Judeo-Arabic

Judeo-Arabic is a Jewish dialect of Arabic that was spoken by the Jewish communities of the Arab world. It is a mix of Arabic and Hebrew, with a strong influence from Aramaic. Judeo-Arabic has its own unique grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation. The earliest evidence of Judeo-Arabic dates back to the 9th century CE, in the form of an Arabic translation of the Hebrew Bible. This suggests that Judeo-Arabic was already a spoken language by this time. Judeo-Arabic continued to be spoken throughout the Arab world until the 20th century. However, with the rise of Zionism and the creation of the State of Israel, many Jews began to migrate to Israel and adopt Hebrew as their primary language. This resulted in a decline in the use of Judeo-Arabic. Today, Judeo-Arabic is mostly spoken by older generations of Jews from Arab countries. It is also used in religious contexts, such as in prayer and study. There is a small but growing effort to revive the use of Judeo-Arabic among younger generations of Jews.