keep in mind, though, that I've pretty much only heard Yiddish as spoken by Brooklynites. Your mileage may vary.

PS On my husband's side, they pronounced Bubbe as if it rhymed with tubby. So there are differences even in New York.

To my ear, it sounds just like you wrote it. Wouldn't you know that there would be an intellectual article on this, shall we say, less than intellectual sentence?

http://www.ibiblio.org/pub/academic/languages/yiddish/mendele/vol4.118

thanks
Thanks Jespah

You've told me just what I needed. I worked in a company owned and operated by a Jewish family. The girls would entertain me with stories of their childhood and little sayings of the elders. They would say this so fast, I could never learn it. I think it is a jewel. It is an equally intellectual response to a child's endless questioning. In my vast white anglo-saxon world, the most intellectual reply I ever got was, "Shut up and go play."

missconduct
I never heard that expression However I think it transulates as
If grandma had balls she would have been my grandfather

yes
au1929

Yes indeed, and I think it is a most profound statement! First time I heard it, I was shocked that someone's grandma would say such a thing (I'm a Southerner) but I lovd the way it rolled off the tongue of the young Jewish girl who told me. It's a classic.

The other saying that fits is:

"You'll never be the man, your mother is".

yiddish
Thanks for that! What is the origin?