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Rating:  Summary: A Meshuggenary World Review: An absolute delight--the authors have produced a very lively academic book (which may well be an oxymoron). I wonder what early Yiddishists would say if they could now see what impact Yiddish (and Yinglish, etc.) have had on American speech, language and culture. I suspect that they would have been amazed at what they, their successors and G_d had wrought. Only in America. And you don't have to be Jewish to kvell at Meshuggenary which is a landmark success. It will not be easy in the years to come to challenge the depth, insight and completeness of the book.
Rating:  Summary: A Meshuggenary World Review: An absolute delight--the authors have produced a very lively academic book (which may well be an oxymoron). I wonder what early Yiddishists would say if they could now see what impact Yiddish (and Yinglish, etc.) have had on American speech, language and culture. I suspect that they would have been amazed at what they, their successors and G_d had wrought. Only in America. And you don't have to be Jewish to kvell at Meshuggenary which is a landmark success. It will not be easy in the years to come to challenge the depth, insight and completeness of the book.
Rating:  Summary: Interesting, enlightening, and prepared with class. Review: As a lexicographer, I love new dictionaries and wordbooks. It is rare, though, to find one so thoroughly readable as this. It is interesting, enlightening, and prepared with class. Yiddish has such a rich vocabulary! I'm planning to learn quite a bit so that I can use it on my family and friends. You can never know too many words!
Rating:  Summary: A Celebration of Yiddish. Review: Great book! A clear, interesting , erudite description of Yiddish history, culture , and language. Good job.
Rating:  Summary: A South Asian Indian's Perspective Review: I am an, not a Jew, and I love this book. I love it because I love words. They expand our ability to express amorphous thoughts, feelings, concepts. Even though our present state of the evolution of language serves us adequately, there remain vast areas of unexpressed human experience. I am convinced that the further evolution of English lies in the direction of absorbing words from other languages, other cultures, in order to fill its gaps. The Yiddish language, in particular, with its gutsy, expressive words, some of which have already found their way into the English lexicon and usage, is an important resource in the imperative for this expansion. MESHUGGENARY supplies a marvelous and meaty ingredient to the "masala" of human expression. I also love this book because of its brief but informative overview of Yiddish culture, and the depth of its humor. In the Jewish consciousness humor has evolved not only as an art of entertainment but a tool for survival. Like Klezmer music it is at once sad and joyous. We all have much to learn from Yiddish and this wonderful book is one good place to start.
Rating:  Summary: Meshuggenary Review: It is always a pleasure to get a little extra. It's even better to get a lot extra! When I read Meshuggenry, not only did it explain many Yiddish expressions that are as American as bagels, I also got a seasoning of the life and spirit that fermented in the world of Yiddish. Take Klezmer music. In a few pages you get a history of its origins and its continual and present reincarnations. Take Yiddish Food and Cooking. A little history, a nosh of Yiddish food terms and some mouth-watering recipes. There are chapters on Yiddish humor and theater, but it's the insight to the Yiddish language and soul that makes this very readable concise book very special. That's the little extra! Meshuggenary is not only enjoyable to read, you are let into Yiddish insights that are still evolving. After wandering for many years from Brooklyn, to New Jersey, to California, it was good to read about my roots. Get off your tokhes and order a copy of Meshuggenary.
Rating:  Summary: Meshuggenary Review: It is always a pleasure to get a little extra. It's even better to get a lot extra! When I read Meshuggenry, not only did it explain many Yiddish expressions that are as American as bagels, I also got a seasoning of the life and spirit that fermented in the world of Yiddish. Take Klezmer music. In a few pages you get a history of its origins and its continual and present reincarnations. Take Yiddish Food and Cooking. A little history, a nosh of Yiddish food terms and some mouth-watering recipes. There are chapters on Yiddish humor and theater, but it's the insight to the Yiddish language and soul that makes this very readable concise book very special. That's the little extra! Meshuggenary is not only enjoyable to read, you are let into Yiddish insights that are still evolving. After wandering for many years from Brooklyn, to New Jersey, to California, it was good to read about my roots. Get off your tokhes and order a copy of Meshuggenary.
Rating:  Summary: A Yiddish Primer Review: This is a great book! It was clear, concise, informative ,and erudite. It summarizes nicely Yiddish culture, history, and language. Good Job.
Rating:  Summary: GET in on the business language Review: Today the business world has inherited the language of Yiddish. This is because most small businessmen used to be Jewish or worked with Jewish people. In today's world the businesman might be hispanic or black, but everyone still throws in Yiddish words.Wouldn't it be nice to know what those words mean. This book will teach you Yiddish terms. In the process learn about Jewish history and the history of Yiddish. They are not the same. Lean the difference. I found the book very enlightening. So will you. I know the author personally and he is for real.
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