Turgama

Computer -Assisted Analysis of the Peshitta and the Targum: Text, Language and Interpretation.

The TURGAMA project concerns a computer-assisted linguistic analysis, incorporating matters of text-historical interest and translation technique, of the Peshitta. It covers two closely related topics: the language and textual history of the Aramaic translations of the Bible (in this case Targum Jonathan) and the language of Classical Syriac documents which (unlike the Peshitta) are not themselves translations.

In TURGAMA a model of textual analysis is used that has been developed in the pilot-project CALAP (Computer-Assisted Linguistic Analysis of the Peshitta). In CALAP the model has been applied to Kings and Sirach. In TURGAMA this model and the computer programs required for are further developed, applied to another part of the Peshitta (Judges), and extended towards the Targum (Judges) and a corpus of original (non-translated) Syriac, namely the Book of the Laws of Countries or Dialogue on Fate. 

The Project leader is Dr. Wido van Peursen who received a VIDI grant for this project from the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO). 

For more information, including a description of methods and tools and a bibliography, see information brochure.  

Project team

Dr. W.Th. van Peursen
D. Bakker (MA)
A. Gutman (École Normale Supérieure)
Dr. P.S.F. van Keulen
C.J. Sikkel (MA)
J.A. Volkmer (Oriental Institute, Oxford)

Other members of the project team 

Dr. J.W. Dyk (Amsterdam, Werkgroep Informatica Vrije Universiteit)
Dr. M.L. Folmer (Leiden University, Faculty of Humanities, Hebrew and Aramaic)  
Dr. E. van Staalduine-Sulman (Amsterdam, Werkgroep Informatica Vrije Universiteit)  
Prof. Dr. E. Talstra (Amsterdam, Werkgroep Informatica Vrije Universiteit)  
Dr. J.W. Wesselius (Theological University Kampen) 

Advisory Board 

Prof. Dr. A. van der Kooij (Leiden, Theology)  
Prof. Dr. A. de Leeuw van Weenen (Leiden, Comparative Linguistics)
Prof. Dr. T. Muraoka (Leiden, Hebrew/Aramaic)
Prof. Dr. A. Verhagen (Leiden, Centre for Linguistics)  
Prof. A.D. Forbes (Palo Alto)  
Prof. Dr. G. Goldenberg (Jerusalem)  
Prof. Dr. J. Joosten (Strasbourg)
Dr. W.F. Smelik (London)
 

Purpose

The aim of the project is to contribute to:

  1. The linguistic and text-historical study of the Peshitta. 
  2. The study of Classical Syriac (both the Peshitta and original Syriac texts)
  3. The linguistic and text-historical study of the Targumim. 
  4. The methodological debate about the computer-assisted analysis of texts and translations.  

The project will focus on the following questions:
  1. What was the interaction between language system and translation technique in the translation from Hebrew (source language) into Syriac/Aramaic (target language)?
  2. How does Biblical Syriac relate to early original Syriac?
  3. What is the relation between the Peshitta and the Targum in terms of textual history, translation technique and interpretation?
  4. How can a computer-assisted analysis contribute to the interpretation of (religious) texts?

Project I: Language and Interpretation in the Peshitta to Judges

Computer-assisted analysis of the language system of Peshitta-Judges in the light of original Classical Syriac (cf. Project III) and the background of Peshitta-Judges in terms of translation technique and textual history in comparison with Targum-Judges (cf. Project IV).

Dr. W.Th. van Peursen

Project II: Linguistic study of Psalm 1-30 according to the Peshitta version

PhD research at the Oriental Institute Oxford on linguistic and text-critical aspects of the Peshitta to Psalms under the supervision of David G.K. Taylor and Wido van Peursen.

Jeffrey A. Volkmer, Oriental Institute, Oxford

Linguistic study of the Book of the Laws of the Countries

Computer-assisted linguistic analysis of the Book of the Laws of the Countries or Dialogue on Fate, including an analysis at the levels of words, phrases, clauses and text.

Mr. D. Bakker (MA)

Project IV: Study of language and translation technique of Targum Jonathan to Judges

Computer-assisted linguistic analysis of Targum Jonathan to Judges, incorporating issues of textual criticism, textual history and translation technique.

Dr. P.S.F. van Keulen

Project V: Computer programs, methodology of linguistic and textual analysis

Development of models and tools for the computer-assisted linguistic analysis of various forms of Aramaic and Syriac and for the comparative analysis of the Hebrew Bible, the Peshitta, and the Targum.

Mr. C.J. Sikkel and Dr. W.Th. van Peursen

Project VI: The two Syriac versions of the Prayer of Manasseh

Computer-assisted comparative analysis of the two Syriac versions of the Prayer of Manasseh, focusing on grammatical phenomena, lexical correspondences, vocabulary counts, and discourse arrangement.
 
Mr Ariel Gutman (École Normale Superiore) and Wido van Peursen

Colloqium ‘Text comparison and digital creativity' 30-31 October 2008

On 30 and 31 October 2008 the Turgama project organized a colloquium ‘Text comparison and digital creativity' in collaboration with the Virtual Knowledge Studio (VKS). The VKS is a programme of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW) that aims to support researchers in the creation of new scholarly practices.The colloquium took place on the occasion of the Academy’s 200th anniversary. The subtitle of the colloquium was  'An International colloquium on the co-production of presence and meaning in digital text scholarship’ For more information see the colloquium website.

Contact

For more information about the project or possibilities to cooperate you can contact the director of the project, Dr Wido van Peursen.

Information brochure

Religious Studies Web Editors
Last Modified: 04-04-2011