Language and Culture Archive of Ashkenazic Jewry Digital Archive User Guide: Notation Key

This is a guide to using the Digital Archive to the Language and Culture Atlas of Ashkenazic Jewry (dlc.library.columbia.edu/lcaaj)

Notation Key

Notation provides information about the context or special circumstances in which a response was made.  PQ numbers sometimes appear with a separator between page and question number, replicating the usage found in the LCAAJ archive’s computer printouts (elsewhere they are usually cited in the form of unbroken six-digit strings). In some instances, the separator is a decimal point or period, in others the digit 0. Thus, a number cited below as 097.020 is the same as PQ 097020; and, a number cited as 1170201 is the same as PQ number 117201.

 

Y9*                 Special symbols for the interview explained in the introduction

 

0                      question not asked

 

+                      yes, known     


-                       no, unknown


+ BUT …        yes, but …


-  BUT …        no, but


$                      query


+$                    yes, but doubtful


-$                     no, but doubtful

 

=                      self corrected (replaces earlier #)

 

*                      QFQM

 

||                       is different from (as above)

 

/                       separates multiple answers, e.g., KARTOFL
CM FLOM3N/BRIK3F

 

/ /                     parenthesis: indicates optional element whose
                        inclusion gives alternate form, e.g.,  ICT/3R/

                        for ICT, ICT3R

 

)                       prompted (replaces pre-computer , Q)

 

)+                     prompted and accepted

 

)־                      prompted and rejected

 

)=                     prompted and replaces preceding response

 

(/                      relevant to another question number

 

(                       relevant to problem number in dialectology

($                     relevant to another geographic location

((                      reference to dictionary

CLN                 colon


CM                  comma

DRWG             drawing in protocol book

EQ                   is identical with (in respect to some significant point, e.g., quality of stressed vowel)

MISPMP          misprompted (editor's comment)

MISTD             misunderstanding, informant’s response does not apply to question (editor's comment)

OVRPMP        overprompted (editor's comment)

Q a Q             separated from the direct answer to a question from any other comments that follow.  Unless                      
                      otherwise indicated (e.g., QGLE, QENG, QGLY, QYID), the text that follows a Q is both verbatim
                      and phonetically accurate

QADJ              adjective

 

QAMER          American Yiddish development; cf. QANG

 

QANG            anglicism  097.020 T3ME, JT3S

 

QAP                applies to ...

 

Q-AP               does not apply to ...

 

QB                   yes, text in protocol book1

 

QBF                yes, fragment in book

 

QCF                interviewer’s comment: compare


QDG               disgust

 

QED                editor's comments follow

 

QEDN             editor disagrees

 

QEDS              editor's query

 

QELSW          elsewhere

QEM               emphatic

QENG             informant’s explanation in English; e.g.,  BOB3 QENG midwife

QET                etymology supplied by informant (includes folk-etymological information)

QETC             etc.

QFR                yes, fragment on tape

QF/Y               response of wife or other female bystander

QGERM           Informant’s statement that word is not Yiddish but German

QGL                1) (plus Yiddish) gloss, means . . . in Yiddish verbatim and phonetically accurate;
                       2) (plus English comment) in older interviews is equivalent to newer QI GL

 

QGLE              informant’s explanation in English; e.g., BOB3 QGLE midwife            

QGLY              informant’s explanation in Yiddish, but not necessarily verbatim or phonetically accurate.

QH                  heard in same locality, but not used

QHUM             amusing [Editor: please note that QAM in older transcripts sometimes used for ”amusing,”
                       sometimes also for newer QAMER]


 

 

QHUNG          Informant’s statement that word is not
Yiddish but Hungarian

 

QI                    1) Interviewer’s comments follow (e.g., QI$
Interviewer’s query)
2) Interviewer’s prompt, to which informant
gives+/- answer

 

QI GL             interviewer’s summary (in English or Yiddish)
                        of informant’s lengthy comments

 

QINF               infinitive

 

QK                  known

 

Q-K                 unknown

 

QLAT             not on tape

 

QLIT               literary

 

QMEMX         informant’s surprise at own recollection

 

QM/Y              response of husband or other male bystander

 

QN                  new, modern LEXT/LIXT QN

 

QNEX             object did not exist (was not used)

 

QNN                very new

 

QNOUN          noun

 

QNP                unprompted answer to prompted question

 

QNT                not on tape

 

QOF                old-fashioned BOB3/HEJVM7 QOF

 

QOOF             very old-fashioned

 

QOTW            otherwise

 

QP                   return to verbatim phonetic tran-
scription. Example: XREMZL3X QGLE
KIND OF PASSOVER DISH QP KI.X3L3X

 

QPOL             Informant’s statement that word is not
Yiddish but Polish

 

QQ                  check answer on tape

 

QR                  rare

 

QRR                very rare

 

QRTR             rather

 

QRUM            Informant’s statement that word is not
Yiddish but Rumanian

 

QRUS              Informant’s statement that word is not
Yiddish but Russian

 

QS                   said by... NOGL/QS CHILDREN

 

QSMT             sometimes

 

QSYN              synonym

 

QT                   yes, text on tape

 

Q-T                 not on tape

 

QTA                tape audited


QTF                yes, fragment on tape


QU                  usual(ly), common

 

Q-U                 not usual

 

QUU                very common

 

QV                  proverb, saying

 

QVB                verb

 

QVL                vulgar

 

QW                 used by... GARTL/QW XSIDIM

 

Q-W                not used by...


QYID              informant’s explanation in Yiddish, but not
                        necessarily verbatim or phonetically accurate.

 

QZZ                interviewer’s comment: not elicitable

 

SC                   semicolon

 

XX                   sic! (replaces earlier @)