Languages of Palestine
{{Short description|none}}
{{Infobox country languages
| country = Palestine
| official =Arabic
| unofficial =Armenian, Domari language
| main =
| vernacular=Palestinian Arabic, Northwest Arabian Arabic
| minority =
| foreign = English,
| sign = Palestinian Sign Language
| keyboard = Arabic keyboard
| keyboard image = 200px
| source =
|image=File:Palestine_Islamic_Bank,_Salfit_01.jpg
|caption=Sign of a bank in Salfit, in Arabic and English
}}
The primary language of Palestine is Arabic.
Overview
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).Encyclopedia of the Stateless Nations: L-R - Page 1492, James Minahan - 2002 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.Struggle and Survival in Palestine/Israel - Page 403, Gershon Shafir - 2012
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.{{Cite journal |last=Matossian |first=Bedross Der |date=2011-11-01 |title=The Armenians of Palestine 1918-48 |url=https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1525/jps.2011.XLI.1.24 |journal=Journal of Palestine Studies |volume=41 |issue=1 |pages=24–44 |doi=10.1525/jps.2011.XLI.1.24 |issn=0377-919X}}{{Cite web |title=Armenians of Jerusalem |url=https://www.palestine-studies.org/en/node/78237 |access-date=2025-02-22 |website=Institute for Palestine Studies |language=en}} 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.{{Cite web |last=Kalaydijan |first=Mihran |date=2016-02-12 |title=The Armenian Community of Jerusalem: Challenges and Realities |url=https://anca.org/the-armenian-community-of-jerusalem-challenges-and-realities/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160323213320/http://armenianweekly.com/2016/02/12/the-armenian-community-of-jerusalem/ |archive-date=March 23, 2016 |access-date=2025-02-22 |website=The Armenian Weekly |language=en-US}}
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.Naming Patterns in the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem, p. 42, Iris Shagrir - 2003
File:Sign in Battir, West Bank, in Arabic and English.jpg, which is in Arabic and English. ]]
Census of 1922
The following graph is a recreation of details in the Report and General Abstracts of the Census of 1922. Find the original in [https://dn790002.ca.archive.org/0/items/PalestineCensus1922/Palestine%20Census%20%281922%29.pdf Table XXI].
| class="wikitable mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"
|+ ! !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 |