| Judeo-Roman | |
| Familycolor: | Indo-European |
| Also Known As: | Giudeo-Romanesco (Italian) ג'ודיו רומן (Hebrew) |
| Ethnicity: | Italian Jews |
| Speakers: | 200 in Italy 250 in total |
| Fam9: | Judeo-Italian |
| Fam8: | Gallo-Italic |
| Fam7: | Gallo-Romance |
| Fam4: | Romance |
| Fam5: | Italo-Western |
| Fam6: | Western Romance |
| Fam2: | Italic |
| Fam3: | Latino-Faliscan |
| Fam1: | Indo-European |
| Date: | 2022 |
| States: | Italy, Israel |
Judeo-Roman (Italian: Giudaico-Romanesco) or Italkit is the only still living dialect of the Judeo-Italian languages, historically used by the Jews living in Rome.[1] It is spoken by 250 people, most of whom live in Italy. The language is on the decline and most of its remaining speakers are elderly.[1] There are efforts to preserve the language and keep it from extinction.
Judeo-Roman, like other Jewish languages, emerged due to the Jews of Rome being isolated in the Rome Ghetto, on order of the Pope.[2] The language declined as Jews were emancipated and Roman Jews switched to the Roman dialect of Italian.
Younger Italian Jews are attempting to preserve the language.
Judeo-Roman has at least 360 Hebrew words and phrases in it. Many of these were used to conceal what the users were saying from Christians.[3] examples include:
| Kadosc Baruchù | Kadosh Baruch Hu | Holy blessed be he | |
| Caròvve | Karov | Close relative | |
| Mangkòdde | Ma’ot | Money | |
| Ngesa’vve | ‘Esav | Christian/Christians |
Judeo-Italian has several letter shifts that differentiate it from standard Italian; these include:
/e/ becoming /i/ (e.g. detto to ditto)
/l/ becoming /r/ (e.g. qualcuno to quarcuno)
It also contains several vowel shifts and other changes:
Loss of initial vowels (e.g. oppure to pure)
Loss of final consonants (e.g. con to co)
Contractions (e.g. dir ti to ditte)
Archaisms (e.g. di te to d'oo ti)
A theater group called Chaimme 'a sore 'o sediaro e 'a moje (Chaim, the sister, the chairmaker and the wife) makes plays in Judeo-Roman.[4]
There is a collection of poems written by Crescenzo del Monte from 1908 and republished in 2007[1] in Judeo Roman.[5] These works include The sonnets of Crescenzo del Monte.
Several Youtube videos have been posted in Judeo-Roman.
| Jorno | Day | |
| Capeto | Understood | |
| Ar | At the | |
| Letigate | Fight | |
| Gniente | Nothing | |
| Quarcuno | Someone | |
| Quarche | Some | |
| Aremane | To remain | |
| Kadosc Baruchù | Holy blessed be he |
| Due donne sono sedute vicino alla pasticceria del Portico d’Ottavia, Settimia e Fiorella.Come pretenni che fieto parli bene ancora un ajo capeto, tu e mariteto tutto o jorno, ‘o sento io, che letigate in giudaico Romanesco. te sbai Settì ce stamo attenti, da retta a me, me devi da crede ‘o stamo proprio a fa pe lui, un volemo che viè sù che i ngaciri dicheno che è uno de piazza. | Two women are seated near the pastry shop at the Portico d’Ottavia, [their names are] Settimia and FiorellaHow you can pretend that your son speaks well, I still don't understand. You and your husband all day — I heard it myself, that you quarrel in Giudaico-Romanesco. You are mistaken Settì, we are careful. Listen to me, you have to believe me, we are specifically doing it for him. I don't want him to grow up so that the rich [people] say that he is one from the Piazza [the Ghetto]. |