Jewish Babylonian Aramaic (Aramaic: , ) or Talmudic Aramaic was the form of Middle Aramaic employed by writers in Lower Mesopotamia between the fourth and eleventh centuries. It is most commonly identified with the language of the Babylonian Talmud (which was completed in the fifth century), the Targum Onqelos, and of post-Talmudic (Gaonic) literature, which are the most important cultural products of Babylonian Jews. The most important epigraphic sources for the dialect are the hundreds of inscriptions on incantation bowls.
Classification and type
The language was closely related to Eastern Aramaic varieties such as Mandaic. Its original pronunciation is uncertain and has to be reconstructed with the help of these kindred dialects and the reading tradition of the Yemenite Jews, and where available those of the Iraqi, Syrian and Egyptian Jews. The value of the Yemenite reading tradition has been challenged by Matthew Morgenstern. Vocalized Aramaic texts with which Jews are familiar, from the Tanakh and the siddurim, are of limited usefulness for this purpose, as they are in different dialects.
Talmudic Aramaic bears all the marks of being a specialist language of study and legal argumentation like Law French rather than a vernacular mother tongue, and continued in use for these purposes long after Judeo-Arabic languages had become used in daily life. It has developed a battery of technical logic terms such as "conclusive refutation" and "undecidable moot point", which are still used in Jewish legal writings, including those in other languages, and have influenced modern Hebrew.
Like the other Judeo-Aramaic languages, it was written in the Hebrew alphabet.
Grammar
Pronouns
Independent nominative pronouns
Independent personal pronouns Meaning Examples First person, singular, common Second person, singular, common Third person, singular, masculine Third person, singular, feminine First person, plural, common We are old and they are young (bekarot 8b) Second person, plural, masculine It is you that I borrowed (Baba Mesia 97a) You, who are attached to Rav (Shabbat 37b) Third person, plural, masculine We are old and they are young (bekarot 8b) Third person, plural, feminine
Copulative pronouns
Copulative pronouns Meaning Examples First person, singular, common I am more worthy (Kiddushin 29b) Second person, singular, common You (common singular) are sad (Pesahim 3b) Third person, singular, masculine Do I know where he is (Sanhedrin 39a) which is it (Nid. 41b) Third person, singular, feminine First person, plural, common we are young (Baba Qama 92b) Second person, plural, masculine You (masculine plural) are wise (Gitin 56b) Third person, plural, masculine These are laws from tradition (they) Mo'ed Qatan 3b Robbers, they (Baba Batra 100a) Lying witnesses, they (Baba Batra 92b) Third person, plural, feminine Qedusha and Havdalah are one thing, they are (Pesah 102b) all one long blessing, they are (Pesah 103b)
Genitive pronominal suffixes
Genitive pronominal suffix Genitive pronominal suffix (Hebrew) Meaning Examples First person, singular possessive. My my person (jevamot 64b) my position (ketuvot 77b) Second person, singular, possessive. Your your verse (chagiga 15) Second person, singular, possessive. Your your teacher (pesachim 24) your beauty (Bava Metzia 84a) אמר ליה {רבי יוחנן} חילך לאורייתא {כמה יפה כוחך לסבול עול תורה} אמר ליה{ריש לקיש} שופרך לנשי {יופיך ראוי לנשים} Third person, singular, masculine possessive. HisMay his great name shall be blessed (Kaddish Shalem, 8th century) Third person, singular, feminine possessive. Her She is forbidden to be together in the room alone with a man who is not her husband (Erubin 100b) First person, plural possessive. Our our land (shanhedrin 94) Second person, plural, masculine possessive. Your Your men (Shabbat 140b)
Second person, plural, feminine possessive. Your your baldness (pesachim 110) your crumbs (pesachim 110) Third person, plural, masculine possessive. Their their clothes (Shabbat 133b) from the men Third person, plural, feminine possessive. Their about the women
Suffix + אִית Meaning Examples He is/exists She is/exists We are/exist You (pl. m.) are/exist You (pl. f.) are/exist They (m.) are/exist They (f.) are/exist
Demonstrative pronoun
Demonstrative pronoun (near/proximal) Meaning Examples Third person, singular, masculine demonstrative. This (Hebrew:זֶה) on the one side ... , on the other side with precise intention for this judge this voice Third person, singular, feminine demonstrative. This (Hebrew:זֹאת) this word/thing Third person, plural, masculine demonstrative. These (Hebrew:אֵלֶּה, אֵלּוּ) these words/things Third person, plural, feminine demonstrative. These (Hebrew:אֵלֶּה, אֵלּוּ) (Chagiga 11b) (These yes, those not )
Demonstrative pronoun (medial) Meaning Examples Third person, singular, masculine demonstrative. That His wife of that (man) Third person, singular, feminine demonstrative. That that land that language Third person, plural, masculine demonstrative. Those Because of those reasons Those others have gone away, and these are others here Third person, plural, feminine demonstrative. Those (Chagiga 11b) (These yes, those not )
Demonstrative pronoun (remote/distal) Meaning Examples Third person, singular, masculine demonstrative. That (Hebrew:הוּא) (Berachot 6b) (any man, anybody, that man ) Third person, singular, feminine demonstrative. That (Hebrew:הִיא) (nedarim 50b) (That woman, who came before him ) Third person, plural, masculine demonstrative. Those (Hebrew:הֵם) Third person, plural, feminine demonstrative. Those (Hebrew:הֵן)
Accusative pronominal suffixes
Accusative pronominal suffix Meaning Examples First person, singular, common (Nedarim 62) he stole me he supervised me
נֵיעָרְבִינְהוּ וְנִכְתְּבִינְהוּ Second person, singular, masculine Second person, singular, feminine Third person, feminine, singular Third person, masculine, singular Third person, masculine, singular First person, plural, common second person, plural, masculine second person, plural, feminine Third person, plural, masculine (pessachim 13) he shall put them (the words) together and write them Third person, plural, feminine (berachot 9) you shall opposite them (the two sentences)
Six major verbal patterns There are six major verb stems or verbal patterns (binyanim) in Jewish Babylonian Aramaic. The form pe‘al (פְּעַל) “to do”, the form Aph'el (אַפְעֵל) “let do”, and the form Pa'el (פַּעֵל) “like to do”, are all in the active voice. But the form Itpe'el (אִתְפְּעֵל), the form Itaph'al (אִתַפְעַל) and the form Itpa'al (אִתְפַּעַל) are essentially reflexive and usually function in a passive sense.: "A survey of the aramaic binyanim": "Talmud Bavli Aramaic"
Aramaic binyan Hebrew binyan Aramaic example Hebrew parallel English translation פְּעַל Pe'al קַל Qal/Pa'al כְּתַב כָּתַב he wrote אִתְפְּעֵל Itpe'el נִפְעַל Niphal אִתְכְּתֵיב נִכְתַב it was written אַפְעֵל Aph'el הִפְעִיל Hiph'il אַפְקֵד הִפְקִיד he deposited אִתַפְעַל Itaph'al הֻפְעַל Huph‘al אִתַפְקַד הֻפְקַד it was deposited פַּעֵל Pa'el פִּעֵל Pi'el קַדֵּיש קִדֵּש he sanctifed אִתְפַּעַל Itpa'al הִתְפַּעֵל Hitpa'el וְיִתְקַדַּשׁ הִתְקַדֵּשׁ it was sanctifed
Verbal pattern (binyan): pe‘al (פְּעַל) Basic Verb – Active
past tense Aramaic verb WROTE : "Past tense: binyan" Hebrew verb parallel WROTE Romanization of Aramaic Romanization of Hebrew English translation אֲנָא כְּתַבִית אֲנִי כָּתַבְתִּי ana k'tavit ani katavti I wrote אַתְּ כְּתַבְתְּ אַתָּה כָּתַבְתָּ att' k'tavt atta katavta you (m.) wrote אַתְּ כְּתַבְתְּ אַתְּ כָּתַבְתְּ att' k'tavt att' katavt you (f.) wrote הוּא כְּתַב הוּא כָּתַב hu k'tav hu katav he wrote הִיא כְּתַבָה הִיא כָּתְבָה hi k'tava hi kat'va she wrote אֲנָן כְּתַבִינָן אָנוּ כָּתַבְנוּ anan k'tavinan anu katavnu we wrote אַתּוּ כְּתַבִיתּוּ אַתֶּם כְּתַבְתֶּם attu k'tavitu attem k'tavtem you (m.pl.) wrote אינון כְּתַבוּ הם כָּתְּבוּ innun k'tavu hem katvu they (m.) wrote
Aramaic verb CAME : "Past tense: came" Hebrew verb parallel CAME Romanization of Aramaic Romanization of Hebrew English translation אֲנָא אֲתֵיתִי אֲנָא אֲתַאי אֲנִי בָּאתִי ana ateti/ana atai ani bati I came אַתְּ אֲתֵית אַתָּה בָּאתָ at atet ata bata you (m.) came אַתְּ ? אַתְּ בָּאת at ? at bat you (f.) came הוּא אֲתָא הוּא בָּא hu ata hu ba he came הִיא אֲתָת הִיא אֲתַאי הִיא אתיא הִיא בָּאָה i atat/atai/atjia hi ba'a she came אֲנָן אֲתַאן אֲנָן אֲתַן אֲנָן אֲתֵינַן אָנוּ בָּאנוּ anan atan/atenan anu banu we came אַתּוּ אֲתֵיתוּ אַתֶּם בָּאתֶם atu atetu atem batem you (m.pl.) came אינון אֲתוּ הם בָּאוּ innun atu hem ba'u they (m.) came אינין אֲתַיָין אינין אֲתַאָן יאינין אתן הן בָּאוּ innin attajan hen ba'u they (f.) came
Participle
The Aramaic verb has two participles: an active participle with suffix and a passive participle with suffix:
active participles with suffix
Aramaic active participle WRITE with suffix Hebrew active participle WRITE Romanization of Aramaic Romanization of Hebrew English translation כָּתֵיב + אֲנָא ← כָּתֵיבְנָא אֲנִי כּוֹתֵב katevna←katev+ana ani kotev I write כָּתֵיב + אַתְּ ← כָּתְבַתְּ אַתָּה כּוֹתֵב katvat← katev+ata ata kotev you write כָּתְבִי + אֲנָן ← כָּתְבִינָן אָנוּ כּוֹתְבִים katvinan←katvi+anan anu kotvim we write כָּתְבִי + אַתּוּ ← כָּתְבִיתּוּ אַתֶּם כּוֹתְבִים katvitu← katvi+atu atem kotvim you (pl.) write
Aramaic active participle COME with suffix: "active participle with suffi" Hebrew active participle COME Romanization of Aramaic Romanization of Hebrew English translation אָתֵי / אָתְיָא + אֲנָא ← אָתֵינָא אֲנִי בָּא atena←ate+ana ani ba I come אָתֵי / אָתְיָא + אַתְּ ← אָתֵיתְּ אַתָּה בָּא atet← ate+at ata ba You come אָתוּ / אָתֵיָין + אֲנָן ← אָתִינָן אָנוּ בָּאִים atinan←atu+anan anu ba'iim we come
passive participle with suffix
Aramaic passive participle with suffix BUSY Hebrew passive participle BUSY Romanization of Aramaic Romanization of Hebrew English translation עֲסִיק + אֲנָא ← עֲסִיקְנָא אֲנִי עָסוּק assiqna←assiq+ana ani assuq I am busy עֲסִיק + אַתְּ ← עֲסִיקַתְּ אַתָּה עָסוּק assiqat← assiq+ata ata assuq you are busy עֲסִיקִי + אֲנַן ← עֲסִיקִינַן אָנוּ עֲסוּקִים assiqinan←assiqi+anan anu assuqim we are busy עֲסִיקִי + אַתּוּ ← עֲסִיקִיתּוּ אַתֶּם עֲסוּקִים assiqitu← assiqi+atu atem assuqim you (pl.) are busy
infinitive /gerund
Aramaic infinitive /gerund TO COME Hebrew infinitive /gerund Romanization of Aramaic Romanization of Hebrew English translation (לְ)מֵיתֵי / לְמֵיתָא (לָ)בוֹא Lemeta/meteyi la'vo TO COME
Future tense Aramaic verb WILL WRITE : "Future tense: binyan" Hebrew verb parallel WILL WRITE Romanization of Aramaic Romanization of Hebrew English translation אֲנָא אֶיכְתּוֹב אֲנִי אֶכְתּוֹב ana eikhtov ani ekhtov I will write אַתְּ תִּיכְתּוֹב אַתָּה תִּכְתּוֹב at tikhtov ata tikhtov You (m.sing.)will write אַתְּ תִּיכְתְּבִין אַתְּ תִּיכְתְּבִי at tikhtevin at tikhtevi You (f.sing.) will write הוּא לִיכְתּוֹב הוּא יִכְתּוֹב hu likhtov hu yikhtov He will write הִיא תִּיכְתּוֹב הִיא תִּכְתּוֹב hi tikhtov hi tikhtov She will write אֲנָן לִיכְתּוֹב אָנוּ נִכְתּוֹב anan likhtov anu nikhtov We will write אַתּוּ תִּיכְתְּבוּן אַתֶּם תִּיכְתְּבוּ atu tikhtevu atem tikhtevun you (m.pl.) will write אינון לִיכְתְּבוּן הם יכְתְּבוּ innun likhtevun hem yikhtevu they (m.pl.) will write
Verbal pattern (binyan): Itpe'el (אִתְפְּעֵל) Basic Verb – Passive
past tense Aramaic verb WAS/WERE WRITTEN : "Past tense: binyan" Hebrew verb parallel WAS/WERE WRITTEN Romanization of Aramaic Romanization of Hebrew English translation