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Judeo-Yemeni Arabic

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Judeo-Yemeni Arabic
Yemenite Judeo-Arabic
Native toIsrael, Yemen
EthnicityYemenite Jews
Native speakers
38,000 (2010–2018)[1]
Hebrew alphabet
Language codes
ISO 639-3jye
Glottologjude1267
ELPJudeo-Yemeni Arabic

Judeo-Yemeni Arabic (also known as Judeo-Yemeni and Yemenite Judeo-Arabic) is a variety of Arabic spoken by Jews living or formerly living in Yemen. The language is quite different from mainstream Yemeni Arabic,[citation needed] and is written in the Hebrew alphabet. The cities of Sana'a, Aden, al-Bayda, and Habban District and the villages in their districts each have (or had) their own dialect.[2]

The vast majority of Yemenite Jews have relocated to Israel and have shifted to Modern Hebrew as their first language. In 1995, Israel was home to 50,000 speakers of Judeo-Yemeni in 1995, while 1,000 remained in Yemen.[2] According to Yemeni rabbi al-Marhabi, most of these have since left for the United States. In 2010, fewer than 300 Jews were believed to remain in Yemen.[3] As of 2022, only one Jew is believed to remain in Yemen.[4]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Judeo-Yemeni Arabic at Ethnologue (25th ed., 2022) Closed access icon
  2. ^ a b Judeo-Yemeni Arabic at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015) (subscription required)
  3. ^ Berer, Josh (2010-01-06). "Caught in Strife, Yemen's Jews Cling Fiercely to Their Ancient Heritage". Forward. Retrieved 2016-12-10.
  4. ^ "History of the Jews of Yemen". May 10, 2022.

Further reading

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