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Re: ach y fi (was: CHAT Starbucks (was: Hymn to Ikea etc.))

From:Dan Sulani <dansulani@...>
Date:Monday, March 1, 2004, 12:04
On 29 Feb, Paul Bennett wrote:

> On Sun, 29 Feb 2004 15:43:32 -0500 (EST), J Y S Czhang <czhang23@...> > wrote:
<snip>
> > AiYah! (Oy vey...) > > You know, that actually fits my putative Proto-x /aE_^x@Bi:/ mold > relatively well (it might end up being /6E_^x@Bi:/ by the time I've > mangled it to absorb all the evidence), although it's clearly divergent > (due to the required age of separation?). However, it *is* missing the > central guttural. > > What's the actual spelling in Hebrew / Yiddish? Is there a silent alef or > ayin (or something) in the middle there? Could the first |y| be somehow > from /j\/ or something?
In Hebrew, it is spelled: aleph-vav-yod vav-aleph-vet( bet without the dot, pronounced [v] )-vav-yod. It is 3 words: "Oy" "va" ( = and) "Avoy" (= expression of sorrow or pain) Both words are found in the same verse of the Bible in the original Hebrew (Proverbs, chapt. 23, verse 29). AFAIK, "Oy Vey" in Yiddish, is spelled: aleph-vav-yod vav-vav-yod-yod. I'm not sure of the derivation, whether from Hebrew and/or German. Dan Sulani ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- likehsna rtem zuv tikuhnuh auag inuvuz vaka'a. A word is an awesome thing.

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Michael Poxon <m.poxon@...>