Aramaic in its historical and linguistic setting

This volume contains contributions by W. Arnold, S. E. Fassberg, M. L. Folmer, W. R. Garr, A. Gianto, H. Gzella, J. F. Healey, O. Jastrow, J. Joosten, O. Kapeliuk, S. A. Kaufman, G. Khan, R. Kuty, A. Lemaire, E. Lipin´ski, H. L. Murre-van den Berg, C. Morrison, N. Pat-El, W. Th. van Peursen, and A. Tal. They discuss central issues of Aramaic linguistics in the light of the most recent research: editions of primary source material; extensive historical and linguistic overviews on matters of classification and language change; detailed studies of grammatical and lexical topics analyzing data from different Aramaic languages, for instance determination and tense-aspect-modality systems. Several papers closely interact with each other. As a whole, they bridge the gap between ancient and modern forms of Aramaic by providing a more comprehensive approach to this language group and its attested history of three millennia. Thanks to a sharp thematic focus, wide-ranging discussions of a great amount of material, and up-to-date theoretical frameworks, these proceedings can also act as a modern handbook of Aramaic in all its complexity. All articles are thematically arranged, fully indexed and cross-referenced.