Description: |
118THE NORMAL ADVANCEWrje (Origin of ScfjgebtbbleBY EDNA VINEBERGTHE word, ichgebibble, seems to have en¬
trenched itself in the English language.
To the uninitiated, (and they are many), it is
merely another way of saying, I should
worry! But what connection the word ich¬
gebibble, and where both originated is a mys¬
tery to them.The expression, I should worry, is taken
from the Yiddish language, a jargon of butch¬
ered German with a small element of Hebrew.
Just where the Jewish, or Yiddish, language
originated is not exactly known, but as the
name, Jewish, applies to all the children of
Israel in all ages and countries, so the Jewish
language applies to the common language of
all the people with Hebrew.blood in their veins.It is characteristic of all foreign-speaking
people to translate their pet expressions into
the English language, forgetting that the
meaning rests on some idiom, or some peculiar
emphasis. Thus the expression, I should
worry, is translated from a phrase very com¬
mon among the Jews: Nu, soil, ich mich
sorgen. With a certain emphasis it means,
Well, I wont worry, the soil meaning,
shall not.Another common expression is, Is nicht ge-
fiddled. If this were translated literally it
would be: Is not fiddled or, Is not violined,
if we can imagine such an expression. It
really means, Well, so you will not play for
me, or, Well, then, I will not dance to your
tune. For example, if you should ask some
one to go with you to the movies and he
should refuse, you might use the above expres¬
sion to show that you didnt really care. It
would be equivalent to saying, Well, then,
dont go.Now, it is from this expression that we get
the popular ichgebibble. The Gentile neigh¬
bors of the Jews caught the words, Nicht ge-
fiddled, and the best way they could echo
them was by saying ichgebibble.The Jewish language is rich with these ex¬
pressions and because of their utilitarian value,
they are destined to be taken over by the
Americans and eventually become embodied in
the English language, the same as other slang
expressions. Would that our gentile friends
might pronounce them correctly.Grace wras in all her steps,In every gesture dignity and love.-Milton. |
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Source: |
http://indstate.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/isuarchive/id/32570 |
Collection: |
Indiana State University Archives |
Further information on this record can be found at its source.