This volume on Jewish language varieties not only accords weight to linguistic and cultural
analysis but also to extensive text specimens with both interlinear and idiomatic translation.
A comprehensive comparative essay by Aharon Maman introduces the volume. The following book
sections are ordered according to the linguistic affiliation of the treated language varieties
in the following order: Semitic (Neo-Aramaic and Arabic) Germanic (Yiddish and English)
Romance (Judezmo Ladino Haketia Italian French and Provençal) Greek Iranian (early
Persian and Juhuri Judeo-Tat(i)) as well as Turkic (Crimean-Turkic Krymchak Karaim and
other varieties). The main criterion for the inclusion of a language (variety) in this volume
was the existence of a sizable amount of religious literary scholarly and other text genres
in Hebrew characters produced by Jewish authors. All contributions follow a common structural
outline - a cultural introduction followed by a grammatical (and lexical) sketch and then text
specimens with glosses. Several indices complete the volume. Beyond its obvious function as a
scholarly reference tool the volume has the potential to emerge as a pedagogical textbook for
courses covering one or several Jewish language varieties as well as courses in general
linguistics and in languages in contact.
