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<DIV>On 5/24/2007 RJB wrote: </DIV><FONT
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<DIV><BR>>>I was thinking the other day about Echod Mi Yodea. Now,
not all the <BR>verses rhyme. However, some do, and do so by switching
Aramaic.<BR>The numerals are Hebrew, not Aramaic, and the first 6 are
Hebrew.<BR>Then you get 7 "yemei Shabata" Aramaic<BR>
9 "yarchei leida" Aramaic yarchei not chodshei,
which would<BR>
scan just as well.<BR> 10
"dibraya"<BR> 11
"coch'vaya"<BR> 12
"shivtaya"<BR> 13
"midaya".<BR><BR>Is it known who wrote it? Why the shift from Hebrew to
Aramaic?<<<BR></DIV>
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<DIV>>>>></DIV>
<DIV>My guess: Whoever wrote it lived in a time and place where people
mainly spoke Aramaic but were comfortable with Hebrew too, and switched
naturally back and forth between languages without giving it much
thought -- much as we do here on Avodah. </DIV>
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<DIV>"Yarchei" BTW is Hebrew as well as Aramaic -- probably borrowed from
Aramaic, but by the time Echad Mi Yodea was written -- it was considered a
Hebrew word by Hebrew speakers, I'm sure.<BR></DIV></FONT></DIV></DIV>
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<DIV><FONT lang=0 face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2 FAMILY="SANSSERIF"
PTSIZE="10"><STRONG></STRONG><BR><B>--Toby
Katz<BR>=============</B></FONT></DIV></FONT><BR><BR><BR><DIV><FONT style="color: black; font: normal 10pt ARIAL, SAN-SERIF;"><HR style="MARGIN-TOP: 10px">See what's free at <A title="http://www.aol.com?ncid=AOLAOF00020000000503" href="http://www.aol.com?ncid=AOLAOF00020000000503" target="_blank">AOL.com</A>. </FONT></DIV></BODY></HTML>