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Aramaic Annotations, Pt.

14
© T. Michael W. Halcomb (2010) | MichaelHalcomb.com

Notes from Rozenthal’s Grammar: Sections 1-3


§1. There are 4 locations in the OT where Aramaic shows up:
I) Ezra 4.8-6.18 & 7.12-26
II) Daniel 2.4-7.28
III) Jeremiah 10.11
IV) Genesis 31.47

• Aramaic texts come from periods separated by approx. 3 centuries beginning with
the 9th century BCE
• According to 2 Kgs. 18.26, Aramaic was known at the end of the 2nd millennium
BCE by high Assyrian & Jewish officials but not commoners. However, by the
second half of the 6th century BCE it was "THE" spoken language of
Mesopotamia

§2. The letters of the Biblical Aramaic alphabet are the same as those of the Hebrew
alphabet and of course, the writing goes from right to left.

• The following may be used as vowel letters: ‫ י‬/ ‫ ו‬/ ‫ ה‬/ ‫א‬
 ‫ = א‬long a / e
 ‫ = ו‬long u / o
 ‫ = י‬long i / e
 ‫ = ה‬long e
• Consonant doubling is indicated by a dot placed in the geminated (doubled) letter
• A dot also indicates non-spirantized pronunciation of BeGaDKePhaT letters
• A dot in a final ‫ ה‬vowel letter indicates it is to be pronounced as a consonant
• There are 3 known vowel systems: Palestinian, Babylonian and Tiberian
• See my "Aramaic Annotations" 2 - 4 to learn the vowel patterns, points,
pronunciations & transliterations
• Ketib Qere - Words written one way but read another

§3. While ‫ א‬can be a final vowel letter, it can also be a silent letter. This happens in a
variety of different types of words, for example, when it appears 1) in a final vowelless
position, 2) after a zero or murmured vowel, 3) in the distorted pronunciation of foreign
proper names.

• Spirantization of BeGaDKePhaT letters takes place after vowels, a zero and/or


murmured vowels resulting from the disappearance of an original vowel
• The t of the feminine ending shows t rather than t in a number of cases.
Spirantization comes after ē and takes place after the diphthong -ay.
• When BeGaDKePhaT letters start a word in a sentence where the preceding word
ended in a vowel, they are spirantized. This is often shown by the connecting line
between the words or by the use of a connecting accent. Accents are of two
types: connecting and dividing and they all appear on top or underneath the word
and are usually on the syllable receiving the primary stress.
• Demonstrative pronouns beginning with d show spirantization in connection with
nouns to which they belong.
• Consonant doubling involves true gemination; the consonant is pronounced twice
with a pause in between. All consonants except a and r are capable of
geminating. Final consonants do not double. The dot is not used with ‫החע‬.
• Short vowels a and r are lengthened. Vowel lengthening is often found before h.
• Substitution of nazalization for gemination often occurs.
• Short vowels in unstressed open syllables reduce to a zero or murmured vowel
while the preservation of a short vowel in an unstressed open syllable requires
that the syllable is stressed.
• A short i/e before closing syllable becomes a.
• Main word stress falls usually on the last syllable. Penult stress occurs in certain
grammatical formations where the suffixed element has a long vowel (e.g. indep.
personal pron., pronom. suffixes, suffixed elements of the verb and the adverbial
ending). Penult stress also occurs where the vowel of last syllable serves the
purpose of dissolving a consonant cluster.
• Enclitic uses of the prepositions l and b or of a genitive may deprive a word of its
stress or result in an exceptional stress on the penult.
• Secondary stress occurs in words of more than 2 syllables (often indicated by
short vertical line to left of vowel sign).

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