The History of the Modern Aramaic Pronouns and Pronominal Suffixes

Abstract

have been spoken there in ancient times. The relationship between the modern dialects and older Aramaic may be explored by applying the method of comparative reconstruction to the modern dialects, creating a hypothesis as to the nature of their ancestor. This approach is applied here to the personal pronouns and the pronominal suffixes which function in the inflection of verbs, nouns, and prepositions. The reconstructed proto-NENA pronominal system has similarities to those of Syriac and Babylonian Jewish Aramaic, but also important innovations of its own. By identifying innovations shared by two or more of the modern dialects, conclusions about their genetic classification can be drawn.'