[HANASHIR:12306] Ladino language vis a vis modern Portuguese & Spanish

[David & Sherry Blumberg <blumberg...>]

Thanks to Julie H for the great info about Ladino.  

On one detail--the word "mancevico"--however, is probably not a great example, 
since it really does not illustrate the difference she was trying to highlight. 
 It's just not that simple.

The word "mancebo" may well exist in modern Portuguese and be the modern 
equivalent of the Ladino "mancevo" or its diminutive "mancevico."  However, as 
one who lived and studied for a year in Madrid, I can testify that "mancevo" is 
also a perfectly valid, viable word that still exists in modern Castillian 
Spanish as well, where it also means, primarily, a "young man" or a "youth."  
It is a slightly more elevated (read here 'snooty' or politely deferential) way 
of referring to a youth than the admittedly more-frequently-used term, "joven." 
 

David Blumberg
Milwaukee, WI

    

  Also the closeness to words in modern Portugese (see note below) - "onde" for 
"where" instead of the Spanish "donde", "mancevico" for young man/lad where the 
current Portugese is "mancebo" and the current Spanish is "joven".