LL-L "Etymology" 2003.11.19 (02) [D/E]

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L O W L A N D S - L * 19.NOV.2003 (02) * ISSN 189-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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From: Theo Homan <theohoman at yahoo.com>
Subject: LL-L "Etymology" 2003.11.18 (03) [E]

> From: John Duckworth <jcduckworth2003 at yahoo.co.uk>
> Subject: Etymology
>
> Dear Lowlanders,
>
> I was wondering if anyone could throw any light on
> the name _Mokum_ used for
> Amsterdam. I have always been told that it is the
> Jewish name for the city,
>
> From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
> Subject: Etymology
>
> A very interesting question, John!
>
> I remember reading notes about this in the past, and
> they support your
> theory.  The corresponding Hebrew word is מקום
> _makom_ (= _mâqowm_) 'place',
> 'locality', related to the verbal root קום _kum_
> (= _quwm_) 'stand',
> '(a)rise'.  So, the nickname really means something
> like "The Place," as you
> seem to have suspected.
==============================
dear folks,

If my memory serves me: they called Amsterdam 'mokum alef' = big city. But
Mokum is the part that survived.

vr.gr.
Theo Homan

----------

From: R. F. Hahn <sassisch at yahoo.com>
Subject: Etymology

Thanks, Theo.  This is very interesting information.

> If my memory serves me: they called Amsterdam 'mokum alef' = big city.

Hmmm ... To me _mokum alef_ (אלף מקום) does not mean 'big city' but
literally "aleph/alpha place," namely "the number one place" or "the most
important place."

_Mokum_, though meaning 'place' in (Hebrew >) Yiddish, does seem to be used
to mean 'city' or 'town' in Rotwelsch; e.g., in the _Wetterauer Räuberlied_
("Wetterau Waylayers' Song," printed in 1812):

   Hopsa, Viva insgemein,
   Wie die Kochemer Künstler seyn!
   Guter Freund! Wo boscht ihr hin?
   Boscht ihr zu dem Mokum h’nein,
   In den Kober zu dem Jain?
   Wir wollen zwey Kameruschen seyn!

My translation:

   Hello there! Greetings, everyone!
   The artists of Cochem[1] is who we are!
   Dear friend! Where might your journey lead?
   Might it be the _Mokum_ you're traveling to,
   Into the pub to consort with the _Jain(s)_[2]?
   Let us be two companions then!

[1] a Rhenish city
[2] apparently Roma ("Gypsy"), or, more likely, 'Jenische(r)'/'Yeniche', the
German equivalent of "tinker' (who have their own jargon)

Hadewych Martens confirms that _mokum_ came to mean "city" in Yiddish as
well(http://www.ety.nl/jiddisch.html), though I understand it to mean
"place" too, depending on the context.  He also sheds light onto the use of
_alef_ (the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet: א) in this connection:

<quote>
Mokum betekent stad. Oorspronkelijk werd Amsterdam door hen aangeduid met
Mokum Alef, Rotterdam met Mokum Reis, Berlijn met Mokum Beth, steeds de
beginletter van de naam van de stad. Alleen Amsterdam heeft zijn jiddische
naam behouden, en is synoniem geworden met de gezellige binnenstad.
</quote>

In other words, Amsterdam became _Mokum Alef_ (i.e., the most important
city), Berlin _Mokum Beth_ (i.e., the second-most important city, from the
second letter: ב), and Rotterdam, probably as an after-thought, _Mokum
Reis_, "the R city", because it starts with <r> (Hebrew ר).  Only Amsterdam
retained the nickname, minus the qualifier.

What makes me wonder is that the letter names are not pronounced in the East
Yiddish way, which would be _alef_, _beys_ and _reyš_ respectively.  This
seems to point to Sephardic coinage.  Or could it be West Yiddish?  I was
under the impression that the name for ב is pronounced _beys_ in Western
Yiddish also.  Or?

Still wondering ...
Reinhard/Ron

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