Judéo-Arabic

In linguistics, the " term; judéo-arabe" gather the whole of the dialects spoken by the Juifs Sépharade S and Mizrahim living or having lived in countries of language Arab, generally borrowing the shape of the spoken Arabic in the areas in which these Jews had resided, and that they carried during their migrations; often incomprehensible for the Moslem Arabs, these languages were generally transcribed in Hebraic characters slightly modified to adapt them to the Arab system of reading, often including the points distinguishing the consonants in the Arabic alphabet to note non-existent Hebrew phonemes. The Arabic alphabet itself was used rather little.

The languages judéo-Arabic were thus naturally the idioms of predilection of the Jewish authors, as well for an easy diffusion near their co-religionists as for a certain secrecy with respect to their neighbors. An important part of rabbinical works was originally written in judéo-Arabic.

History

The dialects judéo-Arabic ( Al Yahudiyya ) were spoken in the Arabic peninsula, before even the Islamic conquests. It is not certain that those contributed directly to their propagation, although they were accompanied by migrations of Jews carrying their language. However, the dialects were born for the majority by adoption then adaptation from the language from the conquerors.

Towards the end of the fifteenth century of the common era (coinciding with the ground arrival of Islam of the Jews of Spain and Portugal), the Jews start to dissociate themselves from the Arabs, as well in the language as in the culture. Judéo-Arabic becomes dialectal then, and more and more of work appear in Hebrew.

Important works written in judéo-Arabic

Many fundamental texts of the medieval Jewish thought in the beginning were written in judéo-Arabic " classique" , just as certain works halakhic S and than some biblical comments. It is only later that they were translated into Hebrew medieval, mainly by the Jewish communities of Provence, in particular that of Lunel, and could be read in Europe by the Jews Ashkénazes.

Among the most notable works:

the Emounot Vedeot of Saadia Gaon, its Tafsir (biblical comment in the form of translation), and its Siddour (for the explanatory portions, the prayers being written in Hebrew or Araméen)
the Tikkoun Middot HaNefesh of Solomon ibn Gabirol, said Avicebron
the Hovot Halevavot of Bahya ibn Paquda
the Kuzari of Juda Halevi
the Comment on Mishna , the Sefer Hamitzvot , the Guide of stray the and of many letters and shorter tests of Maïmonide. A contrario , its halakhic large-work, the Mishneh Torah was written in Hebrew mishnic, which acerbement was acerbement reproached to him.

The languages judéo-Arabic nowadays

In the years which followed the Israeli-Arab Guerre of 1948, the majority of the Jews Arabic-speaking people residing in Arab country emigrated, mainly for the France and Israel. Their dialects judéo-Arabic decayed in these new countries, and are nowadays threatened of extinction, the near total of the descendants of these Jews having today the French or the modern Hebrew like native tongue.

Characteristics

Following the example Arab world in general, the dialect of the Jews Arabic-speaking people varied according to their place of residence, in proportions more important than the variations between the various dialects Judéo-espagnol S or Yiddish S. For example, the language of the Juifs of the septentrional coast ''' ''' of Morocco is not a dialect Judeo-Spanish judéo-Arabic but , called ladino Western or Haketia , the Eastern ladino being the ladino " classique". The Jews living the southernmost part of Morocco spoke a Jewish alternative about Moroccan Arabic.

The Arab dialects of the Jewish communities differed from the Arab of their neighbors Musulman S:

partly because of loans with the Hebrew or Araméen, mainly in the cultural and ritual fields, but also in phonology, morphology, and syntax. For example,

the Arab ila was often used by analogy with the Hebrew direct marker of object ett .
of the typically Arab phrases intersected with Hebrew, like ליגיוקתאלמשיח Li iji oukt Mashiah , so that the time of Mashiah arrives

contrary to the typically Hebraic phrases or judéo-araméennes intersected with Arabic like בנאדרברק Bnadir Braq , " traduction" judéo-Arabic of Bnei Brak

a pronunciation of words or names Hebrew arabized: Massed for Matsa (NdL: unless it is about a conservation of the Hebraic pronunciation or araméenne ancient of, צ, the realization of modern Hebrew being probably a European innovation), Amin for Amen

a hébraïsée pronunciation of words or names Arab: Zenzlane for Jenjlane, its J not existing in Hebrew

and in addition because of their geography reflecting the history of the Jewish migrations. For example, Judéo-Arabic of the Jews of Egypt, including Jews inhabitants of Cairo, resembled the dialect alexandrine, which is closer to the Arab Maghrebian than of the Egyptian Arabic. In the same way, the idiom of the Jews of Baghdad resembled more the Arab of Arab Mosul and in general of the speech of the higher valley of the Tiger and of Anatolia, that with the Arab Iraqi.
For example, " I have dit" qeltu in the dialect of the Jews and the Christians of Iraq is said, as in the speeches of the high valley of the Tiger, while the Moslems say gilit as in the Bedouin dialects of the Arabic peninsula (this phenomenon would be explained by a recent bedouinisation of the speeches of the Moslems of Iraq, while the speeches of the Christian communities and Jewish would preserve an older linguistic state of Iraq, marked araméennes influences).

Usual expressions in a dialect judéo-Arabic: the judéo-Morrocan

See too

Internal bonds

judéo-Berber languages ()
Teimani (dialect of the Jewish of Yemen)

External bonds

History and description of judéo-Arabic (in English).
on the literature judéo-Arabic (in English).
Certains Piyoutim in judeo-Arabic in the Torat site Emits of Rav Zermati.

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