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The Roles of Judeo-Arabic in France and Israel: A Preliminary Sociolinguistic Comparison
Author(s): Henshke, Yehudit
Date: 2020
Topics: Main Topic: Other, Linguistics, Language, Humour, North African Jewry
Abstract: This article, which is based on field research in France and Israel, explores the sociolinguistic role of Judeo-Arabic among Jews of North African extraction in France as compared to Israel. Its focus is on this sector in France, and the Israeli context serves as its backdrop. Among the topics discussed are: the speakers’ attitude toward Judeo-Arabic, and the limited use of Judeo-Arabic in France, alongside the individual categories in which Judeo-Arabic has been better preserved in France. Also examined were the strategies that influence the use of idioms and aphorisms in France and the role of Judeo-Arabic in Israeli, but not in French, humor. Examination of the Hebrew communal tradition elicited an intriguing insight. This consideration clearly showed that whereas features of Hebrew (like pharyngeals) could be preserved by Jews of North African origins in France, the same characteristics were no longer preserved in their Judeo-Arabic.