Une taqqana tétouanaise de 1822

Abstract

This article describes a set of community regulations (taqqana) instituted in Tetouan in 1822, the purpose of which was to establish standards of modesty and sanctions against excess in clothing and jewelry. Our document is of interest to the historian, the folklorist and the sociologist. The profusion of prohibitions and restrictions offer a fairly detailed picture of women’s clothing, traditional festivities, and social rivalry. For the linguist, the text presents an introduction and a conclusion in Hebrew, rich in biblical citations and rabbinic allusions; the central section is written in a Judeo-Spanish variety strewn with Arabic and Hebrew words and expressions. All these may contribute to a better understanding of sociolinguistic phenomena, such as code-switching and the hybrid character of Jewish languages. The document is offered here fully translated into French, followed by the Judeo-Spanish passages transcribed and where necessary interpreted literally. The article ends in a sociolinguistic analysis dealing mainly with the functions of Hebrew in this text. Finally, the entire document is given in its original Hebrew script, followed by a photocopy of it.