Judaeo-Piedmontese
Judaeo-Piedmontese was the vernacular language of the Italian Jews living in Piedmont, Italy, from about the 15th century until World War II.
It was based on the Piedmontese language, with many loanwords from ancient Hebrew, Provençal, and Spanish. Most of the speakers were murdered during the war, and as of 2015 it is virtually extinct.
Small vocabulary
The dialect never had written phonetic rules; the words in this list are written according to 's short satirical poem La gran battaja d’j’abrei d’Moncalv and Primo Levi's book The Periodic Table.Pronunciation:
as in German "Nacht".
nasal, as in English "sing"; not to be confused with the Spanish ñ.
as in English "loom".
like the French u or the German ü.
like the English sh.
as in German "Jung" or in English "young".
- brakhà - blessing
- Adonai Eloénô - God, Lord
- bahalòm - in a dream
- barakhùt - blessed
- barôcabà - Welcome!
- batacaìn - cemetery
- beemà - beast
- berìt - pact, penis
- Cadòss Barôkhù - God
- cassèr - community, ghetto
- ganàv - thief
- ganavé - to steal
- ghescér - bridge
- gôì - non-Jewish man
- gôià - non-Jewish woman
- gojìm - non-Jewish people
- hafassìm - jewels
- hamòr - donkey
- hamortà - stupid woman
- hasìr - pig
- hasirùd - rubbish
- havertà - rough and dissolute woman
- khakhàm - rabbi
- khalaviòd - breasts
- khaltrùm - Catholic bigotry
- khamisà - five
- khamissidò - slap
- khanéc - neck
- khaniké - to hang
- khèder - room
- kinìm - lice
- lakhtì - go away!
- Lassòn Acòdesh - Sacred Language
- macòd - blows
- maftèkh - key
- mahané - neck
- mamsér - bastard
- mañòd - money
- medà meshônà - accident
- menaghèm / meraghèl - spy
- Milca - Queen
- morénô - rabbi
- nainé - to look at
- ñarél - non-circumcised
- nero - evil, bad, terrible
- pakhàt - fear
- pegartà - dead woman
- pôñaltà - dirty, shabbily-clothed woman
- pôñèl - dirty, shabbily-clothed man
- rabbenù - rabbi
- rashàn - non-pious
- rôkhòd - winds
- ruàkh - wind
- samdé - to baptize
- sarfatìm - guards
- saròd - disgraced
- scòla - synagogue, temple
- sefòkh - toddler vomit
- sôrada - appearance, look
- sôtià - crazy woman
- tafùs - prison, jail
- takhôrìm - haemorroids
- tanhanè - to argue