Judeo-Marathi (Marathi: जुदाव मराठी), also known as Bene Israel Marathi, is a variety of Marathi spoken by the Bene Israel, a Jewish ethnic group in Maharashtra. There is no evidence that Judeo-Marathi substantially differed from other forms of Marathi. However, there are several manuscripts of Jewish texts written in Marathi using Devanagari or Hebrew script. For instance, a Haggadah from 1911 contains Hebrew written in Devanagari, and a prayer book with instructions in Marathi written in the Hebrew script. In 2011, a Marathi-Hebrew text titled Poona Haggadah, was found in Salford. The 137-year-old book, which was used by the Bene-Israel community, was discovered by historian Yaakov Wise.
Currently, the Bene Israel community mainly resides in Israel, but some continue to live in Mumbai.
Phonology This section primarily covers Hebrew loanword phonology in Judeo-Marathi. Since the Bene Israel community acquired the Hebrew language through European missionaries, the Hebrew transcriptions outlined below reflect Modern Hebrew pronunciation.
Consonants
Labial Consonants RuleJudeo-MarathiHebrew[v] → [ʋ] when the Hebrew [v] corresponds to a vav ⟨ו⟩लेवी [leʋi] לֵוִי [levi][b] remains the same when the Hebrew [b] corresponds to a beth with a dagesh ⟨בּ⟩राबी आकीबा [rabi akiba]רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא [rabːi akiva][v] → [b] when the Hebrew [v] corresponds to a beth without a dagesh ⟨ב⟩आबराहाम [abɾaham]אַבְרָהָם [avraham][p] → [f] when the Hebrew [p] corresponds to a pe ⟨פּ⟩फारो [faro]פַּרְעֹה [paro]
Dental Consonants RuleJudeo-MarathiHebrew[t] → [t̪] when the Hebrew [t] corresponds to a tav, with ⟨תּ⟩ and without the dagesh ⟨ת⟩तोरा [t̪oɾa] תּוֹרָה [tora][d] → [d̪] when the Hebrew [d] corresponds to a dalet ⟨ד⟩आदाम [ad̪am]אָדָם [adam]
Back Consonants RuleJudeo-MarathiHebrew[ħ] → [h] when the Hebrew [ħ] corresponds to a chet ⟨ח⟩ or chaf ⟨כ⟩राहासा [ɾahasa] बाहोर [bahoɾ] רָחְצָה [raħtsa] בְּכוֹר [bəxor][x] → [kʰ] when the Hebrew [x] corresponds to a final kaf ⟨ך⟩कारेख [korekʰ]כּוֹרֵךְ [korex]
Sample text +Davidachi Gite (Psalm of David) Hebrew English (KJV translation) Judeo-Marathi Transliteration Blessed is the man that walketh not into the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful
See also Judeo-Urdu Jewish languages
References