Aramaic Language Learning

[Rolan Sacco]

Iam interested in learning Aramaic on my own. I would like to be able to have just a basic working usage of the language. I am more interested in learning its pronunciation than being able to read the language.

Would anyone be able to point me in the direction as to where I could get a CD or DVD or some other media I can use for the working basics of the Aramaic language, along with basic dialogues used in everyday situations that I can listen to?

I did some searching on the Internet, and it seems that the Catholic Maronites use mainly Western Middle Syriac/Western Middle Syriac Aramaic as their liturgical language. (Even though they also seem to use Arabic (look under heading '(5) The Liturgy') and in the Diaspora sometimes even the local language - e.g. English in the US.)

So even though you are not asking about Biblical Aramaic but rather about one of its successors, this is still a 'dead language'. Obviously these are usually not taught like living languages with modern methods, and so it seems very unlikely to find a CD/DVD with "basic dialogues used in everyday situations" for you to listen to (and as a matter of fact, I didn't come upon something like that in my searches).

If my assumption is right that the Aramaic used by the Catholic Maronites is the same as/a variant of Classical Syriac (if someone knows for sure, please leave a comment!) then there are of course books teaching the latter. Some of these even come with CDs, but they seem to use mainly examples taken from the Peshitta (the standard version of the Bible for churches in the Syriac tradition) or from some other classical Syriac text. You also have to realize that all these books teaching Classical Syriac are in the traditional style with a strong emphasis on grammar etc. All this is obviously very far from what you have been looking for, but if your desire to learn this language is greater than your aversion to these learning methods then here are just a few links (mainly to Amazon):

1) Leshono Suryoyo: First Studies in Syriac I mentioned this book first, since it seems to come with a CD (but some of the reviewers complained of not receiving one, others mentioned it comes only with the Hardcover edition). Both the text and the audio can also be found on archive.org.

2) Introduction To Syriac This book comes without a CD, but I included it since it judging from the reviews it seems to be a much easier book to use for studying without a teacher than the first one. There is also a Key to Exercises but with very bad reviews.

3) The New Syriac Primer: An Introduction to The Syriac Language This book does have two 5 Star reviews on Goodreads, but I put it last since the publishing house's link for downloading the accompanying CD material seems to be dead.

The question remains of course if the language, and especially the pronunciation taught in these scholarly books is still the same as the liturgical Aramaic used today in Maronite Churches. Quite likely there will be some differences, similar to the differences between Classical Latin and the Ecclesiastical Latin of the Catholic Church.

So finally, a last thing for you to consider: there is an online course in Surayt (also known as Turoyo), "a Neo-Aramaic language, traditionally spoken by the Syriac Christians (also known as Arameans and Assyrians) in different countries in the Middle East, and today by approximately 250,000 people in Europe. Surayt is a continuation of the ancient Aramaic language..." For the time being this course exists only in German, but an English version is supposed to go online soon.

It is not Lashon Hakodesh and it was written in Aramaic as that was the language spoken at the time but nowadays where English is the vernacular why should Yeshiva students be pushed to learn Gemara in an extinct language.

I don't see it as a "punishment" any more than one is punished by having to read Shakespeare in his Elizabethan English, rather than in an "updated" text. It's not because the language is sacred, it's because that's the one that it was written in. After all, every translation is a commentary; are you really satisfied with limiting yourself to those composed by other people, never once learning how to read the actual thing yourself? And since the translators working for Artscroll aren't actually infallible, you'd do well not to rely so completely on what they've written, but learn how to critique it. And what better place to do so than in a charedi yeshiva!

According to Tiferes Yisroel the gemara was redacted multiple times by Ravina and Rav Ashi. The reformatted the words to make them more contemporary. The Masechtos they didn't get around to have uncommon words. But apparently even they didn't pull off a complete switcharoo.

Many times authorities are unsure of a word's meaning, and that word has halachic ramifications. We can't just get rid of the original and replace it with our possibly flawed translation. We must study it to become experts in it.

One example comes to mind is Rabbeinu Tam in Seffer Hayashar talking about business transactions on Chol Hamoed. He points out that Chazzal disallowed Prakmatia, a word only used to connote a business transaction, not personal acquisitions. This is a subtlety that might have been lost had someone previously translated that word into a more common, respectively modern, language.

Aramaic is actually one of the biblical languages (Daniel, Ezra/Nehemia) and even has words in the Pentateuch (e.g. "ygar sahadutha" by the treaty of Lavan and Yaakov). The Maharal interprets the unique significance of Aramaic and advocates that shnayim mikra v'echad targum specifically employ Targum Onkelos for this reason. (In seeming contrast, the gemara in Bava Kamma [at the end of Hachovel(?)]) criticizes those who combine the language of the Babylonians with Hebrew [i.e. the classical version of "Yiddish"] so this likely is irrelevant since the Babylonian tongue alone is advocated there.) Nonetheless, there is certainly a solid argument to be made that if the language comes at the cost of the lomdus, the tafel has replaced the ikar.

I am rather surprised at the answers here.There is nothing wrong with learning gemoro in English. But the fact is, it was written in Aramaic. Anyone who has learned meforshim will tell you that each word is 'counted'. There are no superfluous words. Every word contains a chiddush! No one can write like that today, so the English translation is not like the original.Therefore there is no alternative but to learn it in its original language.

It's helpful if said bochurim plan to learn almost any post-Talmudic Torah literature too. Commentaries on the Gemara, commentaries on Shulchan Aruch, responsa, and much else use a lot of Talmudic expressions.

Regardless, it is always best to read something in its original text and try to learn the language. So, I would extend the premise of your question a bit further. Why aren't yeshivot teaching Aramaic so that students can understand the Gemarra in its original language? When I was in yeshiva, we learned Hebrew for about two years and spoke Hebrew to the teacher and our students in class for half the day. By the time I started learning Chumash with Rash"i, I barely needed the English translation to understand almost every word.

In 6th grade, when I began to learn Gemara, we had 5 pages of gilyonot - mimeographed sheets (who here recalls what a mimeograph was?) with Aramaic vocabulary words that we had to memorize and were quizzed on every few days. That was both before and coincidental to learning Gemarah. I should mention that Art Scroll didn't exist then, but Hertz and Soncino were around, but we didn't use them.

My point - inevitably, something is lost in translation. It's unavoidable. So, it makes sense to learn it in the original language. The problem, as I said, is that few yeshivot these days are teaching the original language. So, I think that much of your premise isn't completely factual.

To expound on Loewain's great answer. You see Aramaic in each Corpus of Tanach (TaNaCh). In Torah as Loewain pointed out the Torah (Book of Genesis) says when Lavan and sons were chasing after Yakov and family, the Pasuk says the 2 made a "Peace Treaty Memorial" by gathering a "Heap of stones" and Yackov called it "Gal Eid" (Hebrew for "Pile (of stones) (should be a) Witness (as to the fact that we made a Peace Treaty)and Lavan called it Ygar Sahadusa (Aramaic for same). In The Corpus of Neviem (Prophets) there are many words in Aramaic.In the Corpus of Cisuvim (Writtings) Ezra (I don't think 2nd part- I.e. Nechemia) has several entire Verses on Aramaic; But the Book of Daniel has the Most, even Chapters of Aramaic. (Interestingly, the Aramaic is mostly only written down when the players in the Book spoke or wrote on Aramaic, and we are quoting them or reading or writing thier Letters.I believe it was The Ramban that wrote that Aramaic is a Holy Language, and in fact our Forefather Avraham spoke Aramaic. (As he was from Or Chasdim in Babylon which explains why Lavan who came out of that family also spoke Aramaic, as well as the Chaladians in The Book of Daniel. However, since "The Men of the Great Assembly" edited and organized some Books in the Corpus of "Writtings" (Daniel for example Did write the Book of Daniel in a Rough Draft sort of format, as did Nechemia, however, "The Men of the Great Assembly" (71 members whom according to many; All served in the Great Sanhedrin of 71, either before the 1st Temple was destroyed, or after the 2nd Temple was built, they also had the last three Prophets amongst them) wrote the Final Draft, through Prophesy & Great Wisdom Consensus, they decided to write Aramaic whenever the Character did in fact speak in Aramaic. The Ramban (Nachmonides) explains that they did this because it's more accurate to have the real words used instead of translating it into Hebrew. They could do this now, he writes, because the Jews now, after having lived or still living in Exile Babylon can read Aramaic!

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