Ladino on the Internet constitutes the first critical and systematic account written in English on the online revitalisation of Ladino.
This book conclusively demonstrates that nowadays the global Ladino-speaking community connects first and foremost online, which calls for a full, comprehensive examination of the web-based development of the Sephardic diaspora (including that of Ladino) as a qualitatively different stage, termed ‘Sepharad 4’ in this monograph.
Drawing upon the methodological framework of Revivalistics and including a comparative analysis with similar initiatives apropos Yiddish, this volume analyses case studies including YouTube digital archives, social media platforms, language learning apps, online schools, and Ladino on Netflix, plus on Web 3.0 platforms.
This monograph will appeal to scholars and postgraduate students seeking to familiarise themselves with the use of technological tools to further the revitalisation of endangered languages such as Ladino.
Introduction: Theoretical Framework, Scope, Methodology and Chapters
Part 1: Web 1.0: The Mostly-Read Stage (1990s-)
Chapter 1: Correspondence Circles (1999-): Ladinokomunita, Ladino Culture Forum, and SefaradiMuestro
Part 2: Web 2.0: The Participative, Multisemiotic, Multimodal Social Stage (2000s-)
Chapter 2: Digital Archives on YouTube (2011-): Autoridad Nasionala del Ladino i su Kultura, eSefarad CCSefarad, Wikitongues, Ladino 21, and VLACH
Chapter 3: Social Media and Language Learning Apps (2017-): Facebook, X, WhatsApp, TikTok, Duolingo and uTalk
Chapter 4: Zoom Boom (2020-2): The Sephardic Digital Academy, Enkontros de Alhad, the Oxford School of Rare Jewish Languages
Chapter 5: Video-On-Demand and Streaming Services (2021-): The Netflix Shows Kulüp and The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem
Part 3: Web 3.0: The Decentralised, Blockchain- and Token-Based Stage (2010s-)
Chapter 6: Sepharad 5? (2022-): The Metaverse and The Network State
Conclusion
Biography
Carlos Yebra López (PhD from New York University) is an Assistant Professor in Spanish Linguistics at California State University, Fullerton. He has worked as a Ladino instructor at the Oxford School of Rare Jewish Languages, and as a CEO of Ladino 21 Community Interest Company, a public outreach initiative and digital archive devoted to grassroots documentation of Ladino.
