Judaeo-Portuguese
Judaeo-Portuguese, Jewish-Portuguese or Judaeo-Lusitanic, is an extinct Jewish language or Old Portuguese written in the Hebrew alphabet that was used by the Jews of Portugal.[1]
| Judaeo-Portuguese | |
|---|---|
| Judeu-Português יהודי-פורטוגזית یهودی-پرتغالی | |
| Native to | Portugal, Netherlands, Germany (Hamburg), England, North America, Brazil |
| Extinct | estimated early 19th century fewer than 2,000 users in a limited liturgical context |
| Latin (Portuguese alphabet), Hebrew alphabet, Perso-Arabic alphabet (Aljamiado) | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | – |
| Glottolog | None |
Description
It was the vernacular of Sephardi Jews in Portugal before the 16th century and also in many places of the Portuguese Jewish diaspora. Its texts were written in the Hebrew script, Perso-Arabic script (aljamiado português) or the Latin alphabet.[2]
As Portuguese Jews intermarried with other expelled Sephards, the language influenced the nearby Judeo-Spanish. Close similarity to Standard Portuguese made Judeo-Portuguese go extinct in Portugal, having survived in everyday usage in the diaspora until the late 18th/early 19th century. Judeo-Portuguese influenced the Papiamento and Saramaccan languages.
Characteristics
Portuguese archaisms
| Judaeo-Portuguese | Modern Portuguese | English meaning |
|---|---|---|
| algũa/کسی/אלגומה | alguma | any |
| angora/آنگور/אנגורהا | agora | now |
| dous/دو/דוס | dois | two |
| hũa/یکی/הוא | uma | a, an, one |
Influences from Hebrew
| Judeo-Portuguese | Hebrew | English meaning |
|---|---|---|
| קדוש/kadoš | קדוש/kadosh | holy |
| ישיבה/ješiva | ישיבה/yeshiva | Religious School |
| מַצָּה/macá | מַצָּה/matzah | ritual bread |
| מִצְוָה/micvá | מִצְוָה/mitzvah | commandments |
| ראש/roš | ראש/rosh | head |
| ראשים/rašim | ראשים/rashim | heads |
| ראש השנה/roš hašaná | ראש השנה/rosh hashanah | Jewish New Year |
| שבת/šabá | שבת/Shabbat | Saturday |
| צדקה/cedaká | צדקה/tzedakah | charity |
| קְהִלָה/kejlá | קְהִלָה/qehila | congregation |
| קידוש/kiduš | קידוש/kiddush | blessing over the wine |
| טבה/tevá | טבה/tevah | central platform in the synagogue |
Influences from Judaeo-Spanish/Ladino
| Judaeo-Portuguese | Portuguese | Judaeo-Spanish (Ladino) | English meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| aj | há | ay | there is |
| Dio | Deus (arch. Deo) | Dio | God |
| manim | mãos | manos | hands |
Influences from Greek
| Judeo-Portuguese | Greek | English meaning |
|---|---|---|
| esnoga | συναγωγη/synagogē | synagogue |
See also
References
- "Significado de judeo-português".
- Silva, Luiz Antônio da (org.) (2005). A língua que falamos: português, história, variação e discurso. Rio de Janeiro: Globo. p. 212.
- Judaeo-Portuguese in Jewish Language Research Center
- Thesouro dos Dinim, a halakhic work (annotated transcription) Archived 2011-09-27 at the Wayback Machine
- Thesouro dos Dinim, a halakhic work (partial facsimile)
- Menasseh Ben Israel de la fragilidad humana y inclinacion del hombre al peccado. Parte primera
- Strolovitch, Devon L. (2005) Old Portuguese in Hebrew Script: Convention, Contact, and Convivência. Ph.D. dissertation, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.