| Blessings, Curses, Hopes, and Fears: Psycho-Ostensive Expressions in Yiddish Contributor(s): Matisoff, James A. (Author) |
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ISBN: 0804733945 ISBN-13: 9780804733946 Publisher: Stanford University Press OUR PRICE: $23.75 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: May 2000 Annotation: " Don' t be put off by the subtitle of this incredibly witty, informative, and entertaining analysis of the linguistic subtleties of Yiddish. In using the term " psycho-ostensive, " the author refers to the heavy emotional baggage that Yiddish speakers carry around with them: their language is full of linguistic subtexts that mask, obfuscate, and hide the true feelings in the heart of the speaker." -- Arnold Ages, Jewish Tribune " It may be said of Matisoff' s treatise that it shows how Yiddish, through its linguistic delicacies, offered its speakers and listeners valuable therapeutic tools to cope with the perplexing world they encountered. Exploring that wolrd with Matisoff is a recreation, a joy, and " a gan Eden." That' s Hebrew and Yiddish for paradise." -- Arnold Ages, Jewish Tribune |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Religion | Judaism - General - Foreign Language Study | Yiddish |
| Dewey: 439.181 |
| LCCN: 99087973 |
| Series: Contraversions: Jews and Other Differences |
| Physical Information: 0.65" H x 6.01" W x 8.97" (0.67 lbs) 200 pages |
| Themes: - Religious Orientation - Jewish |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: In this delightful book, the author enumerates and classifies the formulas Yiddish speakers use to express their emotions-from blessings and thanks to lamentations and curses. A rarity among scholarly books, it brings joy while it teaches; it makes us smile, sometimes roar with laughter, while it develops the most rigorous linguistic argumentation. |