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What is the source for the custom that Yemenite Jews people count Sefira in Aramaic? and why do they do it?

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Otzar Ta'amei Haminhagim (cf.) explains that it is a remnant of a time when the spoken language was Aramaic. Since the primary purpose of s'fira is the keeping track of days it is preferable to count in a language that enables the counter to keep track - i.e. a language the counter understands.

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Which leaves the question why we do not – SimchasTorah Apr 29 '11 at 2:54
@SimchasTorah - Because the spoken language for (most of) us is not Aramaic. I have a friend (who is neither a Yemenite nor is Aramaic his mother tongue) who counts Sefirah in English. – Adam Mosheh Jun 10 '12 at 21:36
@SimchasTorah My rule has always been, if you have to read the night's count inside because you can't in your head smoothly figure out what to say in Hebrew, you should just be counting in English. – Double AA♦ Mar 6 at 6:59
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They preserve the Babylonian custom, where the native tongue of most people was Aramaic. The earliest attestation of saying the sefira in Aramaic of which I am aware is in the siddur of R. Saadia Gaon (see here, bottom of the page).

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