Frogman - Yiddish translation?

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hermillion
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Frogman - Yiddish translation?

#1 Post by hermillion » Fri Aug 22, 2008 2:14 pm

One of my students is looking for a translation from Yiddish. Her cat is named Tikva. Any clues?
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Re: Frogman - Yiddish translation?

#2 Post by gsabc » Fri Aug 22, 2008 2:18 pm

hermillion wrote:One of my students is looking for a translation from Yiddish. Her cat is named Tikva. Any clues?
While I'm not frogman, I am Jewish. I think it means "hope". Hatikva is the name of the Israeli national anthem.
I just ordered chicken and an egg from Amazon. I'll let you know.
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#3 Post by secondchance » Fri Aug 22, 2008 2:25 pm

Tikva(h)- (hope) actually isn't a Yiddish word, it's Hebrew. A lot of folks don't realize they're distinctly different languages. :)
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#4 Post by hermillion » Fri Aug 22, 2008 2:30 pm

Thanks, all! She's delighted that I received such a quick response.

You guys rock.
"If you think in terms of a year, plant a seed; if in terms of ten years, plant a tree; if in terms of a hundred years, teach the people." - Confucious

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#5 Post by frogman042 » Fri Aug 22, 2008 2:48 pm

Wow, I need to be checking the bored more frequently!

Yes Yiddish and Hebrew are different languages that share the same character set - I'm an expert in neither but have a schtickle of knowledge of both (my folks used to speak in Yiddish when they didn't want the us kids to know what they were talking about - something they regretted doing years later - when they realized they should have taught us more Yiddish).

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#6 Post by gsabc » Fri Aug 22, 2008 2:51 pm

frogman042 wrote:Wow, I need to be checking the bored more frequently!

Yes Yiddish and Hebrew are different languages that share the same character set - I'm an expert in neither but have a schtickle of knowledge of both (my folks used to speak in Yiddish when they didn't want the us kids to know what they were talking about - something they regretted doing years later - when they realized they should have taught us more Yiddish).
My dad and bubbe and uncles used to do this, too. Until I took German in high school. Lots of similar words, enough that I could often figure out what they were talking about. It stopped after that, at least with me.
I just ordered chicken and an egg from Amazon. I'll let you know.
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#7 Post by geoffil » Fri Aug 22, 2008 3:12 pm

My favorite Yiddish word is zaftig. In Yiddish it means a pleasingly, plump woman. In German it means juicy like a steak. My German friend thought this was so funny as she didn't know Yiddish.
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#8 Post by secondchance » Fri Aug 22, 2008 4:42 pm

geoffil wrote:My favorite Yiddish word is zaftig. In Yiddish it means a pleasingly, plump woman. In German it means juicy like a steak. My German friend thought this was so funny as she didn't know Yiddish.

Does that mean the girls in Germany walk around town with the word ZAFTIG splayed across their butts?!? :lol:

I'm a first-generation American born of Polish holocaust survivors, so Yiddish was the language spoken at home until my parents mastered English. I can still understand it pretty fluently, but my recall on speaking is only a bissel... Had 'em fooled for a long time growing up, as they didn't realize I remembered enough to decipher the "secrets." hee hee 8) Mom is still surprised when I know what they're all yammering about at the family gatherings.
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