Jewish Babylonian Aramaic (Aramaic: ) was the form of Middle Aramaic employed by writers in Lower Mesopotamia between the fourth and eleventh centuries. It is most commonly identified with the language of the Babylonian Talmud (which was completed in the fifth century), the Targum Onqelos, and of post-Talmudic (Gaonic) literature, which are the most important cultural products of Babylonian Jews. The most important epigraphic sources for the dialect are the hundreds of inscriptions on incantation bowls.
The language was closely related to Eastern Aramaic varieties such as Mandaic. Its original pronunciation is uncertain and has to be reconstructed with the help of these kindred dialects and the reading tradition of the Yemenite Jews, and where available those of the Iraqi, Syrian and Egyptian Jews. The value of the Yemenite reading tradition has been challenged by Matthew Morgenstern. Vocalized Aramaic texts with which Jews are familiar, from the Tanakh and the siddurim, are of limited usefulness for this purpose, as they are in different dialects.
Talmudic Aramaic bears all the marks of being a specialist language of study and legal argumentation like Law French rather than a vernacular mother tongue, and continued in use for these purposes long after Judeo-Arabic languages had become used in daily life. It has developed a battery of technical logic terms such as "conclusive refutation" and "undecidable moot point", which are still used in Jewish legal writings, including those in other languages, and have influenced modern Hebrew.
Like the other Judeo-Aramaic languages, it was written in the Hebrew alphabet.
There are six major verb stems or verbal patterns (binyanim) in Jewish Babylonian Aramaic. The form peâÂÂal (äðüâ÷ÃÂ) âÂÂto doâÂÂ, the form Aph'el (ÃÂ÷äðâõÃÂ) âÂÂlet doâÂÂ, and the form Pa'el (ä÷üâõÃÂ) âÂÂlike to doâÂÂ, are all in the active voice. But the form Itpe'el (ÃÂôêðäðüâõÃÂ), the form Itaph'al (ÃÂôê÷äðâ÷ÃÂ) and the form Itpa'al (ÃÂôêðä÷üâ÷ÃÂ) are essentially reflexive and usually function in a passive sense.
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The Aramaic verb has two participles: an active participle with suffix and a passive participle with suffix:
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The verbal pattern (binyan) paâÂÂel are frequentative verbs showing repeated or intense action.
The verbal pattern pa'el is Active Frequentative.
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The verbal pattern itpa'al is Passive Frequentative.
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The verbal pattern aphel is Active Causative.
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The verbal pattern itaphal is Passive Causative.
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The language has received considerable scholarly attention, as shown in the bibliography below. However, the majority of those who are familiar with it, namely Orthodox Jewish students of Talmud, are given no systematic instruction in the language, and are expected to "sink or swim" in the course of their Talmudic studies, with the help of some informal pointers showing similarities and differences with Hebrew.