Jews speak a variety of languages, depending on their location and cultural background. The original Jewish language is Hebrew, which was supplanted as the primary vernacular by Aramaic following the Babylonian exile. Jewish languages feature a syncretism of Hebrew and Judeo-Aramaic with the languages of the local non-Jewish population. Due to continued liturgical and literary use of Hebrew and Aramaic, Jewish communities were naturally in a state of diglossia. Along with their vernacular Jewish language, most Jews could read and write in Hebrew, which was necessary to fulfill the religious commandment to learn Torah and teach it. Some of the languages spoken by Jews include:
-
Hebrew: This is the language of the Bible, the principal language of Jewish liturgy, and the language spoken in modern Israel.
-
Aramaic: This is a Semitic language, generally written in Hebrew script, and is believed to be the language that Jesus spoke.
-
Yiddish: This is a Germanic language that shows a high degree of dissimilarity to modern German dialects. More Jews have spoken Yiddish than any other language.
-
Judeo-Arabic: This is a Jewish hybrid language spoken by the Jews of the Middle East and North Africa.
-
Judeo-Persian: This is a Jewish hybrid language spoken by Jews of present-day Iran and Afghanistan.
-
Judeo-Italian: This is a Jewish hybrid language spoken by many Jews in Italy.
-
Ladino: This is a Jewish hybrid language spoken by the Jews of medieval Spain, as well as their descendants.
Jews speak many other languages, including English, Spanish, Urdu, and Eskaleutian, depending on where they live.
