ABSTRACT
The construction of Jewish identity has long been closely associated with linguistic choice. By the late second temple period, a triglossic linguistic repertoire (first labelled as such by Rabin, 1980), was well established (Spolsky, 1983). Talmudic statements over the next few hundred years suggest the various identities served by the various languages. Some Rabbinic comments on Greek are illustrative: the language is at various times associated with government informers (Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Sotah 49b), judged a worthwhile ‘ornament’ for a girl, recognized as the vehicle of poetry (Jerusalem Talmud, Tractate Sotah, 7:2, 30a). Hebrew was praised. Aramaic was often condemned as inferior to Hebrew or Greek, or as suitable for dirges. Latin was the language of war.
