I read today the following article that may be of general interest.Here is a summary:The article examines linguistic and cultural changes among Sephardic Jews through the analysis of *Nequdot ha-Kesef*, a 1619 Ladino commentary on the *Song of Songs* printed in Venice. The book features multiple textual layers, including the original Hebrew, Rashi's commentary, an Aramaic *Targum*, a Judeo-Spanish (Ladino) translation, and a Ladino commentary. The Ladino text reflects the classic verbatim translation method and is printed in Hebrew script, though often with orthographic inconsistencies and poor typographic quality.## **Venice 1619 Edition*** Printed by Moshe Laniado.* Includes many Hebrew loanwords and distinctly Judeo-Spanish vocabulary.* Shows syntactic calques from Aramaic.* Annotations by early readers reveal limited Hebrew knowledge and difficulty using Hebrew script—e.g., mirror writing of the Hebrew alphabet.* Illustrates the decline of Hebrew literacy in the Venetian Sephardic community.## **Amsterdam 1644 Edition*** Titled *Paráphrasis caldaica*, it reprints the Ladino translation in Roman (Latin) characters.* Made Ladino more accessible by replacing Hebrew and Judeo-Spanish terms with standard Spanish equivalents.* Editors justified the change as a response to the community’s diminishing Hebrew comprehension.* Example substitutions:*gehinam* → *infiernokohanim* → *sacerdotesfasta* → *hasta*This transformation reflects a broader linguistic shift: a **de-Hebraicization** and **standardization** of Ladino, prompted in part by the integration of former Conversos into the Jewish community. While they sought to reconnect with Judaism (re-Judaicization), they also demanded texts in more familiar forms, leading to simplification and vernacularization.PS. If it's too controversial let me know to post it in the Western debate group🤣😆