Samaritan Aramaic language
Samaritan Aramaic, or Samaritan, was the dialect of Aramaic used by the Samaritans in their sacred and scholarly literature. This should not be confused with the Samaritan Hebrew language of the Scriptures. Samaritan Aramaic ceased to be a spoken language some time between the 10th and the 12th centuries.
| Samaritan Aramaic | |
|---|---|
| ארמית Arāmît | |
| Pronunciation | [arɑmiθ], [arɑmit], [ɑrɑmɑjɑ], [ɔrɔmɔjɔ] |
| Region | Israel and Palestine, predominantly in Samaria and Holon. |
| Extinct | by 12th century; liturgical use[1] |
| Samaritan alphabet | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-2 | sam |
| ISO 639-3 | sam |
| Glottolog | sama1314 |
In form it resembles the Aramaic of the Targumim, and is written in the Samaritan alphabet.
Important works written in Samaritan include the translation of the Samaritan Pentateuch in the form of the targum paraphrased version. There are also legal, exegetical and liturgical texts, though later works of the same kind were often written in Arabic.
Sample
Exodus XX.1-6:
- Umellel Elâ'e yet kel milleyya aalen l'mimar.
- Ana Šema Eluek deppiqtek men ara d'Mişrem mibbet av'doothah.
- La ya'i lakk elah ahkharin, bar minah.
- La tewed lakh tsilam v'khal d'mu debšumeyya milleilah wedbaraa millera wedbameyya mil'ra l'ar'ah.
- La tisgad l'hon v'la tifli'khinon arei anah ala anaki Šema elaak el kana mas'ar khoveih awaan al b'nin m'rahdin al dahr t'leethai v'ah; dahr r'vee'ai l'sahnai kad mashl'meen b'nayah l'meekhtei bathar avahth'hohn.
- Wabed teivoo l'al'fei dahreen l'rahkhamai welnateri fiqqudi.
Notice the similarities with Judeo-Aramaic as found in Targum Onqelos to this same passage (some expressions below are paraphrased, not literally translated):
- וּמַלֵּיל יְיָ יָת כָּל פִּתְגָמַיָּא הָאִלֵּין לְמֵימַר
- אֲנָא יְיָ אֱלָהָךְ דְּאַפֵּיקְתָּךְ מֵאַרְעָא דְּמִצְרַיִם מִבֵּית עַבְדוּתָא
- לָא יִהְוֵי לָךְ אֱלָהּ אָחֳרָן, בָּר מִנִּי
- לָא תַּעֲבֵיד לָךְ צֵילַם וְכָל דְּמוּ דְּבִשְׁמַיָּא מִלְּעֵילָא וְדִבְאַרְעָא מִלְּרַע וְדִבְמַיָּא מִלְּרַע לְאַרְעָא
- לָא תִּסְגּוֹד לְהוֹן וְלָא תִּפְלְחִנִּין אֲרֵי אֲנָא יְיָ אֱלָהָךְ אֵל קַנָּא מַסְעַר חוֹבֵי אֲבָהָן עַל בְּנִין מָרָדִין עַל דָּר תְּלִיתַאי וְעַל דָּר רְבִיעַאי לְסָנְאָי כַּד מַשְׁלְמִין בְּנַיָּא לְמִחְטֵי בָּתַר אֲבָהָתְהוֹן
- וְעָבֵיד טֵיבוּ לְאַלְפֵי דָּרִין לְרָחֲמַי וּלְנָטְרֵי פִּקּוֹדָי
Bibliography
- J. Rosenberg, Lehrbuch der samaritanischen Sprache und Literatur, A. Hartleben's Verlag: Wien, Pest, Leipzig.
- Nicholls, G. F. A Grammar of the Samaritan Language with Extracts and Vocabulary. London: Samuel Bagster and Sons, 1858.
- Tal, Abraham, A Dictionary of Samaritan Aramaic: Brill 2000 ISBN 90-04-11645-1
External links
- Samaritan Aramaic Targum - Aramaic text of Samaritan Targum with English translation.
- -https://www.the-samaritans.net - The Samaritans prayers services and liturgy.
