Avdhut Kamble at 14:52, 12 March 2026

2026-03-12T14:52:03Z

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{{Short description|Hindustani dialect of Indian Jews}}
{{Infobox language
| name = Judeo-Urdu
| altname =
| states = [[Indian subcontinent]]
| region = [[Bombay]], [[Calcutta]]
| speakers =
| ref =
| familycolor = Indo-European
| fam2 = [[Indo-Iranian languages|Indo-Iranian]]
| fam3 = [[Indo-Aryan languages|Indo-Aryan]]
| fam4 = [[Central Indo-Aryan languages|Central]]
| fam5 = [[Western Hindi]]
| fam6 = [[Hindustani language|Hindustani]]
| fam7 = [[Urdu]]
| iso3 =
| glotto = jude1269
| glottorefname = Judeo-Urdu
| era = 18th century
| script = [[Hebrew script]]
| ethnicity = [[Baghdadi Jews]]
| image = Inder_Sabha_in_Judeo_Urdu.jpg
| imagecaption = [[Inder Sabha]] in Judeo-Urdu
| ietf = ur-IN-Hebr
}}
'''Judeo-Urdu''' ({{langx|ur|{{nq|یہود اردو}}|translit=yahūd urdū}}; {{Langx|he|אורדו יהודית|translit=ūrdū yehūdīt}})<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Hashmi |first=Arshad Masood |date=2018-08-01 |title=اندر سبھا کا یہود اردو مخطوطہ (A Judaeo-Urdu Manuscript of Indra Sabha) |url=https://papers.ssrn.com/abstract=3993268 |journal=[[Social Science Research Network]] |language=en |location=Rochester, NY|ssrn=3993268 }}</ref> was a dialect of the [[Urdu language]] spoken by the [[Baghdadi Jews]] in the [[Indian subcontinent]] living in the areas of [[Mumbai]] and [[Kolkata]] towards the end of the 18th century. It is a dialect that was written in the [[Hebrew alphabet|Hebrew script]] and found to be used for several pieces of literature, such as [[Inder Sabha]], a copy of which is kept at the [[British Library]].

== Writing system ==
The Judeo-Urdu dialect was written in the [[Hebrew script]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=D. Rubin |first=Aaron |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.31826/9781463237349 |title=A Unique Hebrew Glossary from India |date=2016-12-31 |isbn=9781463237349 |doi=10.31826/9781463237349 |url-access=subscription}}</ref> The orthography is one of the primary reasons for this dialect being associated with [[Urdu]], rather than [[Hindi]], as the spelling of lemmas found in literature written in the Judeo-Urdu dialect seem to correlate with the [[Perso-Arabic|Perso-Arab]] spelling.<ref name=":0" /> For instance, [[Arabic|Arabic loanwords]] which contain the letters [[ط]] would be mapped to the [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] equivalent [[ט]], a pattern which is consistent with other [[loanword]]s and loan-letters.

However, the representation of unique sounds found in [[Indo-Aryan languages#Phonology|Indo-Aryan languages]], such as [[retroflex consonant]]s as well as [[aspirated consonant]]s, were not represented by unique or modified [[Hebrew script|Hebrew letters]]. Rather, [[alveolar consonant]]s were also used to represent these sounds paired with a [[Dagesh]] or [[Holam]]. This could create ambiguity as some letters, like [[Dalet]], could denote up to four different phonemes, while an unvocalised [[Gimel]] could denote potentially up to five.<ref name=":0" />

== Vocabulary ==
{| class="wikitable"
|+Example of words used in Judeo-Urdu
!Standard Urdu
!Judeo-Urdu
!Meaning
!Hebrew equivalent
|-
|align="right"|'''{{Unq|اُون٘ٹ}}'''
''(ūṉṭ)''
|align="right"|'''<big>{{Langx|ur|אוּנְתּ|label=none|rtl=yes}}</big>'''
''(ūnṭ)''
|'camel'
|align="right"|'''<big>{{Langx|ur|גָּמָל|label=none|rtl=yes}}</big>'''
''(gámál)''
|-
|align="right"|'''{{Unq|بَکْری}}'''
''(bakrī)''
|align="right"|'''<big>{{Langx|ur|בַכְּרי|label=none|rtl=yes}}</big>'''
''(bakrī)''
|'goat'
|align="right"|'''<big>{{Langx|ur|עֵז|label=none|rtl=yes}}</big>'''
''('ēz)''
|-
|align="right"|'''{{Unq|پَتَّھر}}'''
''(patthar)''
|align="right"|'''<big>{{Langx|ur|פַתַּר|label=none|rtl=yes}}</big>'''
''(pattʰar)''
|'stone'
|align="right"|'''<big>{{Langx|ur|אֶבֶן|label=none|rtl=yes}}</big>'''
''(évén)''
|-
|align="right"|'''{{Unq|گَدھا}}'''
''(gadhā)''
|align="right"|'''<big>{{Langx|ur|גַּדָּא|label=none|rtl=yes}}</big>'''
''(gadʱā)''
|'donkey'
|align="right"|'''<big>{{Langx|ur|חֲמוֹר|label=none|rtl=yes}}</big>'''
''(ḥämōr)''
|-
|align="right"|'''{{Unq|جانْوَر}}'''
''(jānvar)''
|align="right"|'''<big>{{Langx|ur|גַֹנָאוַור|label=none|rtl=yes}}</big>'''
''(janāvar){{Efn|Dialectal form {{unq|جَناوَر}}, which corresponds with {{langx|mr|जनावर}}, j̈anāvar|group=note}}''
|'animal'
|align="right"|'''<big>{{Langx|ur|בְּהֵמָה|label=none|rtl=yes}}</big>'''
''(bhemáh)''
|-
|align="right"|'''{{Unq|چُوہَا}}'''
''(čūhā)''
|align="right"|'''<big>{{Langx|ur|גַווָא|label=none|rtl=yes}}</big>'''
''(čawā){{Efn|Dialectal form {{unq|چُوَا}}, which corresponds with {{langx|mr|चुवा}}, ċuvā|group=note}}''
|'mouse'
|align="right"|'''<big>{{Langx|ur|עַכְבָּר|label=none|rtl=yes}}</big>'''
''('aḵbár)''
|-
|align="right"|'''{{Unq|حَلق}}'''
''(ḥalaq)''
|align="right"|'''<big>{{Langx|ur|חָלַק|label=none|rtl=yes}}</big>'''
''(ḥálaq)''
|'throat'
|align="right"|'''<big>{{Langx|ur|גָרוֹן|label=none|rtl=yes}}</big>'''
''(gárōn)''
|-
|align="right"|'''<big>{{Unq|کُتّا}}</big>'''
''(kuttā)''
|align="right"|'''<big>{{Langx|ur|כוּתָּא|label=none|rtl=yes}}</big>'''
''(kūttā)''
|'dog'
|align="right"|'''<big>{{Langx|ur|כֶּלֶב|label=none|rtl=yes}}</big>'''
''(kélév)''
|-
|align="right"|'''{{Unq|لَکْڑی}}'''
''(lakṛī)''
|align="right"|'''<big>{{Langx|ur|לַכּרִי|label=none|rtl=yes}}</big>'''
''(lakrī)''
|'wood'
|align="right"|'''<big>{{Langx|ur|עֵץ|label=none|rtl=yes}}</big>'''
''('ēṣ)''
|-
|align="right"|'''{{Unq|مُرْغِی}}'''
''(murḡī)''
|align="right"|'''<big>{{Langx|ur|מוּרְגִי|label=none|rtl=yes}}</big>'''
''(mūrġī)''
|'hen'
|align="right"|'''<big>{{Langx|ur|תַּרְנְגֹלֶת|label=none|rtl=yes}}</big>'''
''(tarngolét)''
|}

== See also ==

* [[Judeo-Marathi]]
* [[Judeo-Malayalam]]
* [[Judeo-Persian]]

== References ==

<references />

== Notes ==
{{reflist|group=note}}{{Jews and Judaism|state=expanded}}
{{Urdu topics}}
{{Jewish languages}}
{{Indo-Aryan languages}}

[[Category:Dialects of Urdu]]
[[Category:Hindustani language]]
[[Category:Central Indo-Aryan languages]]
[[Category:Urdu in India]]
[[Category:Languages of India]]
[[Category:Jewish Indian history]]
[[Category:Jewish languages]]
[[Category:Languages attested from the 18th century]]
[[Category:Languages extinct in the 18th century]]
[[Category:18th century in India]]

{{IndoAryan-lang-stub}}

Judeo-Urdu - Revision history

Avdhut Kamble at 14:52, 12 March 2026