For your convenience, I have included the pronunciation guide as a printable pdf, in the case you would like to keep a copy in the back of your book for easy reference.

The Aramaic glossary and accompanying pronunciation guide in One Illumined Thread was translated from English by Nahum Ben-Yehuda, a graduate of the departments of Talmud and Jewish history respectively at Bar Ilan University, where he is currently completing his doctorate. He is also an ordained orthodox Rabbi.

The fields of research in which he is engaged include Hebrew Bible, Talmud and Targum — with special focus on Hebrew, Aramaic and non-Semitic loanword linguistic aspects.

In Judea, during the period in which this story is set, a certain dialect of Aramaic was the common spoken language. The following translations have been identified with academic rigour, in accordance with contemporaneous literary sources.

I hope you enjoy Nahum’s beautifully articulated pronunciation suggestions as much as I do. And relish the experience of speaking this exquisite ancient language for yourself.

Please click on the link below to download the Aramaic pronunciation guide.