Ladino language facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Judaeo-Spanish |
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| Ladino גֿודֿיאו-איספאנייול Djudeo-Espagnol גֿידֿייו Djidio גֿודֿזמו Djudesmo איספאנייול Espagnol איספאנייוליקו Espagnolico חאקיטיאה Jaquetía לאדינו Ladino |
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| Native to |  Israel Turkey USA France Greece Brazil UKand others |
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| Ethnicity | Sephardim | |||
| Native speakers | Between 70,000 and 200,000. Most recent estimates around 95,000. 72,000 in Israel, 7,000 in Turkey, 3,500 in the USA, 2,500 in France, around 1,000 each in Greece, Brazil and the UK. (2013) |
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| Language family |
Indo-European
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| Dialects |
Levantine Variant - main variant, two branches
Occidental branch - originally spoken in Albania, Romania, Western Bulgaria, Western Greece and Yugoslavia Oriental branch - originally spoken in Eastern Bulgaria, Eastern Greece, the Middle East, North Africa (except for Morocco) and Turkey. Ponentine Variant - extinct
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| Writing system | Mainly Latin script Original script Rashi and Solitreo Other scripts; Arabic, Cyrillic, Greek and Hebrew. |
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| Official status | ||||
| Regulated by | Autoridad Nasionala del Ladino in Israel (using Latin letters) | |||
| Linguasphere | 51-AAB-ba ... 51-AAB-bd | |||
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Ladino (also called Judeo-Spanish) is a Romance language that is very similar to old Spanish. It was spoken by Jewish people who lived in Spain a long time ago. Ladino includes many old Spanish words and also words from Hebrew.
Contents
What is Ladino?
Ladino is a special language that comes from old Spanish. It was spoken by a group of Jewish people called the Sephardim. They lived in Spain for many centuries during the Middle Ages.
Where Did Ladino Come From?
In the 15th century, the Sephardic Jews were forced to leave Spain. They moved to many different countries, taking their language with them. This old Spanish, mixed with Hebrew and other languages from the places they settled, became what we now call Ladino.
Today, you can find people who speak Ladino in places like Israel, Turkey, the United States, France, and Greece.
Why is Ladino Endangered?
Ladino is an endangered language, which means it is in danger of disappearing. Most people who speak Ladino today are older. When they moved to new countries, like Israel, they often did not teach Ladino to their children or grandchildren. This means fewer young people are learning the language.
In some places, Ladino is also becoming less common because it is blending with modern Spanish. This makes it harder for the unique parts of Ladino to survive.
How is Ladino Written?
Ladino can be written in a few different ways. Most often, it is written using the Latin alphabet, which is the same alphabet used for English. In Israel, it is also written using the Hebrew alphabet.
Historically, Ladino was written using special Hebrew scripts called Rashi and Solitreo. Sometimes, it has also been written using Arabic, Cyrillic, and Greek letters.
Ladino vs. Ladin: Are They the Same?
It's easy to get Ladino confused with another language called the Ladin language. But they are not the same! The Ladin language is spoken in a part of northern Italy. It is related to other languages like Swiss Romansh and Friulian. So, remember, Ladino and Ladin are two different languages.
Images for kids
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A 1902 Issue of La Epoca, a Judeo-Spanish newspaper from Salonica (Thessaloniki) during the Ottoman Empire
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The Rashi script, originally used to print the language
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Nuevo Silibaryo Espanyol. Judaeo-Spanish textbook, Salonika, 1929
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Inscription at Yad Vashem in Hebrew, English, Yiddish, and Judaeo-Spanish
See also
In Spanish: Idioma judeoespañol para niños
