Short description:

A collection of groundbreaking essays on a crucial area of linguistic and Jewish studies ? the languages of the Sephardic communities and their developments in different historical contexts.

Long description:

At the intersection of Jewish studies and linguistic research, the essays assembled in this book approach the topic of the languages of Sephardic Jews from different perspectives, spanning chronologically from the Middle Ages to the present day. Drawing on diverse sources ? from medical glossaries to inquisition archives, from rabbinic responsa to recordings of today's speakers ? the scholars collaborating on this project have endeavoured to reconstruct fragments of a complex and elusive linguistic reality, which over the centuries has been shaped by the historical experience of its speakers. An innovative collection of rigorously conducted synchronic and diachronic studies that contributes to expanding our knowledge and opening new perspectives on crucial issues, such as the effects of contact on the linguistic structures, the possibility of a norm for polycentric languages, the relationship between the lexicon of a language and the vitality of its speech community.

Table of Contents:

List of Figures

List of Tables

Notes on Contributors



Introduction

 Laura Minervini and Frank Savelsberg

Part 1 Languages and Language Usage of the Jews in Medieval Iberia

Part 2 The Emergence of a New Language&&&x2014;Variation, Koineization, and Language Contact

Part 3 Linguistic Features and Sociolinguistic Perspectives on Present-Day Judeo-Spanish