SPAIN is set to officially recognise Ladino as a Spanish tongue.
It is hoped that in doing so, it will save the language from extinction as well as allowing Ladino words to be added into the Spanish dictionary.
Also known as Judeo-Spanish or Giudeo-Spagnola, it has been used by Spanish Jews since their expulsion from Spain in 1492.
Prof. Shmuel Rafael, director of Bar-Ilan University’s Salti Center for Ladino Studies said: “It was the main tool for creating, disseminating and preserving the spoken and written culture of the Spanish Jews.”
At one time an estimated 80% of Jews living outside of Israel spoke Ladino, however the Holocaust saw 90% of the world’s Ladino speakers killed.
It is now estimated that around 200,000 people actively speak the language.
- LOCA FOR LOCAL: Fantastic wines can be found in Malaga and Andalucia - 27 May, 2018 @ 11:19
- King of Reggaeton J Balvin coming to Spain’s Costa del Sol - 19 May, 2018 @ 09:39
- More than 7.5 TONNES of hashish seized after Manilva-Estepona smuggling operation busted - 18 May, 2018 @ 15:40
- Spanish student auctioning her virginity has already been offered €250k - 18 May, 2018 @ 14:42
- COMPETITION ALERT: Win return flights to UK with Jet2 - 17 May, 2018 @ 16:18
- Come fly with me – new routes launched from UK to Spain - 16 May, 2018 @ 16:10
- Six towns on the Costa del Sol set to get a boost from European grants - 16 May, 2018 @ 15:35
- Spanish museum set to show controversial exhibition that was cancelled in New York following protests - 13 May, 2018 @ 15:00
- WINE TIME: Cocktails to enjoy in the sunshine (finally!) - 12 May, 2018 @ 14:14
- New TV series based on Spanish Civil War whips up Twitter storm - 12 May, 2018 @ 14:00