Overview

My curriculum will focus on the relationship between the Spanish language and the Judaeo-Spanish dialect created by the Jewish population that was displaced from Spain in 1492.

Judaeo-Spanish is commonly known as Ladino but is also known locally as Judezmo, Djudeo-Espanyol, Djudezmo, Djudeo-Kasteyano, or Spaniolit. The language derives from Old Spanish and is heavily influenced by Hebrew, Aramaic, Arabic, Turkish and to some extent Greek. Those exiled eventually settled throughout the world especially in the Ottoman Empire. Although closely linked to Spanish, Judeo-Spanish is considered more of a Jewish language (Hebrew) and is in danger of language extinction just like another Jewish language known as Yiddish; which is a combination of German and Hebrew. This danger has arisen for multiple factors mainly because of the fact that many native speakers are elderly and because of language assimilation. If this continues, Ladino will face the same fate that the Proto-Mayan language is currently facing; total extinction. As of now, there are no native speakers of the Proto-Mayan language. In fact, what little is known about the language is based on hypothetical reconstructions.

The core of Judaeo-Spanish is approximately 60% Castilian also known as Spanish. The Castilian or Spanish language are synonyms to each other and derive from the Romance languages that evolved in the Iberian Peninsula. Although closely related to Spanish, Judaeo-Spanish also shares a strong connection with Galician/Portuguese, which is another Romance language, regarding the phonology of the consonants and parts of the lexicon. The pronunciation of the s as “sh” before a “k” or at the end of certain words is another shared quality with Portuguese. The language also shares morphological aspects with Spanish with specific differences like the absence of “usted” and “ustedes.” When it comes to orthography, Judaeo-

Spanish can be written differently depending on the region; however, traditionally it was written in the Hebrew alphabet.

The Jewish population played an important role in the development of Spanish into a prestigious language. Their biggest contribution to Spanish was the translation of Hebrew and Arabic works into Spanish. In 1492, the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon, issued an edict known as the Alhambra Decree (also known as the Edict of Expulsion). The edict ordered the expulsion of all the Jews from Spain and all its territories. This began with the Reconquista of the Muslim Iberia by the Christian Kingdoms; by the 14^th century, all of Spain along with Portugal had been taken back from the Moors. Although numerous Jews found success in the newly Christian ruled Iberian Peninsula, the majority of Jews faced suspicion and persecution on behalf of Christians. Anti-Semitism eventually grew as Christian questioned the sincerity of Jewish converts.

With the union of the Catholic Monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella, the tension between Christians and Jews grew. Ferdinand and Isabella took the existence of crypto-Jews (Jews practicing their religion in secret) seriously and instituted the Spanish Inquisition to investigate these allegations. With the surrender of Granada, a large Islamic region, the monarchs felt that they needed to act on what they believed was a threat to their faith. Less than three months after the defeat of Granada, the monarchs issued the decree accusing Jews of attempting to undermine their religion. Spanish Jews dispersed to numerous places especially to North Africa. The language was eventually spoken in Balkans, Turkey, the Middle East, and North Africa. These regions obtained the language from the Jewish refugees that fled Spain during the expulsion.

In the 20^th century, with the Holocaust and the relocation to Israel and other countries, the number of Judaeo-Spanish speakers declined sharply. One of the biggest constituents that led to the decline of Judaeo-Spanish was the Holocaust that killed off at least 90% of the world‟s Judaeo-Spanish native speakers. In addition, Israel encouraged the Jewish community to learn Modern Hebrew over Yiddish or Judaeo-Spanish. Judaeo-Spanish is on the brink of becoming a dead language since it is either not being taught to the younger generation or is being replaced by Modern Hebrew or any other language that is more prominent. As of today, however, there is an effort to protect the Judaeo-Spanish language from extinction. Judaeo-Spanish music, cultural festivals, and the fact that five major Israeli universities have departments focusing on Judaeo-Spanish studies are just some of the things being done to preserve this language from dying.

Rationale

Language has always stood as a phenomenon that cannot be explained and Spanish is no exception. Learning a new language can be a difficult endeavor unless some connection can be made with the target language. Students, especially at West Philadelphia High School, find that

learning another language is useless. It is a common for students to have never developed the motivation required to learn throughout their schooling. Without the necessary motivation, students do not feel compelled to engage in second language acquisition. W.E. Lambert‟s dissertation concludes that motivation was responsible for the high competence level in their second language. Although Spanish is now one of the most widely spoken languages in the United States, seeing the connection and the influence that this language has in the world is sometimes hard to visualize. Students at West always argue that they don‟t need to learn Spanish because “it isn‟t as influential as English.”

Attitude is as important for learning a new language as motivation and students at West are in desperate need of an adjustment. Since Spanish to them seems so distant, their attitudes are predominately negative. Their negative attitudes usually attack the language by assuming that it is limited to a group that they have little knowledge of; in fact, the amount of Latino history that students in high school are given is so minuscule that I do not blame them. As a factor influencing language learning, it is crucial to have an educated background before engaging in suck an endeavor.

Giving students examples of how important and influential Spanish is does not give them the perspective that they require to motivate them. Data and information can only do so much and students need more than just mere hearsay to comprehend the validity of the Spanish language. Judaeo-Spanish provides students with the visualization of how influential and widespread Spanish is. This is accomplished by presenting two cultures that are not known for being connected to each other. Comparing and contrasting Spanish and Judaeo-Spanish helps build on the already obvious reality that Spanish is bigger than they believe.

Objectives

Students will be able to understand and do:

1. The importance and widespread influence of the Spanish language through the Judaeo-Spanish language.

2. How Spanish and other languages where able to merge together to form a completely original language.

3. The history of Jews in Spain and the Middle East.

4. The morphological, phonetic, and orthographic differences between Spanish and Judaeo-Spanish.

5. Identify specific aspects of the Spanish language that are present within the Judaeo-Spanish language.

This unit will employ numerous strategies to promote the appreciation of language along with a further understanding of how the Spanish language works. They will be introduced to new material through historical lessons and then move on the grammar, morphology, and orthography. They will complete numerous assignments that will allow them to explore the material regardless of how difficult the material is. All the instructions for the assignments will be provided in Spanish first and explained in English if needed. In addition, all assignments should be accompanied with examples and a guided practice.

Components of Lesson:

1. Preview Judaeo-Spanish through historical mini lesson.

2. Make connections between Spanish and Judaeo-Spanish

3. Sequencing Map

4. Word Study Organizer

5. Frayer Map Model

6. Venn Diagrams

7. Concept Web

8. Exit Tickets

Classroom Activities:

• Sequencing Map

• Concept Web

• Venn Diagram

• Word Study Organizer

Activity 1: Pre-Class. Teacher will activate prior knowledge:

Setting of the main objective (1)

Prior knowledge: As an opening activity, students answer these questions as a warm-up to the following history activity. There is a possibility that students will refuse to answer these questions claiming that they nothing; in response, it might help to encourage them to answer the questions regardless of whether they know the answer or not. They should be graded for at least answering the question and not if it is right or wrong. Any student that attempts to answer the questions with „I don‟t know‟ should not get credit.

• Making connections

1. Do you know more about the Latino or the Jewish community?

2. What do you know about the Latino culture?

3. What do you know about the Jewish culture?

4. What connection do these two cultures have with each other?

5. Do you think there was a Jewish community in Spain?

6. What language does the Jewish community speak?

Activity 1: During Class. Teacher will set the tone for studying Judaeo-Spanish:

Note: Students should be constantly reminded that Judaeo-Spanish and Ladino are synonyms since both terms are commonly used.

History of Judaeo-Spanish (2) (3)

Presentation with Guided Notes: Brief presentation (Power Point) of Judaeo-Spanish history with guided notes.

1. Judaeo-Spanish is commonly known as _______________________ but is also

known locally as _________________, ________________, ________________,

_______________, or _________________.

2. Judaeo-Spanish is derived from _____________________ and heavily influenced by

______________, _______________, ______________, ______________, and

______________.

3. In the development of Spanish in Spain, the Jewish community contributed by translating _____________________ and _____________________ works into Spanish.

4. Judaeo-Spanish is considered more a _____________________ language rather than a __________________ language.

5. In 1492, the Catholic Monarchs of Spain issued an edict known as

______________________.

6. The Alhambra Decree was issued by _____________________.

7. After the decree was passed, the Jewish community moved especially to

_________________________.

8. Judaeo-Spanish is on the brink of extinction since it is not

_____________________________________ or

_____________________________________.

1. Students will be handed a language tree with the origins of Indo-European languages. Students will find and list chronologically the origins for both Spanish and Judaeo-Spanish also known as Ladino.

1. Students will follow along with the presentation in order to complete their guided notes. After, students will divide into groups and complete the Sequencing Map so they can create a timeline of the historical events that involve the Judaeo-Spanish language. They can and should present their Sequence Maps to the classroom. Because the Sequence Maps might not

match each other, the students should be allowed to make their own as long as it follows a logical chronological order from the presentation.

Activity 1: Closure.

Exit Slip

Students will complete an exit activity answering one question that focuses on core objective of the lesson.

7. What is Judaeo-Spanish?

8. What group speaks Judaeo-Spanish?

Activity 2: Pre-Class

Language Rules and Characteristics (4) (5)

Students will answer basic Spanish questions in a true or false activity. The teacher will review the answers to these questions with the students in a whole group activity.

1. Spanish is a phonetic language?

1. Spanish has gender?

1. Spanish originates from Romance languages?

Activity 2: During Class

• Students will complete guided notes with specific characteristics of both Spanish and Judaeo-Spanish along with examples of each. They will keep these notes to assist them for the rest of the lesson.

1. The grammar of Judaeo-Spanish, and its core vocabulary are basically_____________________.

2. The vowels for Judaeo-Spanish are _____, _____, _____, _____, _____. These are the ___________ as in Spanish.

3. Accentuation in Judaeo-Spanish is used to differentiate between

__________________ and ___________________.

4. The pronunciation of “z” and “s” are the ___________________ as in Spanish.

5. The pronunciation of “x” as [________] and “j” as [_________] have been retained by Judaeo-Spanish.

6. Spanish pronouns are __________, ___________, __________, __________,

___________, ____________. Judaeo-Spanish pronouns are ____________,

____________, ____________, ___________, _____________, _____________.

7. These two pronouns do not exist in Judaeo-Spanish: ___________ and

___________.

8. In Judaeo-Spanish, the letters “_____” and “_____” have different sounds while in

Spanish they are pronounced the same.

9. Judaeo-Spanish can be written in Latin, but can also follow ______________,

_________________, or _______________.

• Students will then complete a Venn Diagram so they can compare and contrast all the characteristics that were given to them in their guided notes. They should place all of the characteristics in their guided notes in at least one place of the diagram.

Activity 2: Closure

Exit Slip

Students will answer one question focusing on the characteristics that they just learned.

• Write two characteristics of Judaeo-Spanish and write the Spanish counterpart. It does not matter if they are similarities or differences; write down both.

Activity 3: Pre-Class

Vocabulary Intro (4) (5)

The day‟s lesson will focus on vocabulary with word spelling and pronunciation practice.

1. What Spanish words do you know? You should have no less than five.

Activity 3: During Class

Vocabulary Intro (4) (5)

1. Students will begin this assignment by using their textbooks to define the Spanish vocabulary words provided by the teacher.

• Muchacho

• Muchacha

• Casa

• Amigo

• Amiga

• Alumno

• Alumna

• Guapo

• Feo

• Bonita

• Alta

• Baja

1. The teacher will then have a session of guided instruction intended to create a graphic organizer (which will be provided to them). They will graph both the Spanish words and then the Judaeo-Spanish words given to them in a Power Point presentation.

Activity 3: Closure

Exit Slip

Students will complete an assignment that focuses on making further connections between Spanish and Judaeo-Spanish.

• What words in Judaeo-Spanish look almost like its Spanish counterpart?

Activity 4: Pre-Class

Vocabulary Practice (4) (5)

Students will complete a short activity matching the Judaeo-Spanish and Spanish vocabulary words together.

Activity 4: During Class

Vocabulary Practice (4) (5)

Students will be provided with an abbreviated dictionary that will be printed out with numerous words in Judaeo-Spanish translated in both English and Spanish. This will facilitate this lesson by providing students with a concrete source for Judaeo-Spanish, English, and Spanish. There will be two activities for this lesson.

1. Students will complete a Word Study Organizer that will focus on making connection with Spanish. Students will use both the abbreviated Judaeo-Spanish dictionary and their Textbook or English/Spanish dictionary. They will choose five Judaeo-Spanish words and complete the worksheet. They should accompany every Judaeo-Spanish with both a Spanish and counterpart.

1. The teacher will then have students present their findings. This can be used as a project by having the students write their findings on the board for the classroom to review.

Activity 4: Closure

Exit Slip

Students will create a Venn Diagram to write one thing that they noticed Judaeo-Spanish and Spanish had in common during the presentations.

Activity 5: Pre-Class

Vocabulary Practice and Pronouncing (4) (5)

Students will translate simple Spanish sentences into English. The sentences will be simple and will review the material that was covered at the beginning of the school term.

1. El muchacho es guapo.

1. La muchacha es feo.

1. La casa es bonita.

1. Los alumnos son inteligentes.

1. Las alumnas son inteligentes.

Activity 5: During Class

Vocabulary Practice and Pronouncing (4) (5)

Students will get a list of 10 Spanish sentences that will build on the Pre-Class activity. They will first translate five sentences from Judaeo-Spanish into Spanish and then English. Then, they will translate five sentences from Spanish into Judaeo-Spanish and then translate the sentences into English. This activity is meant to have students practice the connection between the written aspect of Spanish and Judaeo-Spanish. If students are all able to finish before the period is over, students should get an opportunity to read the sentences in all three languages.

Judaeo-Spanish

1. Yo meldi tu karta.

2. La kama (needs acento on the a) es una buena koza.

3. Mis konferencias son siempre en ladino.

4. La madre konsola su ijo.

5. Ay un bruido continual.

Spanish

1. El muchacho lindo.

2. La mujer graciosa

3. Los estudiantes inteligentes.

4. La esuela es grande.

5. Los alumnus feos.

Vocabulary Practice and Pronouncing (4) (5)

Students will use the Manual of judaeo-spanish: Language and culture to complete the pronunciation exercises using the audio provided with text and page 27. Students should listen as many times as the teacher‟s deems necessary to the audio recording and then practice it as a group. If possible, students should then recite out loud to the class.

Activity 5: Closure

Vocabulary Practice and Pronouncing (4) (5)

Students will then attempt to write one Judaeo-Spanish sentence using the Pre-Class and the During Class activity to help them construct a simple sentence (that is not found in any of the activities). They should only use the words that they have in their repertoire.

Material/Documents

Primary Sources:

Text: Manual of Judeo-Spanish (CD included)

Judaeo-Spanish dictionary in both Spanish and English (downloadable)

• The dictionaries are not in this document because they are above fifty pages each. The assignments that require a dictionary may be altered to the teacher‟s discretion thus not requiring you to print the entire document. You may choose to print only key pages that will fit in your lesson.

Varol, M. (2008). Manual of judeo-spanish. Bethesda, Md. University Press of Maryland.

Rodriguez, A. Q. (2006). Sephardica: Geografia linguistica de judeoespañol. Bern. Peter Lang.

Lazar, M. (1976). Diccionario ladino-hebreo. Ben-zvi, Jerusalén. Instituto Ben-zvi.

Tinoco, O. i. Diksionario de ladinokomunita.

Retrieved from

http://www.scribd.com/doc/20608618/Ladino-English-Dictionary

Tinoco, P. O. i. Diksionario de ladinokomunita

Retrieved from

http://www.docstoc.com/docs/12697191/Diccionario-Ladino-Castellano

The Standards for Foreign Language Learning listed below are those established by the ACTFL. The language activities that are in this lesson provide students with the opportunity to not only practice the foreign language that they are currently learning but also a chance to make connections with yet another language as much as their native language.

AFTER THAT…

NEXT…

FINALLY…

Educational Resources IV: Reproducible Resources            39

Venn Diagram

Name

Date

SUBJECT X                                                                SUBJECT Y

Spanish

Characteristics

Judaeo-Spanish

Characteristics

Things that they

have in common

SHARED X+Y

ELEMENTS OF FEATURES

• Educational Resources IV: Reproducible Resources

Word Study Organizer

Name

Date

Complete this Graphic Organizer by first finding the Spanish vocabulary that you defined in their Judaeo-Spanish form. After you haveWORDboth the Spanish and Judaeo-Spanish form of the words, write down similarities and differences between the words.

Similarities                                                          Differences

THINGS I CONNECT TO THIS WORD (PLACES, CHARACTERS, EVENTS, ETC.)

Educational Resources IV: Reproducible Resources              41

Judaeo-Spanish

History

• Judaeo-Spanish is commonly known as Ladino but is also known locally as Judezmo, Djudeo-Espanyol, Djudezmo, Djudeo-Kasteyano, or Spaniolit.

History

• The language derives from Old Spanish and is heavily influenced by Hebrew, Aramaic, Arabic, Turkish and to some extent Greek.

History

• Those exiled eventually settled throughout the world especially in the Ottoman Empire. Although closely linked to Spanish, Judeo-Spanish is considered more of a Jewish language and like many other Jewish languages it is in danger of language extinction.

History

• This danger has arisen for multiple factors mainly because of the fact that many native speakers are elderly and because of language assimilation.

History

• The core of Judaeo-Spanish is approximately 60% Castilian better known as Spanish.

• The Jewish population played an important role in the development of Spanish into a prestigious language. Their biggest contribution to Spanish was the translation of Hebrew and Arabic works into Spanish.

History

• In 1492, the Catholic Monarchs of Spain, Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon, issued an edict known as the Alhambra Decree (also known as the Edict of Expulsion).

History

• This began with the Reconquista of the Muslim Iberia by the Christian Kingdoms; by the 14^th century, all of Spain along with Portugal had been taken back from the Moors.

History

• Anti-Semitism eventually grew as Christian questioned the sincerity of Jewish converts.

History

• With the union of the Catholic Monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella, the tension between Christians and Jews grew. Ferdinand and Isabella took the existence of crypto-Jews seriously and instituted the Spanish Inquisition to investigate these allegations.

History

• Less than three months after the defeat of Granada, the monarchs issued the decree accusing Jews of attempting to undermine their religion. Spanish Jews dispersed to numerous places especially to North Africa.

History

• Judaeo-Spanish is on the brink of becoming a dead language since it is either not being taught to the younger generation or is being assimilated into the Spanish language.

Judaeo-Spanish Charactersitic

• The grammar of Judaeo-Spanish, and its core vocabulary (approx. 60% of its total vocabulary), are basically Castilian.

Judaeo-Spanish Similarities

• The vowels for Judaeo-Spanish are the same as in Spanish: a, e, i, o ,u.

• Accentuation is used to differentiate between the interrogative and non-interrogative.

Judaeo-Spanish Similarities

• The distinction between the pronunciations of

“z” and “s”.

• The pronunciation of “x” as [j] and “j” as [zh] has been retained.

Judaeo-Spanish Differences

Judaeo-Spanish Differences

• The pronouns usted and ustedes are not used.

Judaeo-Spanish Differences

• Judaeo-Spanish

Most words are accentuated on the next-to-last syllable when the word ends in a vowel or –s, -sh, or -n. Other words are accentuated in the last syllable.

• Spanish

Most words in Spanish are accentuated randomly depending on their ending. For example, the next-to-last syllable is accentuated when the word does not end in –n, -s, or a vowel.

Judaeo-Spanish Differences

• In Judaeo-Spanish, the letters “b” and “v” are pronounced differently.

• In Spanish, the letters “b” and “v” have the same bilabial sound.

Judaeo-Spanish Differences

• Judaeo-Spanish can be written in Latin but can also follow Vidas Largas, Aki Yerushalayim or Şalom writing style.

Spanish                                                                         ^Judaeo-

Spanish

Muchacho

Muchacha

Casa

Amigo

Amiga

Spanish                                ^Judaeo-

Spanish

Alumno

Alumna

Guapo

Feo

Bonita

Alta

Baja