ࡌࡀࡍࡃࡀࡉࡉࡀ
Mandaic
Afro-Asiatic (Semitic, Northwest, Aramaic, Eastern, Mandaic) · historical / hidden variety
Mandaic is the Eastern Aramaic language of the Mandaeans, an indigenous gnostic religious community of southern Iraq and southwestern Iran whose religion (Mandaeism) reveres John the Baptist and traces its roots to the early-1st-millennium Mesopotamian milieu. Classical Mandaic remains the liturgical language of Mandaean ritual; Neo-Mandaic (a separate but related modern variety) has only ~50 fluent speakers, making it one of the most endangered Aramaic varieties. The Mandaic script is a unique cursive abjad-abugida hybrid, distinct from Hebrew and Syriac scripts.
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Mandaic
Water
ࡌࡉࡀ
/mia/
Fire
ࡍࡅࡓࡀ
/nura/
Sun
ࡔࡀࡌࡔࡀ
/ʃamʃa/
Moon
ࡎࡉࡓࡀ
/sira/
Star
ࡊࡅࡊࡁࡀ
/ˈkukba/
Mother
ࡀࡌࡀ
/ama/
Father
ࡀࡁࡀ
/aba/
I
ࡀࡍࡀ
/ˈana/
You
ࡀࡍࡀࡕ
/at/
Name
ࡔࡅࡌࡀ
/ˈʃuma/
Eye
ࡏࡉࡍࡀ
/ʔina/
Hand
ࡏࡃࡀ
/ʔida/
Heart
ࡋࡉࡁࡀ
/liba/
Love
ࡓࡅࡄࡌࡀ
/ɾuhma/
Tree
ࡏࡋࡀࡍࡀ
/ilana/
House
ࡁࡉࡕࡀ
/bita/
Dog
ࡊࡀࡋࡁࡀ
/kalba/
Cat
ࡔࡅࡍࡀࡓࡀ
/ʃunara/
Eat
ࡀࡊࡀࡋ
/akal/
Drink
ࡔࡕࡀ
/ʃta/
One
ࡄࡀࡃ
/had/
Two
ࡕࡓࡉࡍ
/tren/
Hello
ࡔࡋࡀࡌࡀ
/ʃlama/
Thank you
ࡈࡀࡁࡅࡕࡀ
/ʈabuta/
Good
ࡈࡀࡁࡀ
/tˤaba/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Afro-Asiatic (Semitic, Northwest, Aramaic, Eastern, Mandaic) languages
| Meaning | Mandaic | Assyrian Neo-Aramaic | Turoyo | Western Neo-Aramaic | Aramaic | Classical Syriac | Old Aramaic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | ࡌࡉࡀ /mia/ | ܡܝܐ /mijja/ | ܡܝܐ /majo/ | ܡܘܝܐ /moːja/ | ܡܝܐ /majjaː/ | ܡܝܐ /majjaː/ | מין /majin/ |
| Fire | ࡍࡅࡓࡀ /nura/ | ܢܘܪܐ /nura/ | ܢܘܪܐ /nuro/ | ܐܫܬܐ /iʃtaː/ | ܢܘܪܐ /nuːraː/ | ܢܘܪܐ /nuːraː/ | נור /nuːr/ |
| Sun | ࡔࡀࡌࡔࡀ /ʃamʃa/ | ܫܡܫܐ /ʃimʃa/ | ܫܡܫܐ /ʃamʃo/ | ܫܡܫܐ /ʃemʃaː/ | ܫܡܫܐ /ʃemʃaː/ | ܫܡܫܐ /ʃemʃaː/ | שמש /ʃamʃ/ |
| Moon | ࡎࡉࡓࡀ /sira/ | ܣܗܪܐ /sahra/ | ܣܗܪܐ /sahro/ | ܣܗܪܐ /sahraː/ | ܣܗܪܐ /sahraː/ | ܣܗܪܐ /sahraː/ | שהר /sahr/ |
| Star | ࡊࡅࡊࡁࡀ /ˈkukba/ | ܟܵܘܟ݂ܒ݂ܵܐ /ˈkoxwa/ | ܟܟܒܐ /kəxwo/ | ܟܘܟܒܐ /kawkba/ | ܟܘܟܒܐ /koːχβaː/ | ܟܘܟܒܐ /kawkβaː/ | כוכב /kawkab/ |
| Mother | ࡀࡌࡀ /ama/ | ܝܡܐ /jimma/ | ܐܡܐ /imo/ | ܐܡܐ /emaː/ | ܐܡܐ /ʔemmaː/ | ܐܡܐ /ʔemmaː/ | אמ /ʔem/ |
| Father | ࡀࡁࡀ /aba/ | ܒܒܐ /baba/ | ܒܒܐ /babo/ | ܒܒܐ /babːaː/ | ܐܒܐ /ʔabbaː/ | ܐܒܐ /ʔabbaː/ | אב /ʔab/ |
| I | ࡀࡍࡀ /ˈana/ | ܐܵܢܵܐ /ˈʔɑːnɑ/ | ܐܢܐ /ono/ | ܐܢܐ /ana/ | ܐܢܐ /ʔanaː/ | ܐܢܐ /ʔenaː/ | אנה /ʔanaː/ |
| You | ࡀࡍࡀࡕ /at/ | ܐܲܢ݉ܬ /ʔat/ | ܗܬ /hat/ | ܚܐܟ /ħatʃ/ | ܐܢܬ /ʔatt/ | ܐܢܬ /ʔat/ | אנת /ʔantaː/ |
| Name | ࡔࡅࡌࡀ /ˈʃuma/ | ܫܸܡܵܐ /ˈʃɪmma/ | ܐܫܡܐ /eʃmo/ | ܐܫܡܐ /eʃma/ | ܫܡܐ /ʃmaː/ | ܫܡܐ /ʃmaː/ | שם /ʃum/ |
| Eye | ࡏࡉࡍࡀ /ʔina/ | ܥܝܢܐ /ʕajna/ | ܥܝܢܐ /ʕajno/ | ܥܝܢܐ /ʕajna/ | ܥܝܢܐ /ʕajnaː/ | ܥܝܢܐ /ʕajnaː/ | עין /ʕajn/ |
| Hand | ࡏࡃࡀ /ʔida/ | ܐܝܕܐ /iːða/ | ܐܝܕܐ /iðo/ | ܐܝܕܐ /iða/ | ܐܝܕܐ /ʔiːðaː/ | ܐܝܕܐ /ʔiːðaː/ | יד /jad/ |
| Heart | ࡋࡉࡁࡀ /liba/ | ܠܒܐ /libba/ | ܠܒܐ /lebo/ | ܠܒܐ /lebaː/ | ܠܒܐ /lebbaː/ | ܠܒܐ /lebbaː/ | לב /leb/ |
| Love | ࡓࡅࡄࡌࡀ /ɾuhma/ | ܚܘܒܐ /xubba/ | ܚܘܒܐ /ħubo/ | ܚܘܒܐ /ħubaː/ | ܚܘܒܐ /ħubbaː/ | ܚܘܒܐ /ħubbaː/ | רחם /raħem/ |
| Tree | ࡏࡋࡀࡍࡀ /ilana/ | ܐܝܠܢܐ /ilana/ | ܐܝܠܢܐ /ilono/ | ܐܝܠܢܐ /elona/ | ܐܝܠܢܐ /ʔiːlaːnaː/ | ܐܝܠܢܐ /ʔiːlaːnaː/ | עץ /ʕeːsˤ/ |
| House | ࡁࡉࡕࡀ /bita/ | ܒܝܬܐ /beθa/ | ܒܝܬܐ /bajto/ | ܒܝܬܐ /bajθa/ | ܒܝܬܐ /bajtaː/ | ܒܝܬܐ /bajθaː/ | בית /beːt/ |
| Dog | ࡊࡀࡋࡁࡀ /kalba/ | ܟܠܒܐ /kalba/ | ܟܠܒܐ /kalbo/ | ܟܠܒܐ /kalbaː/ | ܟܠܒܐ /kalbaː/ | ܟܠܒܐ /kalbaː/ | כלב /kalb/ |
| Cat | ࡔࡅࡍࡀࡓࡀ /ʃunara/ | ܩܛܘ /qaːtu/ | ܫܘܢܪܐ /ʃunoro/ | ܩܛܘܢܐ /qatˤuna/ | ܫܘܢܪܐ /ʃunnaːraː/ | ܫܘܢܪܐ /ʃunnaːraː/ | — /—/ |
| Eat | ࡀࡊࡀࡋ /akal/ | ܐܟܠ /axil/ | ܐܟܠ /oxulo/ | ܐܟܠ /iʔχel/ | ܐܟܠ /ʔaːχel/ | ܐܟܠ /ʔeχal/ | אכל /ʔakal/ |
| Drink | ࡔࡕࡀ /ʃta/ | ܫܬܐ /ʃate/ | ܫܬܐ /ʃote/ | ܫܬܐ /ʃetaː/ | ܫܬܐ /ʃtaː/ | ܐܫܬܝ /ʔeʃtiː/ | שתה /ʃataː/ |
| One | ࡄࡀࡃ /had/ | ܚܕ /xa/ | ܚܕ /ħað/ | ܚܕ /xeð/ | ܚܕ /ħað/ | ܚܕ /ħað/ | חד /ħad/ |
| Two | ࡕࡓࡉࡍ /tren/ | ܬܪܹܝܢ /treːn/ | ܬܪܐ /tre/ | ܬܪܝܢ /tren/ | ܬܪܝܢ /treːn/ | ܬܪܝܢ /treːn/ | תרין /treːn/ |
| Hello | ࡔࡋࡀࡌࡀ /ʃlama/ | ܫܠܡܐ /ʃlaːma/ | ܫܠܡܐ /ʃlomo/ | ܫܠܡܐ /ʃlomaː/ | ܫܠܡܐ /ʃlaːmaː/ | ܫܠܡܐ /ʃlaːmaː/ | שלם /ʃəlaːm/ |
| Thank you | ࡈࡀࡁࡅࡕࡀ /ʈabuta/ | ܒܣܝܡܐ /basima/ | ܬܘܕܝ /tawdi/ | ܬܘܕܝ /tawdiː/ | ܬܘܕܝ /tawdiː/ | ܫܘܒܚܐ /ʃubħaː/ | — /—/ |
| Good | ࡈࡀࡁࡀ /tˤaba/ | ܛܒܐ /tˤaba/ | ܛܒܐ /tˤobo/ | ܛܒܐ /tˤaːβa/ | ܛܒܐ /tˤaːβaː/ | ܛܒܐ /tˤaːβaː/ | טב /tˤab/ |
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