The 'Kaufman Effect' in the Pseudo-Jonathan Targum

S.A. Kaufman has recently enunciated a rule of textual criticism that he has applied to certain targum texts-namely, that a frequently copied work will have more changes due to copyist interference at the beginning than at the end. Therefore the best evidence for the original readings and language of such a text is in its latter portions. An examination of certain orthographical, grammatical, and lexical elements in Targum Pseudo-Jonathan confirms the presence of this 'Kaufman Effect' in that targum; archaic or 'classical' elements tend to cluster in Genesis and Exodus, but are much less frequent in the later books. This has implications for the understanding of Pseudo-Jonathan's grammar and textual development.