Paskudnyak/Paskudnyaks
D. Spencer Hines
polloi_ ---- one was hostile, one was not.
Leo Calvin Rosten ---- an authentic, American, linguistic genius,
defines _paskudnyak_ as a man who is nasty, mean, odious, contemptible,
rotten, vulgar, insensitive, petty and ---- in general ---- opprobrious.
The root word is _paskudneh_ the Polish/Ukrainian word for "nasty,
dirty, sloppy" ---- according to Leo Calvin Rosten.
It is certainly a Good Medieval Word ---- heard, no doubt, by many of
our Honourable Ancestors in the Middle Ages.
Yes, Aman, Cook, Howard Miller, Jacobson, P. J., B. S. and a few others
certainly fit the bill ---- and fill out the definition handsomely.
When describing a woman, would should say _paskudnika_, for the female
of the species. So Cynthia, Victoria and Mary, and the others, get
their own word.
Rosten is quite comfortable with the _paskudnyaks_ plural. QED.
Vide supra. QED.
Here is a brief sample of vintage Rostenian prose, Re _paskudnyak_:
"The word is one of the most greasily graphic, I think, in Yiddish. It
offers the connoisseur three nice, long syllables, starting with a
sibilant of reprehension and ending with a nasality of scorn. It adds
cadence to contempt"
Leo Calvin Rosten, _The Joys of Yiddish_, p. 286.
Rosten also tells a defining story that perfectly illustrates the
character and low-intelligence of the _paskudnyak_:
----------------------------------
"A Jew, crossing the street, bumped into an anti-Semite.
"Swine!" bellowed the _paskudnyak_.
"Goldberg," bowed the Jew."
Leo Calvin Rosten, Ibid.
-----------------------------------
Now, before some congenital, mentally-crippled idiot, such as Michael
Cook, Avi Jacobson, Howard Miller, B. S., or P. J. accuses me of
"Anti-Semitism" myself, [they often don't read posts closely and their
emotions are always unchecked by reason, temperance and _gravitas_], let
me point out several obvious things:
1. The story is told by a Jew, Leo Calvin Rosten.
2. It is a funny story.
3. D. Spencer Hines did not develop the story. Leo Calvin Rosten did
and incorporated it in his book.
4. The Jew is the Hero of the story and the _paskudnyak_ is the Goat.
Quod Erat Demonstrandum.
Illegitimatti Non Carborundum.
[N.B. Isn't it incredible that one has to insert caveats of this sort,
as an Idiot Check? Yes, it is ---- but it is critically essential ----
because there are many idiots reading these newsgroups. Cook and Aman
are by no means the only ones.]
Actually, I am a confirmed Semitophile rather than an accursed
Semitophobe or ---- God Forfend ---- an Anti-Semite.
My best, Liberal, Jewish friends find my staunchly Pro-Israel stance
particularly amusing, disturbing and nettlesome.
They ---- naive, not-very-intelligent, inexperienced Liberals [but I
repeat myself] such as they are ---- want Israel to "Trade Land for
Peace."
With Benjamin Netanyahu, I say "Why not Peace for Peace?"
Quod Erat Demonstrandum.
Exitus Acta Probat.
Fortem Posce Animum.
----
"D. Spencer Hines" <D._Spence...@aya.ballast.yale.edu> wrote in
message
news:4LMC4.17884$mf.14...@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net...
| So, after wading through all this throat-clearing, web-spinning,
| thumb-sucking, linguistic gibberish ---- indeed "Yiddish" and "yidish"
| gibberish ---- the astute and gentle reader knows what to do.
|
| When speaking of more than one _paskudnyak_ ---- as in the
| deeply-flawed set of Aman, Jacobson, Miller and Gans
| ---- use _paskudnyaks_ as the plural.
|
| Quod Erat Demonstrandum.
|
| Fortem Posce Animum.
--
D. Spencer Hines
Lux et Veritas et Libertas
"He'll say, You're a woman. Yes. You live in California. Yes. You
have a good job. Yes. You enjoy life. Yes. So why did you steal the
money? And you've been nodding along, and suddenly you're flustered,
you're off balance --- and he's got a reaction he can use." [N. B. On
Television --- With reference to a Mike Wallace-like character. ---
DSH.] Michael Crichton, "Airframe" (1996); Alfred A. Knopf, New York,
p. 282.
D._Spencer_Hines_TD [at] aya.ballast.yale.edu
Jettison ballast before testing rig in light airs.
All original material contained herein is copyright and property of the
author. It may be quoted only in discussions on this forum and with an
attribution to the author, unless permission is otherwise expressly
given, in writing.
tiglath
D. Spencer Hines <D._Spence...@aya.ballast.yale.edu> wrote
[...]
> When describing a woman, would should say _paskudnika_, for the
female
> of the species. So Cynthia, Victoria and Mary, and the others, get
> their own word.
[...]
Cynthia paskudnika?
But which? "nasty, mean, odious, contemptible, rotten, vulgar,
insensitive, petty and ---- in general ---- opprobrious."
Decisions, decisions.
Reinhold (Rey) Aman
Cross-posting SOB D[rekshrayber] Spencer Hines wrote:
> Leo Calvin Rosten ---- an authentic, American, linguistic genius
HA-HA-HA! Rosten is extremely incompetent in linguistic and
orthographic aspects of Yiddish. See, e.g., his *stupid* etymology of
_Kuni Lemmel_.
Ignorant Hines admires that botcher Rosten:
A perfect example of the blind leading the blind!
> Here is a brief sample of vintage Rostenian prose, Re _paskudnyak_:
>
> "The word is one of the most greasily graphic, I think, in Yiddish. It
> offers the connoisseur three nice, long syllables, starting with a
> sibilant of reprehension
Incompetent Rosten is a genuine schlockmeister: _paskudnyak_ does not
start with a *sibilant* but with a *voiceless plosive*. So much for
Hines's hero, Leo Rosten, the schmuck.
> Actually, I am a confirmed Semitophile rather than an accursed
> Semitophobe or ---- God Forfend ---- an Anti-Semite.
Hines, the Guilt-ridden Goy: some of his best friends are Jews, no
doubt.
> My best, Liberal, Jewish friends
What did I say?
BTW, I coined the Yiddish _drekshrayber_ for Hines: he writes shit,
indeed.
(I'm still playing violin to a water buffalo, with apologies to KHann.)
--
Reinhold (Rey) Aman, *Expert*
Ph.D. in Linguistics & Medieval Literature, and
"Yiddish-speaking sheygetsl" --Lillian Mermin Feinsilver
Alex Milman
D. Spencer Hines wrote in message ...
>I've had two e-mail requests that I define _paskudnyak_ for _hoi
>polloi_ ---- one was hostile, one was not.
>
>Leo Calvin Rosten ---- an authentic, American, linguistic genius,
>rotten, vulgar, insensitive, petty and ---- in general ---- opprobrious.
>
>dirty, sloppy" ---- according to Leo Calvin Rosten.
>
>It is certainly a Good Medieval Word ---- heard, no doubt, by many of
>our Honourable Ancestors in the Middle Ages.
>
>Yes, Aman, Cook, Howard Miller, Jacobson, P. J., B. S. and a few others
>certainly fit the bill ---- and fill out the definition handsomely.
>
>of the species.
Actually, it will be "paskuda". Historically (in XIX) it also included
implicatons
of a, let's say, "loose moral".
.
>
>Rosten is quite comfortable with the _paskudnyaks_ plural. QED.
>
>Vide supra. QED.
>
>Here is a brief sample of vintage Rostenian prose, Re _paskudnyak_:
>
>"The word is one of the most greasily graphic, I think, in Yiddish.
Was widely used in the Russian literature (so, whatever the roots, it
became international). Range of the meanings was extremely wide
from description of somebody's character to a characterization of
revolution ("paskudstvo").
D. Spencer Hines
"When describing a woman, one should say _paskudnika_, for the female of
the species."
[N.B. DSH, following what Leo Rosten reports in _The Joys of Yiddish_.]
| Actually, it will be "paskuda". Historically (in XIX) it also included
| implicatons of a, let's say, "loose moral".
Alex Milman
-------------------------------------
I certainly don't deny that may well be true. You have both heard, and
read _paskuda_?
Paskudnika/Paskuda:
Is this yet _another_ case where Yiddish has variant forms, perhaps
reflecting Cultural, National and Regional differences?
In my opinion, these differences make the language even richer and it
certainly has a wealth of expressions for describing people with various
not-so-attractive characteristics. This reveals that the people using
Yiddish as a language have an astute understanding of the true nature of
Human Nature ---- which is constant and continuing over the Ages.
American Liberals don't believe that, so they are often uncomfortable
with these "people words" ---- and frequently attempt to proscribe them.
For example, might not "German Yiddish" have many salient differences as
contrasted to "Russian Yiddish" ---- using those terms loosely ----
particularly in the orthography ---- flowing from Cyrillic and Latin
alphabets and different interpretations of the Hebrew, going back deeply
into the Middle Ages?
Aloha,
Carl Perretta
D. Spencer Hines wrote in message ...
>----------------------------------
>
>"A Jew, crossing the street, bumped into an anti-Semite.
>
>"Swine!" bellowed the _paskudnyak_.
>
>"Goldberg," bowed the Jew."
>
>Leo Calvin Rosten, Ibid.
>-----------------------------------
>
Mr. Hines:
God knows you draw your share of fire in this NG (and lay it down, too), but
I wanted to tell you I liked the joke.
=================================
Carl Perretta
cjperrett...@worldnet.att.net
Remove SPAMFREE from address for mail