Ladino language
Ladino (also called Judeo-Spanish) is a Jewish Romance language that is very close to the Spanish language. It has many old Spanish words and Hebrew words.
| Judaeo-Spanish | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ladino ﬥﬡטﬞין | ||||
| Pronunciation | [laˈðino] | |||
| Native to |  Israel  Turkey  USA  France  Greece File:Flag of Brazil.svg Brazil  UK and others | |||
| Region | Mediterranean Basin (native region), formerly also the Americas | |||
| Ethnicity | Sephardim | |||
| Native speakers | 51,000 (2018)Template:E25 | |||
| Language family | ||||
| Dialects |
Levantine Variant - main variant, two branches
Occidental branch - originally spoken in Albania, Romania, Western Bulgaria, Western Greece and Yugoslavia Oriental branch - originally spoken in Eastern Bulgaria, Eastern Greece, the Middle East, North Africa (except for Morocco) and Turkey.[1] Ponentine Variant - extinct
| |||
| Writing system | Mainly Latin script Original script Rashi and Solitreo Other scripts; Persian, Cyrillic, Greek and Hebrew. | |||
| Official status | ||||
| Regulated by | Autoridad Nasionala del Ladino in Israel (using Latin alphabet) | |||
| Language codes | ||||
| ISO 639-2 | lad | |||
| ISO 639-3 | lad | |||
| Linguasphere | 51-AAB-ba ... 51-AAB-bd | |||
| ||||
History
During the Middle Ages, many Jews lived in Spain. They were called Sephardic Jews or Sephardim (in Hebrew). Forced to leave Spain after the country was taken over by Christians, they brought the old Spanish with them to their new countries.[clarification needed] Some Sephardic Jews still speak Ladino in Israel, Turkey, Bulgaria, the United States and other countries.[1]
Just as many other Jewish languages, Ladino is an endangered language and is in danger of language death. It could become an extinct language. Most native speakers are old because many of them emigrated to Israel and did not pass on the language to their children or grandchildren. In some Sephardic Jewish communities in Latin America and elsewhere, there is a threat of language extinction because of assimilation into modern Spanish.[1]
Writing
Ladino is usually written by using the Latin alphabet, but in Israel it uses the Hebrew alphabet.
Ladin language
Ladino should not be confused with the Ladin language, which is related to the Swiss Romansh and Friulian languages and is mostly spoken in the Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol region of Northern Italy.
Ladino Language Media
A 1902 Issue of La Epoca, a Judeo-Spanish newspaper from Salonica (Thessaloniki) during the Ottoman Empire
Judaeo-Spanish speaking communities in the Mediterranean
The Rashi script, originally used to print the language
Nuevo Silibaryo Espanyol. Judaeo-Spanish textbook, Salonica, 1929
Cover of Me-'am lo'ez
Inscription at Yad Vashem in Hebrew, English, Yiddish, and Judaeo-Spanish
Related pages
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2
- Ladino 101: A Beginner's Guide to the Language. The Sephardic Jewish Brotherhood of America. Retrieved January 6, 2025.
- Harris. Tracy K.. European Judaism (2011). doi:10.3167/ej.2011.44.01.07. Retrieved January 6, 2025.
- Pomeroy, Hilary. Jewish Languages in Historical Perspective (2018). p. 170–185. doi:10.1163/9789004376588_010. Retrieved January 6, 2025.
- FitzMorris Mary K.. Productivity, influence, and evolution: The complex language shift of Modern Ladino. University of Washington University Libraries (2019). Retrieved January 6, 2025.
- Ladino: Judeo-Spanish language and culture in Europe. European Parliament (2023). European Union (EU). Retrieved January 6, 2025.
- "Hebrew U offers course aimed at preserving Ladino". Jewish News Syndicate (JNS). August 20, 2024. https://www.jns.org/hebrew-u-offers-course-aimed-at-preserving-ladino. Retrieved January 6, 2025. "The inaugural summer program brought together 28 students.".
Other websites
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This language has its own Wikipedia project. See the Ladino language edition. |
- Socolovsky, Jerome. "Lost Language of Ladino Revived in Spain", Morning Edition, National Public Radio, March 19, 2007.