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Ethnologue: Languages of the World
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Ethnologue > Web version > Country index > Asia > Israel > Ladino

Ladino

A language of Israel

ISO 639-3: lad

Population  100,000 in Israel (1985). Population total all countries: 110,310.
Region  Ethnic group members also in Salonica, Greece; Sofia, Bulgaria. Formerly also in Morocco. Also in Greece, Puerto Rico, Turkey (Europe), United States.
Alternate names   Dzhudezmo, Haquetiya, Judeo Spanish, Judezmo, Sefardi, Spanyol
Dialects  Judezmo (Judyo, Jidyo), Ladino, Haquetiya (Haketia, Haketiya, Hakitia). The Balkan dialect is more influenced by Turkish [tur] and Greek [ell]. The North African dialect is more influenced by Arabic and French.
Classification  Indo-European, Italic, Romance, Italo-Western, Western, Gallo-Iberian, Ibero-Romance, West Iberian, Castilian
Language use  Not the dominant language for most. Formerly the main language of Sephardic Jewry. All also use Hebrew [heb].
Language development  Newspapers. Radio programs. Bible: 1829.
Writing system  Hebrew script, does not work well because of the need to differentiate vowels. Latin script, used in Turkey.
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:

Turkey (Europe)

Language name   Ladino
Population  8,000 in Turkey (1976). Ethnic population: 15,000.
Region  Mainly Istanbul; some in Izmirin.
Alternate names  Dzhudezmo, Haketia, Hakitia, Judeo Spanish, Judezmo, Sefardi, Spanyol
Language use  Chief language of Sephardic Jews. The Donme are a Ladino-speaking group in Turkey, adherents of Shabbetai Zevi (Zvi). Also use Turkish [tur].
Comments  Jewish.