l a s t
w o r D s
Judaeo-roman
Judaeo-Roman (Giudaico Romanesco) is based on Latino or Volgare, the dialect of Rome and the surrounding areas spoken by non-Jews in the 13th-15th centuries, the Judaeo version becoming frozen after the Jews were isolated in the Roman ghetto from 1555 onwards. In a similar way to other Jewish dialects, Judaeo-Roman
includes words with a Hebrew root and an Italian suffix, and vice versa: achannoso, charming or comely, dabberare, to speak, achlone, glutton, as well as half-Hebrew and half-Italian words, eg: mal-mazzalle, bad luck, mangia-torà, Torah eater – someone who reads at an excessive speed, and perdi-zemàn, timewaster. Some Hebrew words are used intact. As well as those
relating to religious practice that have no Italian equivalent there is, for example, bangavanodde (Heb. be’avonoteinu - for our sins), a nickname for an unfortunate, luckless person. There are euphemisms for words relating to Christian ritual, eg tonghevà, meaning abomination (Heb. to’evah) but signifying crucifix, as well as secret terms similar to the language of the underworld, for example jorbedde meaning twelve (from the Hebrew yod-beit) and signifying policeman due to the ‘12’ embroidered on police uniforms. Hebrew words are also used in a sense differing from the accepted meaning: chavèr (friend) for servant, beridde (Heb. berit -
covenant) for sex organ, ngarelle (Heb. arel - uncircumcised) for ‘non-Jew’, shoshanim (roses) for breasts. Ladino words also found their way here: fredo rather
than frio for cold; shabada for Sabbath; negro, meaning not good, as well as words deriving from French, eg, casserato meaning broken. Various works in the language, written in Hebrew
characters, survive, including a Lamentation for the Ninth of Av, similar in style to Italian religious poetry, written at the beginning of the 13th century. To facilitate study of the Bible, liturgy, grammar, philosophy and medicine, and to help women and children who could read, but not understand, Hebrew, the entire Bible, the prayer book, the Passover Haggadah and large portions of the liturgy were translated. The language survived well into the 20th century amongst
the Jewish working class of Rome but has now virtually disappeared as a spoken language. Recently a theatre troupe in Rome has started to stage works in Judaeo-Roman. TypeGiudaico Romanesco intoGoogle to watch performances on YouTube.
Sources: Joseph Baruch Sermoneta’s article in the Encyclopedia Judaica and Dr Claudio Procaccia, Director of the Jewish Cultural Centre of Rome.
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