Baghdadi Judeo-Arabic : An Introductory Text

Abstract

Baghdadi Judeo-Arabic was the native tongue spoken by the Jews of Baghdad and other towns of Southern Iraq, historically one of the oldest and biggest Jewish communities. This textbook is dedicated to spoken Baghdadi Judeo-Arabic and is designed to guide beginners to an advanced level, with the goal of enabling basic conversations. It focuses on common expressions of this unique dialect and opens a window to Baghdad’s historic Jewish culture. The 10 lessons guide readers through a particular topic, such as greetings, family, shopping or cuisine, and consist of sample texts, key vocabulary, grammar points and exercises.

The textbook includes access to audio files, additional activities and links to the exercises.

Praise for Baghdadi Judeo-Arabic

'Baghdadi Judeo-Arabic, distinct from the Muslim and Christian dialects of Baghdad, was spoken by Jews for over a millennium. This book is an invaluable resource for those aspiring to study and teach the spoken Arabic dialect of Baghdad, setting a benchmark for instructional textbooks on other dialects. The author is renowned authority on Iraqi Judeo-Arabic and has extensively published on Jewish Iraqi dialects. In this volume he integrates his vast pedagogical experience, skilfully blending texts, grammar, vocabulary, and exercises focused on daily life. This book significantly contributes to the ongoing efforts to document, preserve, and study this notable dialect, thereby ensuring its preservation from oblivion.' Ofra Tirosh-Becker, Professor and Head of the Center for Jewish Languages, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel

'This textbook comes at a time of increasing interest in Judeo-Baghdadi language and culture, as Jews of Iraqi descent recognize the urgency of learning the language from their Arabic-speaking relatives. Students will find this book easy to use, either in a class context or on their own.' Sarah Bunin Benor, Founding Director, HUC-JIR Jewish Language Project, and Founding Co-editor, Journal of Jewish Languages