General Question

SherlockPoems's avatar

How do you say great-grandmother in Yiddish?

Asked by SherlockPoems (696points) February 11th, 2009

OK, I know grandmother in Yiddish is Bubbe so can we go from there?

Observing members: 0 Composing members: 0

9 Answers

blondie411's avatar

elter bubbe, i think…I would have to consult my own bubbe

SherlockPoems's avatar

hmmmmmmmm elter… or alter or perhaps alta (as in alta kaka LOL) I think you have hit on something there Blondie Alta Bubbe!

loser's avatar

I just Googled and found this:
www.yiddishdictionaryonline.com

SherlockPoems's avatar

thank you Loser, I found this site but I really find it hard to figure out the pronunciation.

janbb's avatar

Looking at the dictionary, it looks to me like it would be Ur- Bubbe, pronounced Oor-Bubbe. That’s how I read it.

answerjill's avatar

Pronunciation for “bubbe” (but there are many different transliterations from the Yiddish). There are different Yiddish accents, but I have heard it pronounced “BUB-ee” or “BUB-eh.” I am not sure how to say great-grandma, but if alta (old) is correct, then it is pronounced how it looks.

srmorgan's avatar

My great-grandmother was always Bubbie, mainly because that is what my mother and uncle called her and also because my own grandmother, born in New York, wasn’t about to be called Bubbie.

This doesn’t help answer the question, but I felt like throwing my two cents in anyway.

SRM

janbb's avatar

I’m a Bubbie too! We’ve been debating what I should be called since Jake was born 4 months ago, but my son wants Jake to have a “bubbie” like he did, so that’s what I’ll be. I wonder how many Bubbies under 60 there are in America?

To get back to the question at hand, I guess my mom is now an Ur-Bubbe.

JudiannaMaria's avatar

I was a bubbie at 42 years old! My 20 year old son and his girlfriend were not as careful as they should have been and a few months after I turned 42, I became a grandmother. I have three sons and each of them is married and they each have 3 children of their own so now I am 65 and I have nine grandchildren—seven grandsons and two granddaughters. They all call me Judy or Nana Judy because when I was 42 I told them I had no intention of being called Grandma or Granny or Bubbie. While I adore my grandson and no child ever came into the world more loved that he was, I am still not Grandma or Bubbuie. This young man graduated from college last year and has been a source of pride and joy from day one.

Answer this question

Login

or

Join

to answer.

This question is in the General Section. Responses must be helpful and on-topic.

Your answer will be saved while you login or join.

Have a question? Ask Fluther!

What do you know more about?
or
Knowledge Networking @ Fluther