Bukhori language
Encyclopedia
Bukhori is a unique dialect of the Persian language
spoken in Central Asia
by the Bukharian Jews. Hence, a more descriptive name for the language might be Judæo-Persian or Judæo-Tajik
.
Bukhori is based on a substrate of classical Persian
, with a large number of Hebrew
loanword
s, as well as smaller numbers of loanwords from other surrounding languages, including Uzbek
and Russian
. Despite its long history, it still has a great deal of mutual intelligibility
with Tajik Persian
, and shares many similar features with Dzhidi
. The vocabulary consists of a mixture of Persian (Tajik), Hebrew, Arabic
and Uzbek words.
Today, the language is spoken by approximately 10,000 Jews remaining in Uzbekistan
and surrounding areas, although most of its speakers reside elsewhere, predominantly in Israel
(approx. 50,000 speakers), and the United States
.
Like most Jewish languages
, traditionally, Bukhori uses the Hebrew alphabet
. But throughout the past century, due to Soviet influence, the alphabet used to write Bukhori included Latin (1920's) then the Cyrillic (1940) alphabet and many Bukharian Jews only are familiar with the Cyrillic alphabet in writing the language for Tajik, its parent language (and lingua franca of the region) is also written in Cyrillic due to the Soviet influence in the region. Today, most books published in the Judeo-Tajik (Bukhori) language are written with the Tajik Cyrillic alphabet, with only few publications still using the Hebrew alphabet for Bukhori and Tajik. Additionally, since 1940, when the Bukharian Jewish schools were closed in Central Asia, the use of the Hebrew Alphabet outside Hebrew liturgy fell into disuse and Bukharian Jewish publications such as books and newspapers began to appear using the Tajik Cyrillic Alphabet. Today, many older Bukharian Jews who speak Bukharian and went to Tajik or Russian schools in Central Asia only know the Tajik Cyrillic Alphabet when reading and writing Bukharian and Tajik.
Among some Bukharian Jewish youth, especially in the New York City area, there has been a revival of using the Bukharian Jewish language written in a modified Latin alphabet similar to the one developed by Bukharian Jewish linguist and writer, Yakub Kalontarov. Today, youths learning the Bukharian Jewish language sponsored by the Achdut-Unity Club in Queens, New York City, New York, USA, learn the language using the modified Latin alphabet.
Kol Israel (קול ישראל) broadcasts in Bukhori from 12:45 to 13:00 GMT.
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
spoken in Central Asia
Central Asia
Central Asia is a core region of the Asian continent from the Caspian Sea in the west, China in the east, Afghanistan in the south, and Russia in the north...
by the Bukharian Jews. Hence, a more descriptive name for the language might be Judæo-Persian or Judæo-Tajik
Tajik language
Tajik, Tajik Persian, or Tajiki, is a variety of modern Persian spoken in Central Asia. Historically Tajiks called their language zabani farsī , meaning Persian language in English; the term zabani tajikī, or Tajik language, was introduced in the 20th century by the Soviets...
.
Bukhori is based on a substrate of classical Persian
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
, with a large number of Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...
loanword
Loanword
A loanword is a word borrowed from a donor language and incorporated into a recipient language. By contrast, a calque or loan translation is a related concept where the meaning or idiom is borrowed rather than the lexical item itself. The word loanword is itself a calque of the German Lehnwort,...
s, as well as smaller numbers of loanwords from other surrounding languages, including Uzbek
Uzbek language
Uzbek is a Turkic language and the official language of Uzbekistan. It has about 25.5 million native speakers, and it is spoken by the Uzbeks in Uzbekistan and elsewhere in Central Asia...
and Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
. Despite its long history, it still has a great deal of mutual intelligibility
Mutual intelligibility
In linguistics, mutual intelligibility is recognized as a relationship between languages or dialects in which speakers of different but related languages can readily understand each other without intentional study or extraordinary effort...
with Tajik Persian
Tajik language
Tajik, Tajik Persian, or Tajiki, is a variety of modern Persian spoken in Central Asia. Historically Tajiks called their language zabani farsī , meaning Persian language in English; the term zabani tajikī, or Tajik language, was introduced in the 20th century by the Soviets...
, and shares many similar features with Dzhidi
Dzhidi language
Judæo-Persian, or Jidi , refers to both a group of Jewish dialects spoken by the Jews living in Iran and Judæo-Persian texts . As a collective term, Dzhidi refers to a number of Iranian languages or dialects spoken by Jewish communities throughout the formerly extensive Persian Empire...
. The vocabulary consists of a mixture of Persian (Tajik), Hebrew, Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
and Uzbek words.
Today, the language is spoken by approximately 10,000 Jews remaining in Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan , officially the Republic of Uzbekistan is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia and one of the six independent Turkic states. It shares borders with Kazakhstan to the west and to the north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the east, and Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to the south....
and surrounding areas, although most of its speakers reside elsewhere, predominantly in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
(approx. 50,000 speakers), and the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
.
Like most Jewish languages
Jewish languages
Jewish languages are the various languages and dialects that developed in Jewish communities around the world.Although Hebrew was the daily speech of the Jewish people for centuries, by the fifth century BCE, the closely related Aramaic joined Hebrew as the spoken language in Judea and by the third...
, traditionally, Bukhori uses the Hebrew alphabet
Hebrew alphabet
The Hebrew alphabet , known variously by scholars as the Jewish script, square script, block script, or more historically, the Assyrian script, is used in the writing of the Hebrew language, as well as other Jewish languages, most notably Yiddish, Ladino, and Judeo-Arabic. There have been two...
. But throughout the past century, due to Soviet influence, the alphabet used to write Bukhori included Latin (1920's) then the Cyrillic (1940) alphabet and many Bukharian Jews only are familiar with the Cyrillic alphabet in writing the language for Tajik, its parent language (and lingua franca of the region) is also written in Cyrillic due to the Soviet influence in the region. Today, most books published in the Judeo-Tajik (Bukhori) language are written with the Tajik Cyrillic alphabet, with only few publications still using the Hebrew alphabet for Bukhori and Tajik. Additionally, since 1940, when the Bukharian Jewish schools were closed in Central Asia, the use of the Hebrew Alphabet outside Hebrew liturgy fell into disuse and Bukharian Jewish publications such as books and newspapers began to appear using the Tajik Cyrillic Alphabet. Today, many older Bukharian Jews who speak Bukharian and went to Tajik or Russian schools in Central Asia only know the Tajik Cyrillic Alphabet when reading and writing Bukharian and Tajik.
Among some Bukharian Jewish youth, especially in the New York City area, there has been a revival of using the Bukharian Jewish language written in a modified Latin alphabet similar to the one developed by Bukharian Jewish linguist and writer, Yakub Kalontarov. Today, youths learning the Bukharian Jewish language sponsored by the Achdut-Unity Club in Queens, New York City, New York, USA, learn the language using the modified Latin alphabet.
Kol Israel (קול ישראל) broadcasts in Bukhori from 12:45 to 13:00 GMT.
See also
- Azerbaijani JewsAzerbaijani JewsAzerbaijani Jews are Jews who live in Azerbaijan.-Distribution:...
- Bukharan JewsBukharan JewsBukharan Jews, also Bukharian Jews or Bukhari Jews, or яҳудиёни Бухоро Yahūdieni Bukhoro , Bukhori Hebrew Script: יהודיאני בוכאראי and יהודיאני בוכארי), also called the Binai Israel, are Jews from Central Asia who speak Bukhori, a dialect of the Tajik-Persian language...
- BukharaBukharaBukhara , from the Soghdian βuxārak , is the capital of the Bukhara Province of Uzbekistan. The nation's fifth-largest city, it has a population of 263,400 . The region around Bukhara has been inhabited for at least five millennia, and the city has existed for half that time...
- Dushanbe synagogueDushanbe synagogueThe Dushanbe Synagogue, also known as the Bukharian Synagogue, located in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan, was constructed in the 19th century in one of the two Jewish Quarters in Dushanbe at the time. It was part of the Jewish community compound, which also included ritual buildings and a school...
- Emirate of BukharaEmirate of BukharaThe Emirate of Bukhara was a Central Asian state that existed from 1785 to 1920. It occupied the land between the Amu Darya and Syr Darya rivers, known formerly as Transoxiana. Its core territory was the land along the lower Zarafshan River, and its urban centres were the ancient cities of...
- History of the Jews in Russia and the Soviet UnionHistory of the Jews in Russia and the Soviet UnionThe vast territories of the Russian Empire at one time hosted the largest populations of Jews in the diaspora. Within these territories the Jewish community flourished and developed many of modern Judaism's most distinctive theological and cultural traditions, while also facing periods of...
- Kazakh Jews
- Mountain JewsMountain JewsHighland Jews, Mountain Jews or Kavkazi Jews also known as Juvuro or Juhuro, are Jews of the eastern Caucasus, mainly of Azerbaijan and Dagestan. They are also known as Caucasus Jews, Caucasian Jews, or less commonly East Caucasian Jews, because the majority of these Jews settled the eastern part...
- Persian JewsPersian JewsPersian Jews , are Jews historically associated with Iran, traditionally known as Persia in Western sources.Judaism is one of the oldest religions practiced in Iran. The Book of Esther contains some references to the experiences of Jews in Persia...
- Shimon HakhamShimon HakhamRabbi Shimon Hakham was a Bukharian rabbi residing in Jerusalem who promoted literacy by translating Hebrew religious books into Bukhori....
- Tajik Jews
- Uzbek JewsUzbek JewsUzbek Jews have two distinct communities; the more religious and traditional Bukharan Jewish community and the more progressive, European-in-origin Ashkenazi community. There were 94,900 Jews in Uzbekistan in 1989, but fewer than 5,000 remained in 2007 . There are twelve synagogues in Uzbekistan...