Jewish Babylonian Aramaic
Jewish Babylonian 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 and of post-Talmudic 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 other Eastern Aramaic dialects such as Mandaic. Its original pronunciation is uncertain, and has to be reconstructed with the help of these kindred dialects and of 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 some scholars.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 Arabic had become the language of daily life. It has developed a battery of technical logical terms, such as tiyuvta and tiqu, which are still used in Jewish legal writings, including those in other languages, and have influenced modern Hebrew.
Like the Judean and Jewish dialects, it was written with Hebrew alphabet.
Grammar
Pronouns
Independent nominative pronouns Elitzur A. Bar-Asher Siegal, ''Introduction to the Grammar of Jewish Babylonian Aramaic'', Ugarit, Münster 2013, p. 78
| 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 | |
| Second person, plural, masculine | It is you that I borrowed You, who are attached to Rav | |
| Third person, plural, masculine | We are old and they are young | |
| Third person, plural, feminine |
copulative pronouns Elitzur A. Bar-Asher Siegal, ''Introduction to the Grammar of Jewish Babylonian Aramaic'', Ugarit, Münster 2013, p. 99
| copulative pronouns | Meaning | Examples |
| First person, singular, common | I am more worthy | |
| Second person, singular, common | You are sad | |
| Third person, singular, masculine | Do I know where he is which is it | |
| Third person, singular, feminine | ||
| First person, plural, common | we are young | |
| Second person, plural, masculine | You are wise | |
| Third person, plural, masculine | These are laws from tradition Mo'ed Qatan 3b Robbers, they Lying witnesses, they | |
| Third person, plural, feminine | Qedusha and Havdalah are one thing, they are all one long blessing, they are |
Genitive pronominal suffixes Elitzur A. Bar-Asher Siegal, ''Introduction to the Grammar of Jewish Babylonian Aramaic'', Ugarit, Münster 2013, p. 90
| Genitive pronominal suffix | Genitive pronominal suffix | Meaning | Examples |
| First person, singular possessive. My | my person my position | ||
| Second person, singular, possessive. Your | your verse | ||
| Second person, singular, possessive. Your | your teacher your beauty אמר ליה חילך לאורייתא אמר ליה שופרך לנשי | ||
| Third person, singular, masculine possessive. His | |||
| Third person, singular, feminine possessive. Her | She is forbidden to be together in the room alone with a man who is not her husband | ||
| First person, plural possessive. Our | our land | ||
| Second person, plural, masculine possessive. Your | Your men | ||
| Second person, plural, feminine possessive. Your | your baldness your crumbs | ||
| Third person, plural, masculine possessive. Their | their clothes 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 are/exist | ||
| You are/exist | ||
| They are/exist | ||
| They are/exist |
Demonstrative pronoun
| Demonstrative pronoun | Meaning | Examples |
| Third person, singular, masculine demonstrative. This | on the one side..., on the other side with precise intention for this judge this voice | |
| Third person, singular, feminine demonstrative. This | this word/thing | |
| Third person, plural, masculine demonstrative. These | these words/things | |
| Third person, plural, feminine demonstrative. These | |
| Demonstrative pronoun | Meaning | Examples |
| Third person, singular, masculine demonstrative. That | His wife of that | |
| 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 | |
| Demonstrative pronoun | Meaning | Examples |
| Third person, singular, masculine demonstrative. That | | |
| Third person, singular, feminine demonstrative. That | | |
| Third person, plural, masculine demonstrative. Those | - | |
| Third person, plural, feminine demonstrative. Those | - |
Accusative pronominal suffixes Elitzur A. Bar-Asher Siegal, ''Introduction to the Grammar of Jewish Babylonian Aramaic'', Ugarit, Münster 2013, p. 191
| Accusative pronominal suffix | Meaning | Examples |
| | First person, singular, common | 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 | he shall put them together and write them | |
| Third person, plural, feminine | you shall opposite them |
Six major verbal patterns
There are six major verb stems or verbal patterns in Jewish Babylonian Aramaic. The form pe‘al “to do”, the form Aph'el “let do”, and the form Pa'el “like to do”, are all in the active voice. But the form Itpe'el, the form Itaph'al and the form Itpa'al are essentially reflexive and have usually function in a passive sense.Verbal pattern (binyan): ''pe‘al'' (פְּעַל) Basic Verb - Active
; past tense; Participle
The Aramaic verb has two participles: an active participle with suffix and a passive participle with suffix:
; active participles with suffix
; passive participle with suffix
; infinitive /gerund
; Future tense
Verbal pattern (binyan): '' Itpe'el '' (אִתְפְּעֵל) Basic Verb - Passive
; past tense; future tense
Verbal pattern (binyan): ''pa‘el'' (פַּעֵל) [Frequentative] - Active
The verbal pattern pa‘el are frequentative verbs showing repeated or intense action.The verbal pattern pa'el is Active Frequentative.
; past tense
; future tense
Verbal pattern (binyan): ''Itpa'al'' (אִתְפַּעַל) [Frequentative] - Passive
The verbal pattern itpa'al is Passive Frequentative.Verbal pattern (binyan): ''aph‘el'' () [Causative] - Active
The verbal pattern aphel is Active Causative.; past tense
; Participle
; Future tense
Verbal pattern (binyan): ''itaphal'' (אִתַפְעַל) [Causative] - Passive voice
The verbal pattern itaphal is Passive Causative.Noun: singular/plural
| Jewish Babylonian Aramaic example | Hebrew parallel | English translation of the Jewish Babylonian Aramaic example |
| מַלְכָּא | המֶלֶךְ | the king |
| עָלְמָא | העוֹלָם | the world |
| מְדִינְתָא | המְדִינָה | the state |
| מְנָא הָא מִילְּתָא דְּאָמְרִי אֱנָשֵׁי | מִנַּיִין מִלָּה זֹאת שֶׁאוֹמְרִים אֲנָשִׁים | the word/thing |
| Jewish Babylonian Aramaic example | Hebrew parallel | English translation of the Jewish Babylonian Aramaic example |
| מַלְכֵי / מַלְכַיָּא | המְלָכִים | the kings |
| עָלְמֵי / עָלְמַיָּא | העוֹלָמים | the worlds |
| מְנָא הָנֵי מִילֵּי | מִנַּיִין המִילִּים האֵלֶּה | the words/things |
List of verbs
Idiom
| Jewish Babylonian Aramaic example | Hebrew parallel | English translation of the Jewish Babylonian Aramaic example |
| קָאֵים | - | "rising, standing, referring to" |
| קָאֵים - קָא | - | - |
| מַאי קָא מַשְׁמַע לַן | מָה מַשְׁמִיעַ לָנּוּ | "What new point is he teaching us " |
| מַאי קָאָמַר | מָה הוּא אוֹמֵר | "What does he mean " |
| תָּנוּ רַבָּנָן | שָׁנוּ חֲכָמִים | "the rabbis taught" |
| מְנָא הָנֵי מִילֵּי | מִנַּיִין המִילִּים האֵלֶּה | "What is the source" |