Teacher: Dr Sandra Hajek, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
Class Level: Advanced Beginners (as Judeo-French is Old French written in Hebrew characters, the students participating in the class should have at least basic knowledge of Old French)
Class Schedule 2023-24: Thursdays from 13:45-14:45 UK Time (you can check time-zone comparisons on sites such as this one)
Class Length: 1-term class (Hilary Term 2024) (Oxford dates of term are available on the University website)
Class Description: The term ‘Judeo-French’ (Fr. judéo-français) designates the Old French words and texts written by Jews in medieval northern France using the Hebrew alphabet. From the Early Old French period (10th century onwards), Old French glosses appear in Jewish scholars’ commentaries to the Bible and the Talmud (Rashi), whereas in the Late Old French period (13th century and early 14th century), we find Hebrew-Old French biblical glossaries of partially great length, Judeo-French passages in poetical texts for use in Jewish liturgy, Old French glosses featuring in Hebrew dictionaries and medical texts and—rarely—full-length Judeo-French texts like a medical tractate about fevers. In this class, the different genres of Judeo-French texts will be presented in the context of Jewish life and culture in medieval northern France, and participants will be trained in reading, transliteration and linguistic analysis of Judeo-French material from medieval manuscripts.