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Languages of Palestine

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Languages of Palestine
Sign of a bank in Salfit, in Arabic and English
OfficialArabic
RecognisedArmenian, Domari language
VernacularPalestinian Arabic, Northwest Arabian Arabic
ForeignEnglish, French
SignedPalestinian Sign Language
Keyboard layout
Sign in Battir, West Bank, which is in Arabic and English.

The primary language of Palestine is Arabic.

Overview

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Palestinian Arabic is the main language spoken by Palestinians and represents a unique dialect. A variety of Levantine Arabic, it is spoken by Palestinian populations in the West Bank, Gaza, and Israel (Palestinian citizens of Israel).[1] However, some Palestinian refugees in other parts of the world may speak a different dialect from Palestinian Arabic. In the West Bank, there are many Israeli settlements in which, since the early 20th century, Hebrew has become more common. Palestinian citizens of Israel are also likely to be bilingual in both Arabic and Hebrew. Russian and Amharic have also started to appear as a result of Aliyah from the former Soviet Union and Ethiopia, as have other European languages brought by Jewish settlers.[2]

Armenian is also a significant minority language in Palestine, as Armenians have inhabited in the region since the 4th century AD, considered to be the oldest Armenian community outside of Armenia. Around 2,000-3,000 Armenians lived in Palestine circa World War I, with the population peaking at over 10,000 prior to the 1948 war.[3][4] The majority of Armenians in Palestine reside in the Armenian quarter of Jerusalem, but historically have lived in Haifa and Jaffa. Currently, the Jerusalem-Armenian population has declined, reducing the amount of Armenian speakers in the enclave and greater region.[5]

In ancient and medieval times, many other languages had also been spoken in Palestine for ceremonial purposes or otherwise, including Latin and other Italic languages, French, Germanic languages, Classical Arabic and Greek. However, they gradually faded away along with geopolitical shifts and the end of feudalism.[6]

Census of 1922

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The following graph is a recreation of details in the Report and General Abstracts of the Census of 1922. Find the original in Table XXI.

Jerusalem Jaffa Haifa Gaza Hebron Nablus Safad Lydda Nazareth Ramleh Tiberias Bethlehem Acre Majdal Khan Yunis Tulkarem Ramallah Beit Jala Jenin Be'erseba Shafa Amr Baisan Total
Abyssinian 72 2 74
Arabic 22,307 26,626 16,733 17,395 16,134 15,784 5,753 8,072 7,035 7,235 2,570 6,062 6,199 5,096 3,888 3,272 3,056 3,051 2,308 2,230 2,281 1,917 185,009
Armenian 2,442 216 101 4 13 1 20 13 1 37 25 4 21 6 1 1 2,906
Albanian 5 5
Bulgarian 29 2 1 1 1 2 36
Circassian 3 3 5 1 3 15
Chaldean 1 1
Dutch 2 1 1 2 1 7
English 986 189 276 16 7 20 135 2 17 17 10 15 15 46 23 3 2 1,799
Flemish 1 2 3
French 261 70 123 2 1 120 72 2 6 46 3 4 2 3 715
German 281 270 561 3 3 42 15 8 9 1 2 1 1,196
Greek 760 161 205 4 1 6 1 1 12 20 1 29 11 2 1 4 10 1 1,230
Georgian 4 2 6
Gipsy 7 13 7
Hebrew 32,341 19,498 5,683 44 425 15 2,937 6 43 27 4,280 13 21 7 2 86 65,447
Hindustani 2 8 2 1 59 72
Indian Dialects 769 1 770
Italian 209 22 88 1 12 5 51 1 3 11 1 1 405
Japanese 1 1
Jhurkhali 5 5
Kurdish 1 1 1 7 10
Magyar 55 21 2 2 46 2 1 1 130
Mahratti 2 176 176
Maltese 4 2 21 5 1 33
Norwegian 2 2
Persian 122 44 156 2 101 1 426
Polish 10 12 12 4 2 3 1 4 48
Portuguese 1 1
Pushtu 4 26 5 35
Romanian 36 6 1 1 44
Russian 407 63 74 2 1 2 4 2 2 8 5 1 571
Serbian 13 1 2 1 15 32
Sudanese 35 1 36
Spanish 174 49 39 1 1 10 2 2 16 1 19 314
Swedish 10 2 5 19
Syriac 38 369 25 1 408
Turkish 198 74 194 5 2 3 16 5 3 2 7 16 1 2 13 7 1 4 562
Welsh 4 4
Yiddish 999 356 332 5 4 3 7 33 4 1,759

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Encyclopedia of the Stateless Nations: L-R - Page 1492, James Minahan - 2002
  2. ^ Struggle and Survival in Palestine/Israel - Page 403, Gershon Shafir - 2012
  3. ^ Matossian, Bedross Der (2011-11-01). "The Armenians of Palestine 1918-48". Journal of Palestine Studies. 41 (1): 24–44. doi:10.1525/jps.2011.XLI.1.24. ISSN 0377-919X.
  4. ^ "Armenians of Jerusalem". Institute for Palestine Studies. Retrieved 2025-02-22.
  5. ^ Kalaydijan, Mihran (2016-02-12). "The Armenian Community of Jerusalem: Challenges and Realities". The Armenian Weekly. Archived from the original on March 23, 2016. Retrieved 2025-02-22.
  6. ^ Naming Patterns in the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem, p. 42, Iris Shagrir - 2003