Judeo-Arabic dialects facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Judeo-Arabic
A page from the Cairo Geniza, part of which is written in the Judeo-Arabic language
Ethnicity	Mizrahi Jews
Native speakers	240,000  (2022)
Language family	Afro-Asiatic Semitic Central Semitic Arabic Judeo-Arabic
Early forms:	Old Arabic Classical Arabic Judeo-Arabic
Writing system	Hebrew alphabet

|lc4=jye |ld4=Judeo-Yemeni Arabic |glotto=none }}

Judeo-Arabic dialects (Judeo-Arabic: ערביה יהודיה; Arabic: عربية يهودية; Hebrew: ערבית יהודית) are special kinds of Arabic once spoken by Jewish people. These dialects were used by Jews living in places where Arabic was the main language.

Think of them as unique versions of Arabic. They were spoken across the Arabic-speaking world. The international language code for Judeo-Arabic is jrb. This code includes four main types: Judeo-Moroccan Arabic, Judeo-Yemeni Arabic, Judeo-Iraqi Arabic, and Judeo-Tripolitanian Arabic.

Sometimes, "Judeo-Arabic" can also mean the older, more formal Classical Arabic language. But this Classical Arabic was written using the Hebrew alphabet, especially during the Middle Ages.

Many important Jewish books were first written in Judeo-Arabic. Famous thinkers like Saadia Gaon and Maimonides used it. This was because Judeo-Arabic was their everyday language.

What Makes Judeo-Arabic Special?

The Arabic spoken by Jewish communities was a bit different. It wasn't exactly the same as the Arabic spoken by their non-Jewish neighbors.

These differences came from a few things. Jewish communities often added words from Hebrew and Aramaic into their Arabic. Also, where they lived played a role. For example, the Judeo-Arabic in Cairo, Egypt, sounded more like the dialect from Alexandria. This might show how Jewish people moved around over time.

Many Jewish people in Arab countries could speak both Judeo-Arabic and the local Arabic dialect. This means they were bilingual.

Different Judeo-Arabic Dialects

Just like there are different kinds of English (like American and British), there were different Judeo-Arabic dialects. Each one was a bit unique to its region.

Here are some of the main dialects:

• Judeo-Iraqi
  • Judeo-Baghdadi (spoken in Baghdad)
• Judeo-Moroccan
• Judeo-Tripolitanian
• Judeo-Tunisian
• Judeo-Yemeni

A Look at History

For a long time, Jews in Arabic-speaking countries wrote in a special way. They used a slightly changed Hebrew alphabet instead of the Arabic script. They sometimes added dots to Hebrew letters. This helped them write sounds that weren't in the Hebrew alphabet.

By about 800 CE, most Jews in the Islamic Empire spoke Arabic. This was about 90% of all Jews in the world at that time! Arabic quickly became super important for Jewish learning and talking.

This allowed Jewish scholars to join the big learning centers of the time. They could take part in many types of studies. Speaking Arabic also helped Jewish communities connect with each other. It also made it easier to talk with other groups.

Some of the most important Jewish books from the Middle Ages were first written in Judeo-Arabic. These included religious laws and Bible explanations. Later, these books were translated into medieval Hebrew. This way, more Jewish people around the world could read them.

Some famous books written in Judeo-Arabic include:

• Saadia Gaon's Emunoth ve-Deoth
• Bahya ibn Paquda's Kitab al-Hidāya ilā Fara'id al-Qulūb (later called Chovot HaLevavot)
• Judah Halevi's Kuzari
• Many works by Maimonides, like The Guide for the Perplexed

Most Jewish communities also had their own Judeo-Arabic translations of the Bible. These were called sharḥ, which means "explanation."

Judeo-Arabic Today

After the 1948 Arab–Israeli War and other events, many Mizrahi Jews and Sephardi Jews left Arab countries. They moved mainly to France and Israel.

Because of this, their special Arabic dialects didn't grow in these new places. Most of their children and grandchildren now speak French or Modern Hebrew. This means that Judeo-Arabic dialects are now considered endangered languages.

This is a big change from the past. In the early Middle Ages, many more people spoke Judeo-Arabic than Yiddish. Today, only small groups of speakers remain. You can find them in places like Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Lebanon, Yemen, Israel, and the United States.

How Judeo-Arabic is Written

Judeo-Arabic uses the Hebrew alphabet. But it adds some special features to write Arabic sounds. The table below shows how Hebrew letters are used for Arabic sounds.

See Also

• Arabic language in Israel
• Judeo-Berber language
• Judeo-Iraqi Arabic
• Baghdad Jewish Arabic
• Judeo-Moroccan Arabic
• Judeo-Tunisian Arabic
• Judeo-Yemeni Arabic
• Judeo-Syrian Arabic
• Letter of the Karaite elders of Ascalon
• Arab Jews
• Haketia