Samaritan Aramaic

Not to be confused with Samaritan Hebrew.

Samaritan Aramaic was the dialect of Aramaic used by the Samaritans in their sacred and scholarly literature. This should not be confused with Samaritan Hebrew, the language of the Samaritan Pentateuch. Samaritan Aramaic ceased to be a spoken language some time between the 10th and the 12th centuries, with Samaritans switching to Palestinian Arabic as their vernacular.

Samaritan Aramaic
ࠀࠓࠌࠉࠕ Arāmît
Pronunciation	[arɑmiθ], [arɑmit], [ɑrɑmɑjɑ], [ɔrɔmɔjɔ]
Region	Israel and Palestine, predominantly in Samaria and Holon.
Extinct	by 12th century; liturgical use
Language family	Afro-Asiatic Semitic Central Semitic Northwest Semitic Aramaic Western Palestinian Aramaic Samaritan Aramaic
Early forms	Proto-Afroasiatic Proto-Semitic Old Aramaic Middle Aramaic Palestinian Aramaic
Writing system	Samaritan alphabet
Language codes
ISO 639-2	sam
ISO 639-3	sam
Glottolog	sama1314

In form, Samaritan Aramaic resembles the Aramaic of the Targumim, and is written in the Samaritan alphabet. Important works written in it include the translation of the Samaritan Pentateuch, legal, exegetical and liturgical texts.

Sample

Exodus XX.1-6:

1. Umellel Elâ'e yet kel milleyya aalen l'mimar.
2. Ana Šema Eluek deppiqtek men ara d'Miṣrem mibbet av'doothah.
3. La ya'i lakk elah ahkharin, bar minah.
4. La tewed lakh tsilam v'khal d'mu debšumeyya milleilah wedbaraa millera wedbameyya mil'ra l'ar'ah.
5. 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 mašl'meen b'nayah l'meekhtei bathar avahth'hohn.
6. 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):

1. Umalleil Adonai yat kol pitgamayya ha'illein lemeimar
   וּמַלֵּיל יְיָ יָת כָּל פִּתְגָמַיָּא הָאִלֵּין לְמֵימַר‎
2. Ana Adonai elahach de'appeiktach me'ar'a deMiṣrayim mibbeit avduta
   אֲנָא יְיָ אֱלָהָךְ דְּאַפֵּיקְתָּךְ מֵאַרְעָא דְּמִצְרַיִם מִבֵּית עַבְדוּתָא‎
3. La yihvei lach elah achoran, bar minni
   לָא יִהְוֵי לָךְ אֱלָהּ אָחֳרָן, בָּר מִנִּי‎
4. La ta'aveid lach ṣeilam vechol demu devišmayya mille'eila vediv'ar'a millera vedivmayya millera le'ar'a
   לָא תַּעֲבֵיד לָךְ צֵילַם וְכָל דְּמוּ דְּבִשְׁמַיָּא מִלְּעֵילָא וְדִבְאַרְעָא מִלְּרַע וְדִבְמַיָּא מִלְּרַע לְאַרְעָא‎
5. La tisgod lehon vela tiflechinnin arei ana adonai elahach el kanna mas'ar chovei avahan al benin maradin al dar telitai ve'al dar revi'ai lesane'ai kad mašlemin benayya lemichtei batar avahatehon
   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
6. Ve'aveid teivu le'alfei darin lerachamai ulenaterei pikkodai
   וְעָבֵיד טֵיבוּ לְאַלְפֵי דָּרִין לְרָחֲמַי וּלְנָטְרֵי פִּקּוֹדָי‎

See also

• Christian Palestinian Aramaic
• Jewish Babylonian Aramaic
• Jewish Palestinian Aramaic
• Mandaic language
• Western Neo-Aramaic

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
• The Samaritan prayers services and liturgy