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  Yiddish and Ladino  
 

Yiddish
Yiddish is the language of the Ashkenazi Jews. It is a mixture of the Hebrew and Medieval Germanic languages and is written in Hebrew letters (along with a few Yiddish letters based upon the Hebrew letters). As with Hebrew, it is written and read from right to left. Yiddish began as a spoken language and was eventually written down using the Hebrew aleph-bet. Yiddish gradually moved away from German and developed its own grammatical rules and pronounciations. There are many Yiddish words that have made their way into everyday English speech. There is currently a revival in the study and use of the Yiddish language.

Letter
Name
Pronounciation
א
Aleph
Silent
 אַ
Patach Aleph
A
 אָ
Kamatz Aleph
O
ב
Vet
V
 בּ
Bet
B
ג
Gimmel
G
ד
Dalet
D
ה
Hey
H
ו
Vav
U
 וּ
Melupm Vav
U
ז
Zayin
Z
ח
Chet
CH
ט
Tet
T
י
Yud
Y, I
 יִ
Chirik Yud
I
כ
Kaf
K H
 כּ
Kaf
K
ך
Kaf Sofit
K H
ל
Lamed
L
מ
Mem
M
ם
Mem Sofit
M
נ
Nun
N
ן
Nun Sofit
N
ס
Samech
S
ע
Ayin
E
פ
Fey
F
ף
Fey Sofit
F
 פּ
Pey
P
צ
Tsade
TS
ץ
Tsade Sofit
TS
ק
Kof
K
ר
Resh
R
שׂ
Sin
S
שׁ
Shin
SH
ת
Sav
S
 תּ
Tav
T
װ
V
זש
ZH
דזש
DZH
טש
TSH
ױ
OY
ײ
EY
 ײַ
AY

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Ladino
Ladino is the language of the Sephardi Jews and became a specific Jewish language after the expulsion from Spain in 1492. It is a mixture of the Hebrew and Medieval Spanish languages and is written in Hebrew letters. As with Hebrew, it is written and read from right to left. Oriental Ladino was spoken in Turkey and Rhodes and Western Ladino was spoken in Greece, Macedonia, Serbia, and Romania. There is currently a revival in the study and use of the Ladino language.

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Page Updated: 10/26/08