/r/Aramaic

Photograph via snooOG

Dedicated to the discussion of Aramaic languages and dialects. Articles about Aramaic languages, resources for Aramaic languages, and questions about aspects of Aramaic languages are all welcome.

/r/Aramaic

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2

Counting from 1-10 in Galilean Aramaic - Herodian Script

Hello everyone, does anyone know how to count from 1-10 using the Herodian script as well as the pronunciations? I used Steve Caruso's website to glean as much information as possible but there are limits to what you can learn there and some of it isn't intuitive, even when there is some content still available. Also, if anyone knows of anyone else that's taken the torch so to speak from Mr. Caruso on this project that would be great to know as his website really could have been a great thing for so many people today. It's a shame that it's limited to just some of the topical ideas of the Galilean dialect.

4 Comments
2025/02/01
10:07 UTC

10

is there an Aramaic name similar to Hillel/hillal?

So I’m Jewish but I often get mistaken for Arab because my name is Hillel which sounds similar to the Arabic name hillal

What’s interesting is that even though they sound similar they actually mean very different things. Hillel is a type of Jewish prayer while hillal means a crescent moon

So I’m curious, is there a similar sounding Aramaic name? What does it mean?

7 Comments
2025/01/19
20:59 UTC

8

What was Old Damascene Aramaic like? Are there any reconstructions?

Hello, So I've been quite interested in Western Neo Aramaic and ever since i got into Aramean history, I wanted to understand how Proto Aramaic/Old Aramaic worked with phonetics and vowels?

0 Comments
2025/01/16
14:15 UTC

9

Old Aramaic emphatic consonants

I tried searching on old aramaics phonology, but didn't find many good sources, would love help.

While Arabic's emphatic consonants are pharyngeal, I actually read that in Nabataean Arabic, which from what I understood had replaced Aramaic in the nabataean people, used a mixed of electives and pharyngeals. I thought maybe this could be a sign that Aramaic had elective emphatics, which influenced Nabataean Arabic. And if old aramaic had ejectives, I wonder if it could teach us on biblical hebrews emphatics, which scholar cannot agree on whether it used pharyngeal or ejective emphatics.

If you have any comprehensive sources on Aramaic phonology at different stages of its development, I would really aprectiate it.

0 Comments
2025/01/15
23:53 UTC

6

How to Pronounce 'ʔeχad' Phonetically (English Speaker)?

Hello! How do I phonetically pronounce the ancient Aramaic word of 'ʔeχad', meaning to seize or grasp? I've watched a few videos on the ʔ and χ sound but I'm not particularly confident as I think they may change depending on the translation. Nothing comes up when I try to find out on google either.

5 Comments
2025/01/02
22:25 UTC

3

Wanting to learn Turoyo Aramaic

Hey! I am 23F from Germany and I would love to learn Turoyo/Surayt. It’s pretty hard to find good courses online and unfortunately I do not know any native speaking it with me. I am not able to read the Aramaic alphabet and I want to focus on speaking it not reading it. Has anyone good sources or would be kind enough to practice it with me? I can offer german :)

2 Comments
2024/12/29
19:41 UTC

5

Aramaic dialect of Jesus

Hi everyone, I'm interested in learning the specific aramaic dialect that Jesus of Nazareth spoke in his time. If anyone knows I would love to learn.

5 Comments
2024/12/26
21:19 UTC

6

As a Lebanese arab interested in learning Aramaic what dialect is best suited for me?

Also any ( idealy youtube) recources provided would be appreciated?

6 Comments
2024/11/23
12:43 UTC

8

Resources for Jewish Babylonian Aramaic

Hi, I’m looking to learn Jewish Babylonian Aramaic and I’m looking for either an online course or a textbook. I’m fairly comfortable with Hebrew (biblical and modern) so I think that Aramaic would seem like learning Hebrew’s sister language. If you have any recommendations I’d really appreciate it.

5 Comments
2024/11/02
04:00 UTC

4

Shlama

How Close Semetic-Aramaic languages are

Word “peace”

Central Semitic: Salam (Arabic)

East Semetic: Akkadian: šulmu (Shulmu) Eblaite: šalam (Shalam)

North-West Semitic: Cannanite, Hebrew: Shalom Samaritan Hebrew] Shalam (šālām)

Aramaic Western Aramaic: WNA: Shloma (šlōma)
WPA: Shlām JBA: Shlama
SA: Shalom JPA: Shalama CPA: Shilam GA Shəlam/Shəlama

This is made by a dear friend so all creds to him

0 Comments
2024/10/31
06:22 UTC

8

I want to learn aramaic

so can someone explain to me what is the recommended way to learn it

15 Comments
2024/10/31
02:12 UTC

3

All Translation Requests and ID Requests Belong Here (III)

In an effort to keep the sub streamlined and avoid it being clogged with only one variety of posts:

All translation requests or requests to ID a language belong in the comments section of this post. All other posts of this variety will be deleted and the OP will be encouraged to resubmit their request here.

If you believe there is something special about your request such that it merits a regular post, please message a moderator.

Every so often this post will be taken down and a new one will be posted in its stead. If anyone would like to peruse previously pinned posts, they can be found here:

Pinned translation request post (I)

Pinned translation request post (II)

23 Comments
2024/10/27
00:06 UTC

0

Maronite Neo Aramaic

To all you Maronite Syriacs (and please don't start with Phoenicianism. You are Syriacs since the moment you have an Aramaic language called Suryāyā/Suryoyo as a sacred language and not Phoenician Canaanite, and despite the sectarian pride between Syriac churches the language which gives you name is called "Syriac (Aramaic)", and Christian Neo Aramaic dialects call themselves like that (Sūreth, Sūrayt, Sūryen/Sūryon)):

Some of you must know if you are into promoting the Aramaic languages of organisations such as Tur Levnon and others who promote your original identity and language which, at least in church, you still cling to. I've seen that they promote the revival of western Assyrian/Syriac Neo Aramaic (Turoyo) in their aim to revive Aramaic (mainly, but not exclusively) among the Maronites. My main question is to you, why the heck are you so intent on reviving Sūrayt/Suryoyo which is an Aramaic language of Beth Bahrain around Amid and don't pay a bit more attention to the language which is still spoken in Jubb'addin and Maa'loula which is basically the same language that your ancestors kept alive in the Anti-Lebanon and Lebanon Mountains until literally two centuries ago, the last remnant of Western Neo Aramaic for a long time, between the northern border of Galilee to the south, to Homs to the north; from Beirut to the west to Damascus to the east? I like to call this language Lebanese Aramaic (there is even a Wikipedia page on this dialect!) or even Maronite Aramaic, since for a long time it was mainly the Maronites who kept it alive and kicking and constituted the bulk of the speakers. In those two villages of Syria they've even begun to use Serto to write it, which I consider they should have been doing in the first place instead of reviving the Imperial Aramaic script...

Wouldn't you actually prefer this variant (Sūryen/Sūryon), since it's literally the last remaining dialect of your Lebanese Aramaic language?

PD: I am not from the Middle East, in case you see my name it will be clear to you. I am Catalan and a student of linguistics and pre-Columbian anthropology, as well as aspiring polyglot who is genuinely interested about Eastern Christian cultures. In fact, I want to learn Aramaic.In my case, as I have no especial personal link to any, I'll probably choose the most spoken variety, Eastern Assyrian Aramaic (Sūreth). I hope that by choosing this one variant I am not offending the sensibilities of speakers of speakers of other variants 😅.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lebanese_Aramaic

15 Comments
2024/10/25
00:17 UTC

5

wanting to learn

i’ve been wanting to learn how to speak or at the very least understand aramaic but i can’t find any helpful apps, i was wondering if anyone knows a good place to learn i’d really appreciate it

7 Comments
2024/10/20
23:37 UTC

2

Aramaic

Hello! I need your help! I have an audio in Aramaic that I need to transcribe so I can later translate it

1 Comment
2024/10/16
01:51 UTC

4

Need help conjugating Havah

Hello! I need help conjugating Havah into first person. According to strong’s concordance this word is of Aramaic origin. Thank you in advance for the help!

  1. hava or havah ►

Strong's Concordance hava or havah: to become, come to pass, be Original Word: הָוָא Part of Speech: Verb Transliteration: hava or havah Phonetic Spelling: (hav-aw') Definition: to become, come to pass, be NAS Exhaustive Concordance Word Origin (Aramaic) corresponding to havah Definition to become, come to pass, be

16 Comments
2024/10/15
10:44 UTC

3

What is the reasoning for the shva merakhef in שִׂפְתָא?

3 Comments
2024/10/14
07:10 UTC

5

The term “Nasoraean” in Syriac sources and its usage as opposed to “Nazoraene”

Hello everyone, I came across a book by someone named Mlle Chaumont who states, “it is well known that the term "nasraya is the usual designation of Christians in the Aramaic-speaking Churches.’ I did further investigation in dictionaries of certain Aramaic dialects such as Syriac and read that apparently the term “Nasraya” (Nasoraean) in the Syriac dictionaries it is stated that nasraya means, among other things, 'Christian'. Since I do not know Syriac, is it possible for someone to transliterate the words that are in Syriac into English that have been translated as Nazarene in the photo below? Below is a photo attached from the book, “A Compendious Syriac Dictionary” by Payne Smith.

https://preview.redd.it/6eqx1oa3n5td1.png?width=779&format=png&auto=webp&s=72bb8a905c9f33b505bdd0456121199b5f9fdae3

Also does anyone know Aramaic (non Mandaic) sources that call Christians “Nasraya” (not Nazoraeans)?

3 Comments
2024/10/06
15:31 UTC

15

What are the best Aramaic sources that you'd recommend?

Hi, So i have "A Grammer of Galilean Aramaic" by Casper Levias, Studies in Galilean Aramaic by E.Y Kutscher, Fragments of the Cairo genizah by Steven Fassberg, the studies done by Steve Caruso which is where i got my inspiration from, I'd just like to know if i could use the Dictionary of Jewish Palestinian Aramaic for Galilean Aramaic? consider it's where the dialect comes from, But i see a consistent use of שְׁלָמָא in both the DJPA and DJBA.

8 Comments
2024/09/27
06:38 UTC

7

What sources are there for Palmyrene and Nebataean Aramaic?

0 Comments
2024/09/20
15:53 UTC

3

Which Aramaic grammar is the most complete and useful for learning and understanding JPA? Thanks for your suggestions!

12 Comments
2024/09/16
06:45 UTC

9

In which JPA texts do emphatic nouns end in הַ and not א? And why? if there is a reason

17 Comments
2024/09/14
12:02 UTC

3

Can we use the vocalizations of the Genizah Targum to study the words of the Targum neofiti?

0 Comments
2024/09/08
08:40 UTC

3

Which text to read in Galilean / JPA in the comprehensive aramaic lexicon?

Can anyone tell me that I should read targum in the CAL, to learn Galilean Aramaic JPA? Thank you in advance!

3 Comments
2024/09/07
09:14 UTC

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