ܠܫܢܐ ܐܫܘܪܝܐ
Assyrian Neo-Aramaic
Afro-Asiatic
Assyrian Neo-Aramaic (ܠܫܢܐ ܐܫܘܪܝܐ Lišana Atturaya, "Assyrian language") is the largest of the modern Aramaic varieties and the principal liturgical and vernacular tongue of the Assyrian Christian community (Church of the East and Chaldean Catholic Church). It descends from the Eastern Aramaic spoken in upper Mesopotamia in the early Islamic period, after the literary Classical Syriac (syc) had become a fixed liturgical register. Modern AssyrianNeo-Aramaic shows strong Persian, Turkish, Arabic, and Kurdish loanword strata reflecting the community's mountain-village dispersion in Hakkari (Turkey), Tur Abdin, and Urmia (Iran) before the 20th-century genocide-displacement. Major modern centers: Chicago, Detroit, Sydney, Stockholm, Moscow.
Where it is spoken
20 core words in Assyrian Neo-Aramaic
Water
ܡܝܐ
/mijja/
Fire
ܢܘܪܐ
/nura/
Sun
ܫܡܫܐ
/ʃimʃa/
Moon
ܣܗܪܐ
/sahra/
Mother
ܝܡܐ
/jimma/
Father
ܒܒܐ
/baba/
Eat
ܐܟܠ
/axil/
Drink
ܫܬܐ
/ʃtaja/
Love
ܚܘܒܐ
/xubba/
Heart
ܠܒܐ
/libba/
Tree
ܐܝܠܢܐ
/ilana/
House
ܒܝܬܐ
/beθa/
Dog
ܟܠܒܐ
/kalba/
Cat
ܩܛܘ
/qaːtu/
Hand
ܐܝܕܐ
/iːða/
Eye
ܥܝܢܐ
/ʕajna/
Hello
ܫܠܡܐ
/ʃlaːma/
Thank you
ܒܣܝܡܐ
/basima/
One
ܚܕ
/xa/
Good
ܛܒܐ
/tˤaba/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Afro-Asiatic languages
| Meaning | Assyrian Neo-Aramaic | Mandaic | Aramaic | Turoyo | Classical Syriac | Western Neo-Aramaic | Old Aramaic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | ܡܝܐ /mijja/ | ࡌࡉࡀ /mia/ | ܡܝܐ /majjaː/ | ܡܝܐ /majo/ | ܡܝܐ /majjaː/ | ܡܘܝܐ /mojːa/ | מין /majin/ |
| Fire | ܢܘܪܐ /nura/ | ࡍࡅࡓࡀ /nura/ | ܢܘܪܐ /nuːraː/ | ܢܘܪܐ /nuro/ | ܢܘܪܐ /nuːraː/ | ܐܫܬܐ /iʃtaː/ | אש /ʔɛʃ/ |
| Sun | ܫܡܫܐ /ʃimʃa/ | ࡔࡀࡌࡔࡀ /ʃamʃa/ | ܫܡܫܐ /ʃemʃaː/ | ܫܡܫܐ /ʃamʃo/ | ܫܡܫܐ /ʃemʃaː/ | ܫܡܫܐ /ʃemʃaː/ | שמש /ʃamʃ/ |
| Moon | ܣܗܪܐ /sahra/ | ࡎࡉࡓࡀ /sira/ | ܣܗܪܐ /sahraː/ | ܣܗܪܐ /sahro/ | ܣܗܪܐ /sahraː/ | ܣܗܪܐ /sahraː/ | שהר /sahr/ |
| Mother | ܝܡܐ /jimma/ | ࡀࡌࡀ /ama/ | ܐܡܐ /ʔemmaː/ | ܐܡܐ /imo/ | ܐܡܐ /ʔemmaː/ | ܐܡܐ /emaː/ | אמ /ʔem/ |
| Father | ܒܒܐ /baba/ | ࡀࡁࡀ /aba/ | ܐܒܐ /ʔabbaː/ | ܒܒܐ /babo/ | ܐܒܐ /ʔabbaː/ | ܒܒܐ /babːaː/ | אב /ʔab/ |
| Eat | ܐܟܠ /axil/ | ࡀࡊࡀࡋ /akal/ | ܐܟܠ /ʔaːχel/ | ܐܟܠ /oxulo/ | ܐܟܠ /ʔeχal/ | ܐܟܠ /iʔχel/ | אכל /ʔakal/ |
| Drink | ܫܬܐ /ʃtaja/ | ࡔࡕࡀ /ʃta/ | ܫܬܐ /ʃtaː/ | ܫܬܐ /ʃote/ | ܐܫܬܝ /ʔeʃtiː/ | ܫܬܐ /ʃetaː/ | שתה /ʃataː/ |
| Love | ܚܘܒܐ /xubba/ | ࡓࡅࡄࡌࡀ /ɾuhma/ | ܚܘܒܐ /ħubbaː/ | ܚܘܒܐ /ħubo/ | ܚܘܒܐ /ħubbaː/ | ܚܘܒܐ /ħubaː/ | רחם /raħem/ |
| Heart | ܠܒܐ /libba/ | ࡋࡉࡁࡀ /liba/ | ܠܒܐ /lebbaː/ | ܠܒܐ /lebo/ | ܠܒܐ /lebbaː/ | ܠܒܐ /lebaː/ | לב /leb/ |
| Tree | ܐܝܠܢܐ /ilana/ | ࡀࡊࡀࡍࡀ /akana/ | ܐܝܠܢܐ /ʔiːlaːnaː/ | ܐܝܠܢܐ /ilono/ | ܐܝܠܢܐ /ʔiːlaːnaː/ | ܐܝܠܢܐ /elona/ | עץ /ʕeːsˤ/ |
| House | ܒܝܬܐ /beθa/ | ࡁࡉࡕࡀ /bita/ | ܒܝܬܐ /bajtaː/ | ܒܝܬܐ /bajto/ | ܒܝܬܐ /bajθaː/ | ܒܝܬܐ /bajθa/ | בית /beːt/ |
| Dog | ܟܠܒܐ /kalba/ | ࡊࡀࡋࡁࡀ /kalba/ | ܟܠܒܐ /kalbaː/ | ܟܠܒܐ /kalbo/ | ܟܠܒܐ /kalbaː/ | ܟܠܒܐ /kalbaː/ | כלב /kalb/ |
| Cat | ܩܛܘ /qaːtu/ | ࡔࡅࡍࡀࡓࡀ /ʃunara/ | ܫܘܢܪܐ /ʃunnaːraː/ | ܫܘܢܪܐ /ʃunoro/ | ܫܘܢܪܐ /ʃunnaːraː/ | ܩܛܘܢܐ /qatˤuna/ | — /—/ |
| Hand | ܐܝܕܐ /iːða/ | ࡏࡃࡀ /ʔida/ | ܐܝܕܐ /ʔiːðaː/ | ܐܝܕܐ /iðo/ | ܐܝܕܐ /ʔiːðaː/ | ܐܝܕܐ /iða/ | יד /jad/ |
| Eye | ܥܝܢܐ /ʕajna/ | ࡏࡉࡍࡀ /ʔina/ | ܥܝܢܐ /ʕajnaː/ | ܥܝܢܐ /ʕajno/ | ܥܝܢܐ /ʕajnaː/ | ܥܝܢܐ /ʕajna/ | עין /ʕajn/ |
| Hello | ܫܠܡܐ /ʃlaːma/ | ࡔࡋࡀࡌࡀ /ʃlama/ | ܫܠܡܐ /ʃlaːmaː/ | ܫܠܡܐ /ʃlomo/ | ܫܠܡܐ /ʃlaːmaː/ | ܫܠܡܐ /ʃlomaː/ | שלם /ʃəlaːm/ |
| Thank you | ܒܣܝܡܐ /basima/ | ࡈࡀࡁࡅࡕࡀ /ʈabuta/ | ܬܘܕܝ /tawdiː/ | ܬܘܕܝ /tawdi/ | ܫܘܒܚܐ /ʃubħaː/ | ܬܘܕܝ /tawdiː/ | — /—/ |
| One | ܚܕ /xa/ | ࡄࡀࡃ /had/ | ܚܕ /ħað/ | ܚܕ /ħað/ | ܚܕ /ħað/ | ܚܕ /xeð/ | חד /ħad/ |
| Good | ܛܒܐ /tˤaba/ | ࡈࡀࡁࡀ /tˤaba/ | ܛܒܐ /tˤaːβaː/ | ܛܒܐ /tˤobo/ | ܛܒܐ /tˤaːβaː/ | ܛܒܐ /tˤaːβa/ | טב /tˤab/ |
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