Hebrew University Researchers Revive Ancient Babylonian Talmud Sounds Through Prof. Shlomo Morag’s Recordings
Prof. Shlomo Morag dedicated his life to recording Jewish sages reading ancient texts, aiming to revive the sounds of Hebrew and Aramaic as spoken centuries ago. Beginning in the 1950s, Morag and his team at the "Traditions of Language" project amassed thousands of hours of recordings from Jewish communities worldwide, with a special focus on Yemenite Jews whose linguistic isolation preserved ancient traditions. These recordings captured not only the pronunciations but also the cognitive processes of readers interpreting unvocalized Aramaic Talmudic texts.
Currently, a research group led by Prof. Elitzur Bar-Asher Siegal at the Hebrew University is reexamining Morag’s archive with a cognitive linguistic approach. They study how traditional linguistic knowledge is formed, organized, and transmitted across generations, using computational models to analyze the frequency and structure of words alongside historical manuscripts and translations. Their findings suggest that Yemenite readers do not simply recite fixed pronunciations but actively reconstruct vocalizations by drawing on a shared mental lexicon that transcends strict language boundaries.
Bar-Asher Siegal explains that when readers encounter unpointed Semitic texts, they rely on a dynamic cognitive system that integrates Hebrew, Babylonian Aramaic, and other dialects, using analogy, probability, and linguistic knowledge to make educated guesses. This challenges the notion of a fossilized tradition, revealing instead a living cognitive process that evolves with each generation.
The research will be presented at the Ninth International Conference on Jewish Languages at the Hebrew University from August 3 to 6, commemorating the centenary of Morag’s birth with a dedicated session and award. The project not only honors Morag’s pioneering work but also breathes new life into his recordings by combining them with modern statistical and cognitive science methods, uncovering the human mind’s role in preserving and revitalizing ancient linguistic heritage.
