This work analyses the verbal systems of Aramaic, both the classical languages and the modern dialects. The importance of the verbal system for understanding the nature of a language or group of languages can hardly be overestimated so that the choice of this topic of research, so I think, needs no further justification. The Aramaic verbal systems are primarily analysed on a synchronic level, but some sections are devoted to diachronic questions, the answers to which are of decisive importance for understanding the development of the Neo-Aramaic language area. On a synchronic level, the aim is to examine whether the individual verb forms should be analysed as aspectual, temporal or modal in order to decide whether the verbal system in question should be regarded as aspect-, tense- or mood-prominent. The diachronically orientated sections investigate the development of the individual verb forms and the verbal systems as a whole and particularly attempt to shed some light on the proto-dialects from which Neo-Aramaic emerged, thus perhaps making a modest contribution to the understanding of the history of Aramaic.
Part 1 of this work describes the methodological principles on which the analysis of the verb forms in particular is based and gives a brief chronological overview of the Aramaic languages and dialects. Part 2 deals with the classical languages from Old to Middle Aramaic and ends with a chapter in which the results are summarised and diachronic considerations are made. Each language has a chapter dedicated to it, each chapter being arranged according to categories; first the category anteriority to the speech time is dealt with and the verb forms used to express it are examined, followed by anteriority to a reference point in the past and so on; at the end of each chapter the functions in which the individual verb forms are used are summarised and on the basis of this summary a decision is made as to whether they are to be analysed as aspectual, temporal or modal, and whether they are to be regarded as marked or unmarked. It seems to me most appropriate to deal with the question of whether the verbal systems as a whole are to be considered as aspect-, tense- or mood-prominent in a separate chapter for all languages together, as this makes it easier to recognise relationships and developments.
Part 3 deals with Neo-Aramaic and begins with the early Jewish and Christian texts from the 17th century. It concludes with a summarising and diachronic chapter.
It is not possible to present all languages and dialects in equal detail. Only a small part of the modern dialects in particular can be included in the work, namely Early Neo-Aramaic, Western Neo-Aramaic, Mandaic, Ṭuroyo, and from NENA two Jewish and two Christian dialects were selected. The remaining dialects can only be considered in summarised form in the final chapter of Part 3. However, the dialects not presented in extenso have also been analysed, so there is no reason to fear that crucial facts may have been overlooked.