Judeo-Spanish, also called Ladino, Judezmo, and Spanyolit, is a Romance language written and spoken by Sephardic Jews (Jews of Spanish and Portuguese background). Judeo-Spanish originated in the Iberian Peninsula and was carried abroad after Jews were expelled from Spain in 1492 and Portugal in 1497. This language is an archaic form of Castilian Spanish that contains elements of Hebrew, Aramaic, Arabic, Turkish, Greek, French, Portuguese, Bulgarian, and Italian.

Written and spoken in areas such as Israel, the Balkans, North Africa, Greece, Turkey (and to a lesser extent also in the Americas), today Judeo-Spanish is in danger of extinction – although it is experiencing some kind of revival. We are taking part in this revival by learning it here in Michigan! Judeo-Spanish is usually written in Hebrew script, but in the 21st century, it is more commonly written with the Latin alphabet.

This course introduces the Judeo-Spanish (Ladino) language in its cultural context. Students will develop basic reading, writing, listening, and speaking skills in Judeo-Spanish. We will use Marie-Christine Varol’s textbook Manual of Judeo-Spanish: Language and Culture (2008). The course will cover chapters 1 to 3 of Varol’s textbook, which teaches Judeo-Spanish in Latin characters and includes accompanying listening activities.

Class Format: