Judeo-Portuguese
Encyclopedia
Judaeo-Portuguese, Lusitanic, or "Lusitanico" in Judaeo-Portuguese is the generally extinct Jewish language of the Jews of Portugal
.
diaspora. Texts were written in Hebrew letters (aljamiado português
) or in Latin script
.
As Portuguese Jews mingled with other expelled Sephardim, it influenced the Judaeo-Spanish or Ladino language, but was distinct from it, since Portuguese Jewry was never expelled but rather forced to convert to Christianity, through a mass baptism decreed by King Manuel I
in 1497. Many of the new Christians, also known as converso
s or marranos, continued to observe Judaism
in secret. When the Inquisition
was established in Portugal in 1536, a migratory movement to France
, Italy
(especially Leghorn) the Netherlands
(especially Amsterdam), Northern Germany
(especially Hamburg
), and later to England
, North America
and South America
began.
Due to close similarity with non-Jewish Portuguese, Judaeo-Portuguese died out in Portugal, surviving in the every-day usage in the diaspora until the early 19th century. It also influenced the Papiamento
and Saramaccan
languages.
Portugal
Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...
.
Description
The Judaeo-Portuguese language, known as Lusitanico to some, was the vernacular of Jews in Portugal before the sixteenth century and also in many places of the Portuguese JewishSpanish and Portuguese Jews
Spanish and Portuguese Jews are a distinctive sub-group of Sephardim who have their main ethnic origins within the Jewish communities of the Iberian peninsula and who shaped communities mainly in Western Europe and the Americas from the late 16th century on...
diaspora. Texts were written in Hebrew letters (aljamiado português
Aljamiado
Aljamiado or Aljamía texts are manuscripts which use the Arabic script for transcribing Romance languages such as Mozarabic, Berber Spanish or Ladino.According to Anwar G...
) or in Latin script
Latin alphabet
The Latin alphabet, also called the Roman alphabet, is the most recognized alphabet used in the world today. It evolved from a western variety of the Greek alphabet called the Cumaean alphabet, which was adopted and modified by the Etruscans who ruled early Rome...
.
As Portuguese Jews mingled with other expelled Sephardim, it influenced the Judaeo-Spanish or Ladino language, but was distinct from it, since Portuguese Jewry was never expelled but rather forced to convert to Christianity, through a mass baptism decreed by King Manuel I
Manuel I of Portugal
Manuel I , the Fortunate , 14th king of Portugal and the Algarves was the son of Infante Ferdinand, Duke of Viseu, , by his wife, Infanta Beatrice of Portugal...
in 1497. Many of the new Christians, also known as converso
Converso
A converso and its feminine form conversa was a Jew or Muslim—or a descendant of Jews or Muslims—who converted to Catholicism in Spain or Portugal, particularly during the 14th and 15th centuries. Mass conversions once took place under significant government pressure...
s or marranos, continued to observe Judaism
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
in secret. When the Inquisition
Inquisition
The Inquisition, Inquisitio Haereticae Pravitatis , was the "fight against heretics" by several institutions within the justice-system of the Roman Catholic Church. It started in the 12th century, with the introduction of torture in the persecution of heresy...
was established in Portugal in 1536, a migratory movement to France
History of the Jews in France
The history of the Jews of France dates back over 2,000 years. In the early Middle Ages, France was a center of Jewish learning, but persecution increased as the Middle Ages wore on...
, Italy
History of the Jews in Italy
The history of the Jews in Italy goes back over two thousand years. Jews have been present in Italy from the Roman period until the present.-Antiquity:-Pre-Christian Rome:...
(especially Leghorn) the Netherlands
History of the Jews in the Netherlands
Most history of the Jews in the Netherlands was generated between the end of the 16th century and World War II.The area now known as the Netherlands was once part of the Spanish Empire but in 1581, the northern Dutch provinces declared independence...
(especially Amsterdam), Northern Germany
History of the Jews in Germany
The presence of Jews in Germany has been established since the early 4th century. The community prospered under Charlemagne, but suffered during the Crusades...
(especially Hamburg
Portuguese Jewish community in Hamburg
From about 1590 on there has been a Portuguese Jewish community in Hamburg, whose qehilla קהילה existed until its compulsory merger with the Ashkenazi congregation in July 1939...
), and later to England
History of the Jews in England
The history of the Jews in England goes back to the reign of William I. The first written record of Jewish settlement in England dates from 1070, although Jews may have lived there since Roman times...
, North America
Jewish history in Colonial America
-Joachim Gans:The first recorded Jew in the Americas was Joachim Gans, an English metallurgist. In 1584, Sir Walter Raleigh recruited him for his expedition to the Virginia territory in hopes of founding a permanent settlement and satisfying Queen Elizabeth I's desire for copper, silver, and gold,...
and South America
History of the Jews in Latin America
The history of the Jews in Latin America dates, according to some interpretations, back to Christopher Columbus and his first cross-Atlantic voyage on August 3, 1492, when he left Spain and eventually discovered the New World...
began.
Due to close similarity with non-Jewish Portuguese, Judaeo-Portuguese died out in Portugal, surviving in the every-day usage in the diaspora until the early 19th century. It also influenced the Papiamento
Papiamento
Papiamento is the most widely spoken language on the Caribbean ABC islands, having the official status on the islands of Aruba and Curaçao. The language is also recognized on Bonaire by the Dutch government....
and Saramaccan
Saramaccan language
Saramaccan is a creole language spoken by about 24,000 people near the Saramacca and upper Suriname Rivers in Suriname , and 2,000 in French Guiana...
languages.
Influences from Ladino
| Judaeo-Portuguese | Portuguese | Ladino | English meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| ay | há | hay | there is |
| Dio | Deus (arch. Deo) | Dio | God |
| manim | mãos | manos | hands |
Portuguese archaisms
| Judaeo-Portuguese | Modern Portuguese | English meaning |
|---|---|---|
| algũa | alguma | any |
| angora | agora | now |
| aynda | ainda | yet |
| dous | dois | two |
| he | é | is |
| hũa | uma | a, an, one |
See also
- Ladino language
- History of the Jews in PortugalHistory of the Jews in PortugalThe history of the Jews in Portugal reaches back over two thousand years and is directly related to Sephardi history, a Jewish ethnic division that represents communities who have originated in the Iberian Peninsula .-Before Portugal:...
- Spanish and Portuguese JewsSpanish and Portuguese JewsSpanish and Portuguese Jews are a distinctive sub-group of Sephardim who have their main ethnic origins within the Jewish communities of the Iberian peninsula and who shaped communities mainly in Western Europe and the Americas from the late 16th century on...
- Judaeo-Romance languages
- Mozarabic
- Jewish languagesJewish languagesJewish 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...
- Yiddish languageYiddish languageYiddish is a High German language of Ashkenazi Jewish origin, spoken throughout the world. It developed as a fusion of German dialects with Hebrew, Aramaic, Slavic languages and traces of Romance languages...
- HaketiaHaketiaHaketia is an endangered Jewish-Moroccan Romance language, also known as Djudeo Spañol or Ladino Occidental , that was spoken and spread throughout the North of Morocco such as in Tetuan, Tangiers and the Spanish towns of Ceuta and Melilla, in the latter of which it has achieved partial...
- TetuaniTetuaniTetuani is a dialect of Judaeo-Spanish, a Jewish Romance language spoken in the Algerian city of Oran. The probable origin of the name is the city of Tetouan in Morocco, from where some of the Jewish residents came from....
- ŞalomSalomŞalom is a Jewish weekly newspaper published in Turkey. Its name is the Turkish spelling of the Hebrew word שלום . It was established on 29 October 1947 by the Turkish Jewish journalist Avram Leyon. It is printed in Istanbul and is published every Wednesday. Apart from one Ladino page, it is...
- LusophoneLusophoneA Lusophone is someone who speaks the Portuguese language, either as a native, as an additional language, or as a learner. As an adjective, it means "Portuguese-speaking"...
- LusophiliaLusophiliaLusophilia is the love of, or friendship or sympathy toward, Portugal and/or Portuguese things. The word derives from Luso- plus -philia...
- Sephardic Jews
- LusitanicLusitanicLusitanic , from Latin Lusitanicus, adjective from Lusitania, the name of a Roman province in the Iberian Peninsula and one of the two official names for Portugal is a term used to categorize persons who share the linguistic and cultural traditions of the Portuguese.When the modern day country of...
- JudaismJudaismJudaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...