WARNING: A linguist is now posting...
I would like to throw in my two cents. Both MAZAL and TOV are Hebrew
words. They were borrowed into Yiddish. Here's the story:
HEBREW: MAZAL (noun) = luck, TOV (adjective) = good.
In Hebrew, the adjective follows the noun, so the phrase "MAZAL TOV"
literally means "GOOD LUCK!", but is frequently translated as
"Congratulations!"
Hebrew favors placing the stress on the final syllable, so we would
hear the phrase pronounced as "mazAl tov". There should be no 'E'
vowel, but rather, only the 'A' vowel for the proper Hebrew pronunciation.
Now let's bring up Yiddish, just to screw everything up. ;-)
For many centuries, European Jews used Yiddish for their day-to-day
communications. Hebrew was spoken only during praying or for special
religious occasions.
Yiddish is essentially German ("Yiddish" itself means "Jewish"). It is
an Indo-European language not related to Hebrew. Regardless of this,
Yiddish borrowed extensively from Hebrew, as well as from Polish and
Russian. All these influences have given Yiddish its distinct (and
wonderful) flavor. Though unrelated, both Hebrew and Yiddish use the
same Hebrew alphabet.
German/Yiddish favors placing the stress on the next-to-the-last
syllable. So when Hebrew's "mazAl tov" is rendered into Yiddish, it
becomes "mAzal tov".
Thus, "mazAl tov" is Hebrew, while "mAzal tov" is Yiddish.
John
--- In OliveStarlightOrchestra_at_yahoogroups.com, "Georgie Hinklemyer"
<samoolives_at_...> wrote:
>
> That's because they are technically from two different language
> families. "Mazal" is Hebrew (accent on the "zal") and "Mazel" is
> Yiddish (accent on the "Ma", of course - gotta get that guilt in there
> somewhere). Tov is always good, though.
> --G.H.
>
> --- In OliveStarlightOrchestra_at_yahoogroups.com, "Joy McCann"
> <joy.mccann_at_> wrote:
> >
> > Cash only--whaddya think, I'm crazy or something?
> >
> > KG's "mazal tov" was the best line, though. (I prefer the "mazel"
> > spelling; I realize most dictionaries accept "mazal." Rosten [The New
> > Joys of Yiddish--in my case, the The New Goys of Yiddish] lists mazel
> > and mazl, fwiw.)
> >
> > --J
> >
> > On 5/27/07, Hiram Gonash <okfreddy_at_> wrote:
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > >
> > > I'm getting inspired here....Rent-a-Nazi.
> > >
> > > Brilliant.
> > >
> > > Thanks Joy. I'll send you a small concept fee - about $5. Do you
> > > accept IOUs?
> > >
> > > --H.G.
> > >
> > > --- In OliveStarlightOrchestra_at_yahoogroups.com, "Joy McCann"
> > > <joy.mccann_at_> wrote:
> > > >
> > > > Hi, I'm back! (Lesson learned: catch up on email, and THEN
take the
> > > Ambien.)
> > > >
> > > > My favorite passage on that page was the one about how the
Germans
> > > > just got all confused and upset, with that little holocaust
> thingie as
> > > > a side-effect:
> > > >
> > > > "Power-crazed Jewish kooks just drove the German elite and German
> > > > masses crazy. There is no other real explanation for what
> happened."
> > > >
> > > > Okay-DOKEY.
> > > >
> > > > Here's my response to your personal Nazi. (Though I don't
know why
> > > > you're hogging the Nazi; we should each have a Nazi of our own.
> Stop
> > > > bogarting the Nazi, you Jew.)
> > > >
> > > > http://littlemissattila.mu.nu/archives/227966.php
> > > >
> > > > --J
> > > >
> > > > On 5/25/07, Bark of Delight <barkofdelight_at_> wrote:
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > http://www.worldaffairsmonthly.com/printfriendlybyid.php?id=705
> > > > >
> > > > > Kick Ass! You go, girl!
> > > > >
> > > > > There's no such thing as bad publicity.
> > > > >
> > > > > Mazal Tov!
> > > > >
> > > > > Bark!
> > > > >
> > > >
> > >
> > >
> >
>
Received on 2007-05-28 21:01:18