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Born to Kvetch : Yiddish Language and Culture in All of Its Moods by Michael Wex (2006, Trade Paperback)
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Format: Paperback or Softback. Publication Date: 8/15/2006.
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Product Information
From The Three Stooges to Seinfeld, Born to Kvetch is a smart and witty portrait of Yiddish and its relationship to both Jewish culture and American life. "An earthy romp through the lingua franca of Jews.... This treasure trove of linguistics, sociology, history and folklore offers a fascinating look at how, through the centuries, a unique and enduring language has reflected an equally unique and enduring culture."--Publishers Weekly, starred review The main spoken language of the Jews for more than 1,000 years, Yiddish offers a comprehensive picture of the mind-set that enabled them to survive a millennium of unrelenting persecution across Europe. Through the idioms, phrases, metaphors, and fascinating history of this wonderful tongue, Michael Wex gives us a moving and inspiring portrait of a people, and a language, in exile. From tukhes to goy, meshugener to bobe mayse (cok-and-bull story), Born to Kvetch offers a wealth of material, some that has never appeared in English before, on all elements of Yiddish life, including food, nature, divinity, humanity, and even sex.Product Identifiers
PublisherHarperCollins
ISBN-100061132179
ISBN-139780061132179
eBay Product ID (ePID)52643173
Product Key Features
Number of Pages336 Pages
LanguageEnglish
Publication NameBorn to Kvetch : Yiddish Language and Culture in All of Its Moods
Publication Year2006
SubjectYiddish, Jewish, Jewish Studies
TypeLanguage Course
Subject AreaForeign Language Study, History, Social Science
AuthorMichael Wex
FormatTrade Paperback
Dimensions
Item Height0.8 in
Item Weight10.2 Oz
Item Length8 in
Item Width5.3 in
Additional Product Features
Intended AudienceTrade
Dewey Edition22
Reviews..."an earthy romp through the lingua franca of Jews, which has roots reaching back to the Hebrew Bible and which continues to thrive in 21st-century America. Canadian professor, translator and performer Wex has an academic's breadth of knowledge, and while he doesn't ignore your "bubbe's tsimmes, he gives equal time to the semantic nuances of "putz, "schmuck, "shlong and "shvants. Wex organizes his material around broad, idiosyncratic categories, but like the authors of the Talmud (the source for a large number of Yiddish idioms), he strays irrepressibly beyond the confines of any given topic. His lively wit roams freely, and Rabbi Akiva and Sholem Aleichem collide happily with Chaucer, Elvis and Robert Petrie. . . . this treasure trove of linguistics, sociology, history and folklore offers a fascinating look at how, through the centuries, a unique and enduring language has reflected an equally unique and enduring culture."---"Publishers Weekly "Wise, witty and altogether wonderful.... Mr. Wex has perfect pitch. He always finds the precise word, the most vivid metaphor, for his juicy Yiddishisms, and he enjoys teasing out complexities. " ---William Grimes, "The New York Times
Dewey Decimal439.109
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- 25 Feb, 2022
Memories
Touched my heart! Brought a lot of long since dead family members back to life!♥️♥️♥️Verified purchase: YesCondition: Pre-owned
