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<p>On 2015-05-14 7:39 pm, Sholom Simon via Mesorah wrote:</p>
<blockquote type="cite" style="padding-left:5px; border-left:#1010ff 2px solid; margin-left:5px; width:100%">Fascinating -- thanks RSM (and to RAK for the question)
<p>This leads to a simple follow up question from a newbie:</p>
<p>Does that mean by the time the Gemara comes around (perhaps a millennia after Reichsaramaisch -- I had to look up that term!), the final aleph has no meaning at all (or, rather, is the standard form of the noun)? If so, is that for both Bavli and Y'mi?</p>
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<p>As a general rule, the Bavli tends to deemphasize suffixes. And so Ribbi becomes Rav.</p>
<p>The Yerushalmi deemphasize the beginning of a word. Rabbi Yuda (Yehudah), Rabbi La (Ila), etc... (BTW, that last one is a killer: The same phrase could be "Rebbe didn't say" or "Rabbi La said".)</p>
<p>I imagine that the dropped alef effect was less frequent in EY.</p>
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<pre>Tir'u baTov!
-Micha
<span style="font-family: 'courier new', courier;">--
Micha Berger Here is the test to find whether your mission
micha@aishdas.org on Earth is finished:
http://www.aishdas.org if you're alive, it isn't.
Fax: (270) 514-1507 - Richard Bach</span></pre>
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