Aramaic

Aramaic is a Semitic language belonging to the Afroasiatic language family . Within this family, Aramaic belongs to the Semitic subfamily, and more specifically, is a part of the Northwest Semitic group of languages, which also includes Canaanite languages such as Hebrew and Phoenician . Aramaic script was widely adopted for other languages and is ancestral to both the Arabic and Hebrew alphabets. During its 3,000-year history , Aramaic has served variously as a language of administration of empires and as a language of divine worship. It was the day-to-day language of Israel in the Second Temple period (539 BCE – 70 CE), was the original language of large sections of the biblical books of Daniel and Ezra , was the language spoken by Jesus , and is the main language of the Talmud . Aramaic's long history and diverse and widespread use has led to the development of many divergent varieties which are sometimes treated as dialects . Therefore, there is no one singular Aramaic language, but each time and place has had its own variation. Aramaic is retained as a liturgical language by certain Eastern Christian churches, in the form of Syriac , the Aramaic variety by which Eastern Christianity was diffused, whether or not those communities once spoke it or another form of Aramaic as their vernacular , but have since shifted to another language as their primary community language. Modern Aramaic is spoken today as a first language by many scattered, predominantly small, and largely isolated communities of differing Christian , Jewish and Muslim groups of West Asia —most numerously by the Assyrians in the form of Assyrian Neo-Aramaic and the Chaldean Christians in the form of Chaldean Neo-Aramaic —that have all retained use of the once dominant lingua franca despite subsequent language shifts experienced throughout the Middle East . The Aramaic languages are considered to be endangered . The Aramaic Text in Demotic Script: The Liturgy of a New Year's Festival Imported from Bethel to Syene by Exiles from Rash - On JSTOR Manichaean Aramaic in the Chinese Hymnscroll Aramaic appears somewhere between 11th and 9th centuries BCE. Beyer (1986: 11) suggests that written Aramaic probably dates from the eleventh century BCE, as it is established by the tenth century, to which he dates the oldest inscriptions of northern Syria. Heinrichs (1990: x) uses the less controversial date of ninth century, for which there is clear and widespread attestation. Assyrian International News Agency. : |access-date= requires |url= ( help ) ; Cite journal requires |journal= ( help )

Syriac-Aramaic Alphabet Aramaic ( Arāmāyā ) is a family of languages or dialects, belonging to the Semitic family. More specifically, it is a part of the Northwest Semitic subfamily, which also includes Canaanite languages such as Hebrew and Phoenician . The Aramaic script was widely adopted for other languages and is ancestral to both the Arabic and modern Hebrew alphabets . During its approximately 3,100 years of written history, Aramaic has served variously as a language of administration of empires and as a language of divine worship. It was the lingua franca of the Neo-Assyrian Empire (911-605 BC), Neo-Babylonian Empire (605-539 BC) and Achaemenid Empire (539-323 BC), of the Neo-Assyrian states of Assur , Adiabene , Osroene and Hatra , the Aramean state of Palmyra , and the day-to-day language of Yehud Medinata and of Judaea (539 BC – 70 AD), the language that Jesus probably used the most , the language of large sections of the biblical books of Daniel and Ezra , and is the main language of the Talmud and Syriac Christianity , in particular the Assyrian Church of the East , the Nestorian Church , the Chaldean Catholic Church , the Ancient Church of the East , the Saint Thomas Christian Churches in India , the Syriac Orthodox Church , the Assyrian Pentecostal Church , and the Maronite Church . It is also the language of the Mandeans and their Gnostic religion, Mandeanism , as well as the language of the once widespread but now extinct Manichaean religion. However, Jewish Aramaic was different from the other forms both in lettering and grammar. Parts of the Dead Sea Scrolls are in Jewish Aramaic showing the Jewish lettering, related to the Hebrew script . Aramaic was also the original language of the Bahrani people of Eastern Arabia . Aramaic's long history and diverse and widespread use has led to the development of many divergent varieties, which are sometimes considered dialects , though they are distinct enough that they are sometimes considered languages . Therefore, there is not one singular, static Aramaic language; each time and place rather has had its own variation. Aramaic is retained as a liturgical language by certain Eastern Christian churches, in the form of Syriac , the Aramaic variety by which Eastern Christianity was diffused, whether or not those communities once spoke it or another form of Aramaic as their vernacular , but have since shifted to another language as their primary community language. Modern Aramaic is spoken today as a first language by many scattered, predominantly small, and largely isolated communities of differing Christian , Jewish , and Mandean ethnic groups of West Asia —most numerously by the Assyrians in the form of Assyrian Neo-Aramaic and Chaldean Neo-Aramaic —that have all retained use of the once dominant lingua franca despite subsequent language shifts experienced throughout the Middle East . The Aramaic languages are now considered endangered . Aramaic appears somewhere between 11th and 9th centuries BC. Beyer (1986: 11) suggests that written Aramaic probably dates from the 11th century BC, as it is established by the 10th century, to which he dates the oldest inscriptions of northern Syria. Heinrichs (1990: x) uses the less controversial date of 9th century, for which there is clear and widespread attestation. The Eerdmans Bible Dictionary . It is generally agreed that Aramaic was the common language of Israel in the first century AD. Jesus and his disciples spoke the Galilean dialect, which was distinguished from that of Jerusalem (Matt. 26:73). Assyrian International News Agency. : Cite journal requires |journal= ( help )

Semitic language spread by the Neo-Assyrians Arāmāyā in Syriac Esṭrangelā script Syriac-Aramaic alphabet Aramaic ( Arāmāyā ; Old Aramaic : 𐤀𐤓𐤌𐤉𐤀 ; Imperial Aramaic : 𐡀𐡓𐡌𐡉𐡀 ; square script אַרָמָיָא , Classical Syriac : ܐܪܡܝܐ ) is the language or group of languages of the ancient region of Syria . It belongs to the Northwest Semitic group of the Afroasiatic language family , which also includes the Canaanite languages such as Hebrew , Amorite , Edomite , Moabite and Phoenician , as well as Ugaritic . The Aramaic alphabet was widely adopted for other languages and is ancestral to the Hebrew , Syriac and Arabic alphabets . During its approximately 3,100 years of written history, Aramaic has served variously as a language of administration of empires, as a language of divine worship and religious study, and as the spoken tongue of a number of Semitic peoples from the Near East . Historically and originally Aramaic was the language of the Arameans , a Semitic-speaking people of the region between the northern Levant and the northern Tigris valley. By around 1000 BC, the Arameans had a string of kingdoms in what is now part of Syria , Jordan , and the fringes of southern Mesopotamia and Anatolia . Aramaic rose to prominence under the Neo-Assyrian Empire (911–605 BC), under whose influence Aramaic became a prestige language after being adopted as a lingua franca of the empire, and its use spread throughout Mesopotamia , the Levant and parts of Asia Minor . At its height, variants of Aramaic, having gradually replaced earlier Semitic languages, and were spoken all over what is today Iraq , Syria , Lebanon , Palestine , Israel , Jordan , Kuwait , Eastern Arabia , Bahrain , Sinai and parts of southeast and south central Turkey , and parts of northwest Iran . Aramaic was the language of Jesus , who spoke the Galilean dialect during his public ministry, as well as the language of large sections of the biblical books of Daniel and Ezra , and also one of the languages of the Talmud . The scribes of the Neo-Assyrian bureaucracy had also used Aramaic, and this practice—together with other administrative practices—was subsequently inherited by the succeeding Neo-Babylonians (605–539 BC), and the Achaemenids (539–330 BC). Mediated by scribes that had been trained in the language, highly standardized written Aramaic (in its Achaemenid form called Imperial Aramaic ) progressively also become the lingua franca of trade and commerce throughout the Achaemenid territories, which extended as far east as the Indus valley. (That use of written Aramaic subsequently led to the adoption of the Aramaic alphabet and—as logograms —some Aramaic vocabulary in the Pahlavi scripts , which were used by several Middle Iranian languages , including Parthian , Middle Persian , Sogdian , and Khwarazmian ). Aramaic's long history and diverse and widespread use has led to the development of many divergent varieties, which are sometimes considered dialects , though they have become distinct enough over time that they are now sometimes considered as separate languages . Therefore, there is not one singular, static Aramaic language; each time and place rather has had its own variation. The more widely spoken Eastern Aramaic and Mandaic forms are today largely restricted to Assyrian Christian and Mandean gnostic communities in Iraq , northeastern Syria , northwestern Iran and southeastern Turkey , whilst the severely endangered Western Neo-Aramaic is spoken by small communities of Arameans in northwestern Syria. Certain dialects of Aramaic are also retained as a sacred language by certain religious communities. One of those liturgical dialects is Mandaic , which besides being a living variant of Aramaic is also the liturgical language of Mandaeism . Significantly more widespread is Syriac , the liturgical language of Syriac Christianity , in particular the Assyrian Church of the East , the Chaldean Catholic Church , the Syriac Orthodox Church , the Assyrian Pentecostal Church , Assyrian Evangelical Church , Ancient Church of the East , Syriac Catholic Church , the Maronite Church , and also the Saint Thomas Christian denominations of India . Syriac was also the liturgical language of several now-extinct gnostic faiths, such as Manichaeism . Neo-Aramaic languages are still spoken today as a first language by many communities of Syriac Christians, Jews (in particular, the Kurdish Jews ), and Mandaeans of Western Asia , most numerously by Chaldeans, Syriacs and Assyrians with numbers of fluent speakers ranging approximately from 1 million to 2 million, with the main languages among Assyrians being Assyrian Neo-Aramaic (590,000 speakers), Chaldean Neo-Aramaic (240,000 speakers) and Turoyo (100,000 speakers), together with a number of smaller closely related languages with no more than 5,000 to 10,000 speakers between them. They have retained use of the once dominant lingua franca despite subsequent language shifts experienced throughout the Middle East . However, the Aramaic languages are now considered endangered . The languages are used by the older generation, all beyond retirement age, and so could go extinct within a generation. However, researchers are working to record all the dialects of Neo-Aramaic languages before they go extinct. Royal Aramaic inscriptions from the Aramean city-states date from 10th century BC, making Aramaic one of the world's oldest recorded living languages . Sacred Languages and Sacred Texts . Aramaic, the language of ancient Syria... Beyer (1986: 11) suggests that written Aramaic probably dates from the 11th century BCE, as it is established by the 10th century, to which he dates the oldest inscriptions of northern Syria. Heinrichs (1990: x) uses the less controversial date of the 9th century, for which there is clear and widespread attestation. Tradition and Modernity in Arabic Language And Literature . The Eerdmans Bible Dictionary . It is generally agreed that Aramaic was the common language of Israel in the first century CE. Jesus and his disciples spoke the Galilean dialect, which was distinguished from that of Jerusalem (Matt. 26:73). In the Middle Iranian period (Parthian and Sassanid Empires ), Aramaic was the medium of everyday writing, and it provided scripts for writing Middle Persian , Parthian , Sogdian , and Khwarezmian . The New Indian Express . 9 May 2016 . The Times of Israel .

Semitic language For other uses, see Aramaic (disambiguation) . Aramaic served as a language of public life and administration of ancient kingdoms and empires, and also as a language of divine worship and religious study. Several modern varieties, the Neo-Aramaic languages , are still spoken by Assyrians , and some Mandeans and Mizrahi Jews . Aramaic belongs to the Northwest group of the Semitic language family , which also includes the Canaanite languages such as Hebrew , Edomite , Moabite , and Phoenician , as well as Amorite and Ugaritic . Aramaic languages are written in the Aramaic alphabet , a descendant of the Phoenician alphabet , and the most prominent alphabet variant is the Syriac alphabet . The Aramaic alphabet also became a base for the creation and adaptation of specific writing systems in some other Semitic languages, such as the Hebrew alphabet and the Arabic alphabet . The Aramaic languages are now considered endangered , since several varieties are used mainly by the older generations. Researchers are working to record and analyze all of the remaining varieties of Neo-Aramaic languages before they become extinct. Aramaic dialects today form the mother tongues of the Assyrians and Mandaeans , as well as some Mizrahi Jews . Early Aramaic inscriptions date from 11th century BC, placing it among the earliest languages to be written down . In Weninger, Stefan (ed.). The Semitic Languages: An International Handbook . A History of the First World Language . The overarching concept of Aramaic, strictly a historical-linguistic abstraction, is made more concrete by various terms for the various Aramaic languages (or dialects, where we are mainly dealing with regional vernaculars without a written tradition; the neutral term variety includes both categories).[…] Or scholars use the same terms to refer to different historical periods, as with "Old Aramaic" or "Imperial Aramaic." Others still are just misleading, such as "Modern Syriac" for the modern spoken languages, which do not directly descend from Syriac. When discussing what a certain word or phrase is "in Aramaic" then, we always have to specify which period, region, or culture is meant unlike Classical Latin, for instance. […] For the most part, Aramaic is thus studied as a crucial but subservient element in several well-established, mainly philological and historical disciplines and social sciences. Even in the academic world, only few people see any inherent value that transcends the disciplinary boundaries in this language family. Aramaic itself consists of a great number of language forms (and indeed languages), spoken and written in many different scripts over a period of 3000 years.

Semitic language For other uses, see Aramaic (disambiguation) . Syriac alphabet Aramaic ( Jewish Babylonian Aramaic : ארמית , romanized: ˀərāmiṯ ; Classical Syriac : ܐܪܡܐܝܬ , romanized: arāmāˀiṯ ) is a Northwest Semitic language that originated in the ancient region of Syria and quickly spread to Mesopotamia , the southern Levant , Sinai , southeastern Anatolia , and Eastern Arabia , where it has been continually written and spoken in different varieties for over three thousand years. Aramaic served as a language of public life and administration of ancient kingdoms and empires, particularly the Neo-Assyrian Empire , Neo-Babylonian Empire , and Achaemenid Empire , and also as a language of divine worship and religious study within Judaism , Christianity , and Gnosticism . Several modern varieties of Aramaic are still spoken. The modern eastern branch is spoken by Assyrians , Mandeans , and Mizrahi Jews . Western Aramaic is still spoken by the Muslim and Christian Arameans (Syriacs) in the towns of Maaloula , Bakh'a and nearby Jubb'adin in Syria . Classical varieties are used as liturgical and literary languages in several West Asian churches, as well as in Judaism , Samaritanism , and Mandaeism . The Aramaic language is now considered endangered , with several varieties used mainly by the older generations. Researchers are working to record and analyze all of the remaining varieties of Neo-Aramaic languages before or in case they become extinct. Aramaic belongs to the Northwest group of the Semitic language family , which also includes the mutually intelligible Canaanite languages such as Hebrew , Edomite , Moabite , Ekronite , Sutean , and Phoenician , as well as Amorite and Ugaritic . Aramaic varieties are written in the Aramaic alphabet , a descendant of the Phoenician alphabet . The most prominent variant of this alphabet is the Syriac alphabet , used in the ancient city of Edessa . The Aramaic alphabet also became a base for the creation and adaptation of specific writing systems in some other Semitic languages of West Asia , such as the Hebrew alphabet and the Arabic alphabet . Early Aramaic inscriptions date from 11th century BC, placing it among the earliest languages to be written down . Aramaicist Holger Gzella [ de ] notes, "The linguistic history of Aramaic prior to the appearance of the first textual sources in the ninth century BC remains unknown." Aramaic is also believed by most historians and scholars to have been the primary language spoken by Jesus of Nazareth both for preaching and in everyday life. The Syriac Writers of Qatar in the Seventh Century . The Syriac writers of Qatar themselves produced some of the best and most sophisticated writing to be found in all Syriac literature of the seventh century, but they have not received the scholarly attention that they deserve in the last half century. This volume seeks to redress this underdevelopment by setting the standard for further research in the sub-field of Beth Qatraye studies. The Persian location and character of the Metropolitan proved to be a source of friction between the Syriac-speaking Christians of Beth Qatraye who naturally looked to their co-linguists back in Mesopotamia. The Rowman & Littlefield Handbook of Christianity in the Middle East . He was born in the region of Beth Qatraye in Eastern Arabia, a mixed Syriac- and Arabic Speaking region... In Weninger, Stefan (ed.). The Semitic Languages: An International Handbook . Or scholars use the same terms to refer to different historical periods, as with "Old Aramaic" or "Imperial Aramaic." Others still are just misleading, such as "Modern Syriac" for the modern spoken languages, which do not directly descend from Syriac. When discussing what a certain word or phrase is "in Aramaic" then, we always have to specify which period, region, or culture is meant unlike Classical Latin, for instance. ... Even in the academic world, only few people see any inherent value that transcends the disciplinary boundaries in this language family." Van Rompay, Lucas (2011). Aramaic itself consists of a great number of language forms (and indeed languages), spoken and written in many different scripts over a period of 3000 years. Ich kenne das Dorf nicht, doch gehört habe ich davon. Was ist mit Malula?‹ fragte der festgehaltene Derwisch. >Das letzte Dorf der Aramäer< lachte einer der… Matras, Yaron; Sakel, Jeanette (2007). Grammatical Borrowing in Cross-Linguistic Perspective . The fact that nearly all Arabic loans in Ma'lula originate from the period before the change from the rural dialect to the city dialect of Damascus shows that the contact between the Aramaeans and the Arabs was intimate… Labidi, Emna (2022). Untersuchungen zum Spracherwerb zweisprachiger Kinder im Aramäerdorf Dschubbadin (Syrien) (in German). Die arabischen Dialekte der Aramäer Arnold, Werner; Behnstedt, P. Die Kontakte zwischen den drei Aramäer-dörfern sind nicht besonders stark. Aramäern in Ma'lūla Arnold, Werner (2006). Viele Aramäer arbeiten heute in Damaskus, Beirut oder in den Golfstaaten und verbringen nur die Sommermonate im Dorf. Additionally, some of the many Christian churches of India belong to the Syriac tradition." Greenfield 1995 . The Eerdmans Bible Dictionary . It is generally agreed that Aramaic was the common language of Israel in the first century AD. Jesus and his disciples spoke the Galilean dialect, which was distinguished from that of Jerusalem (Matt. 26:73) "Aramaic language" . There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or templates on this page, but the references will not show without a template or template (see the help page ).