Judeo-Marathi

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.^[1] 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,^[1] and a prayer book with instructions in Marathi written in the Hebrew script.^[2] 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.^[3]

Currently, the Bene Israel community mainly resides in Israel, but some continue to live in Mumbai.^[4]

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.^[5]

Consonants

Labial Consonants

Rule	Judeo-Marathi	Hebrew
[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

Rule	Judeo-Marathi	Hebrew
[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

Rule	Judeo-Marathi	Hebrew
[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 chet ⟨‎ך⟩	कारेख [korekʰ]	כּוֹרֵךְ [korex]

References

^ ^a ^b Aaron D. Rubin; Lily Kahn. "Urdu and Marathi". Jewish Languages from A to Z. Routledge. pp. 189–194.
^ Lily Kahn; Aaron D. Rubin (eds.). "Other Jewish Languages, Past and Present". Handbook of Jewish Languages. Brill. pp. 189–194.
^ "Rare Jewish-Indian Haggadah found in Salford". BBC News. 24 June 2011. Archived from the original on 26 October 2021. Retrieved 4 July 2023.
^ Weil, Shalva. "The Bene Israel of India". The Museum of the Jewish People at Beit Hatfutsot.
^ Beckham, Sarah (2019). Loanword Phonology in Marathi.

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[Ruben_Urdu-1] Aaron D. Rubin; Lily Kahn. "Urdu and Marathi". Jewish Languages from A to Z. Routledge. pp. 189–194.

[Ruben_Other-2] Lily Kahn; Aaron D. Rubin (eds.). "Other Jewish Languages, Past and Present". Handbook of Jewish Languages. Brill. pp. 189–194.

[3] "Rare Jewish-Indian Haggadah found in Salford". BBC News. 24 June 2011. Archived from the original on 26 October 2021. Retrieved 4 July 2023.

[4] Weil, Shalva. "The Bene Israel of India". The Museum of the Jewish People at Beit Hatfutsot.

[5] Beckham, Sarah (2019). Loanword Phonology in Marathi.

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