Biblical Hebrew Forum

[James Read <J.Read-2 AT sms.ed.ac.uk>]

Hi,

are you suggesting that Aramaic was not the 'primary international  
language' in the Ancient East in pre-exilic times?

James Christian

Quoting George Athas <George.Athas AT moore.edu.au>:

> James,
>
> English is today's primary international language, proliferated   
> through the use of modern mass media and the internet. English lingo  
>  has just about entered every language as a result. This modern   
> phenomenon has absolutely no bearing on the question of Persian   
> loanwords in Hebrew. The contexts are so vastly different that the   
> comparison you are trying to draw is extremely far fetched.
>
> But, let's work with your analogy anyway. Since when has English   
> entered the lingo of Ukrainian and Italian? Was it there 300 years   
> ago? 200 years? 100 years? I think you could argue that the   
> influence has largely come in the last generation or so. You can use  
>  historical detail to figure this out. Same with Persian loanwords  
> in  Hebrew. When are they likely to have entered? Before there were  
> any  substantial contacts between Hebrew-speakers and Persians, or  
> after?  It's not a question of 'conquest', but of contact/interaction.
>
> So, yes, the presence of Persian loanwords in Hebrew is significant.
>
>
> Regards,
>
> GEORGE ATHAS
> Moore Theological College (Sydney, Australia)
> www.moore.edu.au
>
> _______________________________________________
> b-hebrew mailing list
> b-hebrew AT lists.ibiblio.org
> http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/b-hebrew



--
The University of Edinburgh is a charitable body, registered in
Scotland, with registration number SC005336.