Ladino

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A language of Israel

ISO 639-3
lad
Alternate Names
Dzhudezmo, Haquetiya, Judeo Spanish, Judezmo, Sefardi, Spanyol
Population

100,000 in Israel (1985). Population total all countries: 112,130.

Location

Also in Greece, Puerto Rico, Turkey, United States.

Language Status

4 (Educational).

Classification
Indo-European, Italic, Romance, Italo-Western, Western, Gallo-Iberian, Ibero-Romance, West Iberian, Castilian
Dialects

Haquetiya (Haketia, Haketiya, Hakitia), Judezmo (Jidyo, Judyo), Ladino. The Balkan dialect is more influenced by Turkish [tur] and Greek [ell]. The North African dialect is more influenced by Arabic [arb]and French [fra].

Language Use

Not the dominant language for most. Formerly the main language of Sephardic Jewry. All also use Hebrew [heb].

Language Development
New Media. Newspapers. Radio programs. Bible: 1829.
Writing
Cyrillic script, used by Sephardic speakers in the Balkans. Hebrew script. Latin script, used in Turkey.
Other Comments

The name Dzhudezmo is used by Jewish linguists and Turkish Jews, Judeo-Spanish by Romance philologists, Ladino by laymen (especially in Israel), Hakitia by Moroccan Jews, Spanyol by some others. Different from Ladin in the Rhaeto-Romansch group. Jewish.

Also spoken in:

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