Call for Papers
SPECIAL ISSUE (2027)
The Varieties of the Sephardic Language from the Middle Ages to the Present: Judeo-Spanish, Haketía, and Ladino
Zeljko Jovanovic (CERMOM–INALCO) and Sarah Gimenez (CERMOM–INALCO), eds.
This special issue of Toldot aims to bring together articles devoted exclusively to the Judeo-Spanish language in all of its varieties, including, using the traditional terminology: (a) Judeo-Spanish as the language of everyday communication; (b) the distinction between its two principal varieties, one known as the Judeo-Spanish of the Ottoman Empire (Djudió/Djudesmo) and the other as Haketia, spoken in Morocco; (c) Ladino as the calque language used for the translation of religious texts from Hebrew; and (d) finally, the Romance language(s) spoken by the Jews of the Iberian Peninsula prior to their expulsion in 1492. The objective is therefore to provide a comprehensive overview of the development of the language(s) of Iberian Jews both before and after the Expulsion, while also addressing additional topics, such as the musicality of the language and the influence of other languages on Judeo-Spanish.
We invite original contributions on these topics in English, Spanish, or French that offer new perspectives on the Sephardic languages, approaching the subject not only from linguistic and comparative perspectives, but also from literary, anthropological, and/or sociological viewpoints. Interdisciplinary contributions are particularly welcome.
Authors are requested to submit to the guest editors Zeljko Jovanovic (zeljko.jovanovic@inalco.fr) and Sara Gimenez (sarah.gimenez@inalco.fr) as well as the journal editors (toldot@usal.es) an abstract of no more than 250 words in the language of the article, together with a list of up to five keywords by 30 September 2026. All submissions will first be evaluated by the guest editors and will subsequently undergo a double-blind peer-review process.
We look forward to receiving your contributions.
Dr. Zeljko Jovanovic
Dra. Sara Gimenez
Keywords: Sephardic Jews, Judeo-Spanish, Ladino, Haketia, Ottoman Empire, Morocco.