Baghdad Arabic (Jewish)
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Jewish Baghdad Arabic is the Arabic dialect spoken by the Jews of Baghdad and other towns of Southern Iraq. This dialect differs than the dialect spoken by the Jews in Northern Iraq, such as Mosul and 'Ana.
Jews in Baghdad used to speak Jewish Baghdadi at home and with members of their community, but with Muslims they usually used the Muslim dialect. Jewish Baghdadi was used in Jewish Baghdadian communities established in the 18th, 19th and early 20th centuries in Bombay, Calcutta, Singapore, Hongkong, Manchester and many other places.
After the emigration of Jews from Iraq to Israel, Israel became the major center of Jewish Baghdadi speakers. It is mainly the older people who still speak Jewish Baghdad Arabic in its original form and it is believed that theirs is perhaps the last generation to speak it as a mother tongue.
The Jews of Baghdad also have a written language, which uses Hebrew characters.
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[edit] Reference
- Kees Versteegh, et al. Encyclopedia of Arabic Language and Linguistics, BRILL, 2006.
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