ܠܫܢܐ ܣܘܪܝܝܐ
Classical Syriac
Afro-Asiatic (Semitic, Aramaic, Eastern) · historical / hidden variety
Classical Syriac is a literary form of Aramaic that flourished from the 2nd to the 13th century as the lingua franca of Eastern Christianity, centred on Edessa (modern Şanlıurfa, Turkey). Produced one of antiquity's largest theological, philosophical, scientific, and historical corpora, including the Peshitta Bible (5th c.) and Aristotelian translations that shaped Islamic and European scholasticism. Written in three main scripts: Estrangela (oldest), Serto (West Syriac), and Madnhaya (East Syriac). Survives liturgically in Syriac, Maronite, and Assyrian churches.
Where it is spoken
20 core words in Classical Syriac
Water
ܡܝܐ
/majjaː/
Fire
ܢܘܪܐ
/nuːraː/
Sun
ܫܡܫܐ
/ʃemʃaː/
Moon
ܣܗܪܐ
/sahraː/
Mother
ܐܡܐ
/ʔemmaː/
Father
ܐܒܐ
/ʔabbaː/
Eat
ܐܟܠ
/ʔeχal/
Drink
ܐܫܬܝ
/ʔeʃtiː/
Love
ܚܘܒܐ
/ħubbaː/
Heart
ܠܒܐ
/lebbaː/
Tree
ܐܝܠܢܐ
/ʔiːlaːnaː/
House
ܒܝܬܐ
/bajθaː/
Dog
ܟܠܒܐ
/kalbaː/
Cat
ܫܘܢܪܐ
/ʃunnaːraː/
Hand
ܐܝܕܐ
/ʔiːðaː/
Eye
ܥܝܢܐ
/ʕajnaː/
Hello
ܫܠܡܐ
/ʃlaːmaː/
Thank you
ܫܘܒܚܐ
/ʃubħaː/
One
ܚܕ
/ħað/
Good
ܛܒܐ
/tˤaːβaː/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Afro-Asiatic (Semitic, Aramaic, Eastern) languages
| Meaning | Classical Syriac | Aramaic | Western Neo-Aramaic | Assyrian Neo-Aramaic | Mandaic | Turoyo | Old Aramaic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | ܡܝܐ /majjaː/ | ܡܝܐ /majjaː/ | ܡܘܝܐ /mojːa/ | ܡܝܐ /mijja/ | ࡌࡉࡀ /mia/ | ܡܝܐ /majo/ | מין /majin/ |
| Fire | ܢܘܪܐ /nuːraː/ | ܢܘܪܐ /nuːraː/ | ܐܫܬܐ /iʃtaː/ | ܢܘܪܐ /nura/ | ࡍࡅࡓࡀ /nura/ | ܢܘܪܐ /nuro/ | אש /ʔɛʃ/ |
| Sun | ܫܡܫܐ /ʃemʃaː/ | ܫܡܫܐ /ʃemʃaː/ | ܫܡܫܐ /ʃemʃaː/ | ܫܡܫܐ /ʃimʃa/ | ࡔࡀࡌࡔࡀ /ʃamʃa/ | ܫܡܫܐ /ʃamʃo/ | שמש /ʃamʃ/ |
| Moon | ܣܗܪܐ /sahraː/ | ܣܗܪܐ /sahraː/ | ܣܗܪܐ /sahraː/ | ܣܗܪܐ /sahra/ | ࡎࡉࡓࡀ /sira/ | ܣܗܪܐ /sahro/ | שהר /sahr/ |
| Mother | ܐܡܐ /ʔemmaː/ | ܐܡܐ /ʔemmaː/ | ܐܡܐ /emaː/ | ܝܡܐ /jimma/ | ࡀࡌࡀ /ama/ | ܐܡܐ /imo/ | אמ /ʔem/ |
| Father | ܐܒܐ /ʔabbaː/ | ܐܒܐ /ʔabbaː/ | ܒܒܐ /babːaː/ | ܒܒܐ /baba/ | ࡀࡁࡀ /aba/ | ܒܒܐ /babo/ | אב /ʔab/ |
| Eat | ܐܟܠ /ʔeχal/ | ܐܟܠ /ʔaːχel/ | ܐܟܠ /iʔχel/ | ܐܟܠ /axil/ | ࡀࡊࡀࡋ /akal/ | ܐܟܠ /oxulo/ | אכל /ʔakal/ |
| Drink | ܐܫܬܝ /ʔeʃtiː/ | ܫܬܐ /ʃtaː/ | ܫܬܐ /ʃetaː/ | ܫܬܐ /ʃtaja/ | ࡔࡕࡀ /ʃta/ | ܫܬܐ /ʃote/ | שתה /ʃataː/ |
| Love | ܚܘܒܐ /ħubbaː/ | ܚܘܒܐ /ħubbaː/ | ܚܘܒܐ /ħubaː/ | ܚܘܒܐ /xubba/ | ࡓࡅࡄࡌࡀ /ɾuhma/ | ܚܘܒܐ /ħubo/ | רחם /raħem/ |
| Heart | ܠܒܐ /lebbaː/ | ܠܒܐ /lebbaː/ | ܠܒܐ /lebaː/ | ܠܒܐ /libba/ | ࡋࡉࡁࡀ /liba/ | ܠܒܐ /lebo/ | לב /leb/ |
| Tree | ܐܝܠܢܐ /ʔiːlaːnaː/ | ܐܝܠܢܐ /ʔiːlaːnaː/ | ܐܝܠܢܐ /elona/ | ܐܝܠܢܐ /ilana/ | ࡀࡊࡀࡍࡀ /akana/ | ܐܝܠܢܐ /ilono/ | עץ /ʕeːsˤ/ |
| House | ܒܝܬܐ /bajθaː/ | ܒܝܬܐ /bajtaː/ | ܒܝܬܐ /bajθa/ | ܒܝܬܐ /beθa/ | ࡁࡉࡕࡀ /bita/ | ܒܝܬܐ /bajto/ | בית /beːt/ |
| Dog | ܟܠܒܐ /kalbaː/ | ܟܠܒܐ /kalbaː/ | ܟܠܒܐ /kalbaː/ | ܟܠܒܐ /kalba/ | ࡊࡀࡋࡁࡀ /kalba/ | ܟܠܒܐ /kalbo/ | כלב /kalb/ |
| Cat | ܫܘܢܪܐ /ʃunnaːraː/ | ܫܘܢܪܐ /ʃunnaːraː/ | ܩܛܘܢܐ /qatˤuna/ | ܩܛܘ /qaːtu/ | ࡔࡅࡍࡀࡓࡀ /ʃunara/ | ܫܘܢܪܐ /ʃunoro/ | — /—/ |
| Hand | ܐܝܕܐ /ʔiːðaː/ | ܐܝܕܐ /ʔiːðaː/ | ܐܝܕܐ /iða/ | ܐܝܕܐ /iːða/ | ࡏࡃࡀ /ʔida/ | ܐܝܕܐ /iðo/ | יד /jad/ |
| Eye | ܥܝܢܐ /ʕajnaː/ | ܥܝܢܐ /ʕajnaː/ | ܥܝܢܐ /ʕajna/ | ܥܝܢܐ /ʕajna/ | ࡏࡉࡍࡀ /ʔina/ | ܥܝܢܐ /ʕajno/ | עין /ʕajn/ |
| Hello | ܫܠܡܐ /ʃlaːmaː/ | ܫܠܡܐ /ʃlaːmaː/ | ܫܠܡܐ /ʃlomaː/ | ܫܠܡܐ /ʃlaːma/ | ࡔࡋࡀࡌࡀ /ʃlama/ | ܫܠܡܐ /ʃlomo/ | שלם /ʃəlaːm/ |
| Thank you | ܫܘܒܚܐ /ʃubħaː/ | ܬܘܕܝ /tawdiː/ | ܬܘܕܝ /tawdiː/ | ܒܣܝܡܐ /basima/ | ࡈࡀࡁࡅࡕࡀ /ʈabuta/ | ܬܘܕܝ /tawdi/ | — /—/ |
| One | ܚܕ /ħað/ | ܚܕ /ħað/ | ܚܕ /xeð/ | ܚܕ /xa/ | ࡄࡀࡃ /had/ | ܚܕ /ħað/ | חד /ħad/ |
| Good | ܛܒܐ /tˤaːβaː/ | ܛܒܐ /tˤaːβaː/ | ܛܒܐ /tˤaːβa/ | ܛܒܐ /tˤaba/ | ࡈࡀࡁࡀ /tˤaba/ | ܛܒܐ /tˤobo/ | טב /tˤab/ |
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