Juhuri language

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Juhuri, Juwri or Judæo-Tat is the traditional language of the Juhuro or Mountain Jews of the eastern Caucasus Mountains, especially Azerbaijan and Dagestan.

The language is closely related to Persian; it belongs to the southwestern group of the Iranian division of the Indo-European languages. A similar, but still different language is spoken by the Muslim Tats of Azerbaijan, a group to which the Mountain Jews were mistakenly considered to belong during the Soviet Era. The words Juhuri and Juhuro literally translate as "Jewish" and "Jews."

Juhuri has Semitic (Hebrew/Aramaic/Arabic) elements on all linguistic levels. Juhuri has the Hebrew sound "ayin" (ע) while no neighboring languages have it.

In the early 20th century Juhuri used the Hebrew script. In the 1920s Latin script was adapted for it; later it was written in Cyrillic characters. Recently, the use of the Hebrew alphabet has enjoyed renewed popularity.

The language is presently spoken by an estimated 101,000 people:

• Israel: 70,000
• Azerbaijan: 24,000
• Russia: 7,000

[edit] External links

• Judeo-Tat page at Ethnologue.com
• Язык Горских Евреев Дагестана (Yazyk Gorskikh Yevreev Dagestana — lit. "Language of the Mountain Jews of Dagestan")
• Горско-еврейский язык (словарь, грамматика, библиотека)
• Juhuri dictionary
• JUHURO.RU - Информационно развлекательный портал горских евреев Горские Евреи Израиля population ~70,000
• Горские Евреи Налчика Горские Евреи Налчика population ~12,000 (they live in Russia, USA, Israel, Australia, Germany, Azerbaijan, China)
• Горские Евреи Америки Mountain Jews of USA population ~60,000

Jewish Languages v • d • e Afro-Asiatic Hebrew eras: Biblical | Mishnaic | Medieval | Modern dialects: Ashkenazi | Sephardi | Yemenite | Sanaani | Tiberian | Mizrahi | Samaritan Hebrew Judeo-Aramaic (Aramaic): Biblical | Targum | Talmudic | Barzani | Hulaulá | Lishana Deni | Lishán Didán | Lishanid Noshan | Samaritan Aramaic Judeo-Arabic (Arabic): Southern Iraqi | Northern Iraqi | Moroccan | Yemenite | Libyan | Algerian Other: Cushitic: Kayla | Qwara Berber: Judeo-Berber Indo-European Yiddish (Germanic) dialects: Eastern | Western | Litvish | Poylish | Ukrainish argots: Klezmer-loshn Jewish English Yeshivish | Yinglish Judeo-Romance (Romance): Catalanic | Judeo-Italian | Ladino | Haketia | Tetuani | La‘az | Shuadit | Zarphatic | Lusitanic | Judeo-Aragonese Judeo-Persian (Aryan): Bukhori | Juhuri | Dzhidi | Judeo-Hamedani | Judeo-Shirazi | Judeo-Esfahani | Judeo-Kurdish | Judeo-Yazdi Judeo-Kermani | Judeo-Kashani | Judeo-Borujerdi | Judeo-Khunsari | Judeo-Golpaygani | Judeo-Nehevandi Other: Yevanic (Hellenic) | Knaanic (Slavic) | Judæo-Marathi (Indic) Turkic Dravidian Kartvelian Krymchak | Karaim Judeo-Malayalam Gruzinic

Iranian Languages
Eastern Iranian
Old Iranian	Avestan † | Scythian (including Saka)† | Sogdian†
Middle Iranian	Bactrian† | Khwarezmian† | Khotanese† (possibly a Saka dialect) | Ossetic | Sacian†
Modern Iranian	Bartangi | Hidukush Group | Ishkashmi | Karakoram Group | Khufi | Munji | Oroshori | New Ossetic | Parachi | Pashto | Roshani (Roshni) | Sanglechi | Sarikoli | Shughni | Wakhi | Vanji † | Waziri | Yaghnobi | Yidgha | Yazgulami | Zebaki
Western Iranian
Old Iranian	Median† | Old Persian (Aryan)†
Middle Iranian	Parthian Pahlavi† | Sasanian Pahlavi†
Modern Iranian	Alviri (Vidâri) | Ashtiani | Azari† | Baluchi | Bashkardi | Central Iran | Persian Dari | Dari (Zoroastrian) | Gilaki | Gorani | Harzani | Judeo-Persian | Kurdish Kurmanji | Laki | Luri | Bakhtiari Lori | Mazandarani | Ormuri | Sangsari | Parachi | New-Persian | Sorani (Kurdish) | Tajik | Taleshi | Tat | Tati | Vafsi | Zazaki
Extinct †