A grammar of Biblical Aramaic

"The purpose of this grammar is twofold. It is, on one hand, to provide the beginner with the elements of the language, and, on the other, to prepare him...for possible research in the problems of Aramaeology. These two aims may seem mutually contradictory, and it must be admitted that they are to a degree. However, the attempt is always worth making, and Biblical Aramaic, representing the comparative simplicity of the old consonant writing with the complexities of a much later stage of the spoken language superimposed upon it, is a strenuous training ground...Knowledge of the syntax is important in any language, and in Aramaic where the syntax in particular reflects the history of the language most faithfully..."-- Preface.