Judeo-Spanish, Ladino, or Sephardic Spanish: Ancient Spanish
Discover the Spanish inherited from the Jews expelled from the Iberian Peninsula in the 15th century.
The Fountain of Grace (c. 1430)Fundación Antonio de Nebrija
In the 12th and 13th centuries, Christian anti-Judaism intensified in the Medieval West. In the 14th century, a period of tolerance towards the Jews ended and a phase of growing conflicts began. At the end of this century, thousands of Jews had to choose between conversion or death.
Condemned by the Inquisition (1860) by Eugenio Lucas VelázquezOriginal Source: Prado Museum
Many of them were accused of practicing Judaism in secret, and their presence was seen as a bad influence on converted Christians.
Expulsion of the Jews from Spain (1492) (1889) by Emilio Sala FrancésOriginal Source: Prado Museum
On March 31, 1491, the Catholic monarchy signed an order in Granada to expel the Jews. According to the edict text, the Jewish people had until the end of the month of July that year to leave the territories of the kingdoms of Castille and Aragon.
The Surrender of Granada (c. 1763) by Francisco Beyeu y SubíasOriginal Source: Prado Museum
The Catholic monarchy, seeking religious unity between its kingdoms, was following in the footsteps of other European powers who had also expelled the Jews previously, like England in 1209 and France in 1306.
Tabula II Affricae (1525) by Claudio PtolomeoOriginal Source: National Library of Spain
Around 100,000 Jews dispersed to North Africa, the Netherlands, Italy, and the Ottoman Empire in particular. As the Jews were based in different regions, this contributed to the variation of Judeo-Spanish, being influenced by different native languages.
What is the correct term?
The multitude of names the language of the Jews expelled from the peninsula received can be confusing in terms of meaning. It is therefore important to define and outline each one of these names.
Sephardi or Sephardic Spanish
These are the terms that are becoming more consolidated among Spanish experts. They come from the way the Spanish Jews referred to their homeland: Sepharad, a Hebrew name that was already used (in Hebrew) to label the Jews in Spain back when it was Al-Andalus.
Judeo-Spanish
This is the name most widely used to define the language of the Sephardim, referring to their Hispanic base and the fundamental influence of Hebrew.
Ladino
This is the name for the Sephardic language as opposed to Hebrew or, as understood by a certain school of linguistics, for a language derived from Hebrew. The language emerged for didactic reasons, and is based on a literal translation of the sacred Hebrew texts into Sephardic Spanish.
Keter Damascus (1886) by Alexander E. HarvakyFundación Antonio de Nebrija
One language, different stylistic levels
The Sephardi themselves called the language they spoke Spanish or Judesmo, and Ladino was the Sephardic language into which the sacred Hebrew texts were translated. The term Judeo-Spanish is, according to the Sephardi, a learned word appearing later, which is also used to name their language.
How does Ladino sound?
Listen to Esther Levi, a native Ladino speaker, born in Jerusalem in 1920.
Jewish Arabic version of the Pentateuch of Saadia Gaon Sephardic (1351) by SaÐadia ben Yosef - traductorOriginal Source: National Library of Spain
Initially, Judeo-Spanish was mainly written using Hebrew characters. During the 19th century, the custom of using the Latin alphabet was extended to Ladino, but with a unique orthography.
Jewish Archive Photograph (2010)Fundación Antonio de Nebrija
Even though the Jews who spoke Judeo-Spanish came from across the peninsula, their speech had different influences, such as ainda, aun or still, from Galician Portuguese, lonso (from onso, oso or bear) from Aragonese, or samarada, llamarada or flare, from Leonese/Portuguese.
Jewish Archive Photograph (2010)Fundación Antonio de Nebrija
A language on the brink of extinction
In North Africa and many ancient Ottoman Empire regions, this language is no more than a relic relegated to the domain of traditional holidays and festivals. It has disappeared from everyday use, having been replaced by local languages.
The biggest hope for the survival of Judeo-Spanish was eliminated along with its speakers by the Nazis during World War II. The survivors emigrated to Israel, New York, and San Francisco, where the new generations have gradually been forgetting this language.
Jewish Archive Photograph (2010)Fundación Antonio de Nebrija
To preserve Ladino, the National Authority of Ladino (Autoridad Nasionala del Ladino) was created in Israel. This is an institute founded in 1997 by a parliamentary law, with the aim of protecting a cultural legacy and a language spoken by fewer and fewer people but that is fighting to survive.
Based on information from the article A Journey through Sepharad: the Destiny of Judeo-Spanish (Un Viaje por Sefarad: la Fortuna del Judeoespañol).
Curator: Rodrigo Díaz
