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.

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. Some Sephardic Jews still speak Ladino in Israel, Turkey, Bulgaria, the United States and other countries. 






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.

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.
Related pages
 Yiddish
 Mizrahi Jews
 Maghrebi Jews
 History of Jews
 Sephardic Jews
 Ashkenazi Jews
 Spanish Inquisition

References

 Other websites 

 Socolovsky, Jerome. "Lost Language of Ladino Revived in Spain", Morning Edition, National Public Radio, March 19, 2007.

Category:Romance languages
Category:Languages of Europe