LL-L: "Landless languages" LOWLANDS-L, 01.NOV.1999 (06)

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 L O W L A N D S - L * 01.NOV.1999 (06) * ISSN 1089-5582 * LCSN 96-4226
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From: john feather [johnfeather at sceptic1.freeserve.co.uk]
Subject: Landless Languages

The theatrical expression "break a leg" (which I take to have come to
Britain from the US) is a version of the German "Hals- und Beinbruch". The
alleged idea behind the phrases is that one wishes bad luck because to wish
good luck would bring bad luck. I'm sure that I read somewhere, though, that
the German is in fact a corruption of a Yiddish or Hebrew phrase which
*does* wish good luck directly, "Bruch" coming from "baruch". When I went
back to the German book where I though I'd read this it wasn't there, so can
anyone out there enlighten me?

By the way, in this serious academic work the author had interpreted "air
lift" (as in Berlin air lift) as "Luftfahrstuhl" (= "air elevator").

John Feather johnfeather at sceptic1.freeserve.co.uk

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From: R. F. Hahn [sassisch at yahoo.com]
Subject: Landless Languages

Hi, John!

Could it be one of Salcia Landmann's popular intro's to Yiddish?  Especially
_Jiddisch, Das Abenteuer einer Sprache_ comes to mind, highly recommendable but
unfortunately lost from my personal library.  (Landmann has done a lot for
popular knowledge about Yiddish and Ashkenazi culture in the post-WWII
German-speaking world.)  She explains (as do others) how German picked up
destorted Yiddish expressions (especially those of Hebrew origin) by way of
"Rotwelsch," an underground jargon.  The one you described must fall into that
category.

> By the way, in this serious academic work the author had interpreted "air
> lift" (as in Berlin air lift) as "Luftfahrstuhl" (= "air elevator").

He/she didn't by any chance use one of those "handy" online translating
applications, did he/she?

Best regards,

Reinhard/Ron

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