Samaritan Aramaic language

Samaritan Aramaic, or Samaritan, was the dialect of Aramaic used by the Samaritans in their sacred and scholarly literature. This should not be confused with the Samaritan Hebrew language of the Scriptures. 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 language.

In form it resembles the Aramaic of the Targumim, and is written in the Samaritan alphabet.

Important works written in Samaritan include the translation of the Samaritan Pentateuch in the form of the targum paraphrased version. There are also legal, exegetical and liturgical texts, though later works of the same kind were often written in Arabic.

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
 * 2) Ana Adonai elahach de'appeiktach me'ar'a deMiṣrayim mibbeit avduta
 * 3) La yihvei lach elah achoran, bar minni
 * 4) La ta'aveid lach ṣeilam vechol demu devišmayya mille'eila vediv'ar'a millera vedivmayya millera le'ar'a
 * 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
 * 6) Ve'aveid teivu le'alfei darin lerachamai ulenaterei pikkodai