Biblical Hebrew Forum

[Jack Kilmon <jkilmon AT historian.net>]

yochanan bitan wrote:
> 
> some have asked about `ayin.
> some make a big plosive glottal stop.
> 

That post was very useful, Randy.  Alephs and Ayins
open up some questions in my mind regarding Galilean
Aramaic and the possible influence that non-semitic
language had on the pronounciation of Aramaic in
that region.  Perhaps you could recommend a good
resource on the phonetic vagaries of Galilean
Aramaic.  I understand that terminal alephs and ayins
were just dropped..like a Cockney H...perhaps the
reason Yeshua's buddy Alazar comes down to us as
LAZAR(us).

I think it was your remark about the influence
of German linguists likening het to a German "ch"
that got me to thinking...a dangerous enterprise
on my first cup of coffee this morning.

The Galilee was very Hellenistic, hence how much
influence did Greek have on the vocalization of
Galilean Aramaic by the Semitic populace?  Did the
Semitic speaking Galileans adopt the gentler and
easier vocal gymnastics of Greek?  Does this explain
the softer beyts and dropped pharyngeals?

It seems logical to me that a native language with
more complex gymnastics would "degrade" under a
heavy influence from a non-native language
introduced into the region.  A more drastic
example might be Egyptian to Coptic...but is this
pattern considered when attempting to phoneticize
Galilean Aramaic?

Jack
-- 
______________________________________________

taybutheh d'maran yeshua masheecha am kulkon

Jack Kilmon
jkilmon AT historian.net

http://www.historian.net