ܛܘܪܝܐ
Turoyo
Afro-Asiatic
Turoyo (also Surayt; in Syriac ܛܘܪܝܐ "of the mountain") is a Central Neo-Aramaic language of the Tur Abdin highlands in southeastern Turkey, the historic heartland of the Syriac Orthodox Christian community. The Sayfo (1915 Assyrian-Syriac genocide) and ongoing 20th-century Turkish persecution drove most Turoyo speakers into European diaspora; today the largest Turoyo-speaking community is in Södertälje, Sweden (~50K speakers). Turoyo descends from Eastern Aramaic but shows extensive divergence from sister Eastern Neo-Aramaic (aii Assyrian) — distinct vocabulary, simplified case morphology, Greek/Turkish/Kurdish loans. Sweden recognizes Turoyo as a national minority language (1999); the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages applies.
Where it is spoken
20 core words in Turoyo
Water
ܡܝܐ
/majo/
Fire
ܢܘܪܐ
/nuro/
Sun
ܫܡܫܐ
/ʃamʃo/
Moon
ܣܗܪܐ
/sahro/
Mother
ܐܡܐ
/imo/
Father
ܒܒܐ
/babo/
Eat
ܐܟܠ
/oxulo/
Drink
ܫܬܐ
/ʃote/
Love
ܚܘܒܐ
/ħubo/
Heart
ܠܒܐ
/lebo/
Tree
ܐܝܠܢܐ
/ilono/
House
ܒܝܬܐ
/bajto/
Dog
ܟܠܒܐ
/kalbo/
Cat
ܫܘܢܪܐ
/ʃunoro/
Hand
ܐܝܕܐ
/iðo/
Eye
ܥܝܢܐ
/ʕajno/
Hello
ܫܠܡܐ
/ʃlomo/
Thank you
ܬܘܕܝ
/tawdi/
One
ܚܕ
/ħað/
Good
ܛܒܐ
/tˤobo/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Afro-Asiatic languages
| Meaning | Turoyo | Assyrian Neo-Aramaic | Western Neo-Aramaic | Mandaic | Aramaic | Classical Syriac | Old Aramaic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | ܡܝܐ /majo/ | ܡܝܐ /mijja/ | ܡܘܝܐ /mojːa/ | ࡌࡉࡀ /mia/ | ܡܝܐ /majjaː/ | ܡܝܐ /majjaː/ | מין /majin/ |
| Fire | ܢܘܪܐ /nuro/ | ܢܘܪܐ /nura/ | ܐܫܬܐ /iʃtaː/ | ࡍࡅࡓࡀ /nura/ | ܢܘܪܐ /nuːraː/ | ܢܘܪܐ /nuːraː/ | אש /ʔɛʃ/ |
| Sun | ܫܡܫܐ /ʃamʃo/ | ܫܡܫܐ /ʃimʃa/ | ܫܡܫܐ /ʃemʃaː/ | ࡔࡀࡌࡔࡀ /ʃamʃa/ | ܫܡܫܐ /ʃemʃaː/ | ܫܡܫܐ /ʃemʃaː/ | שמש /ʃamʃ/ |
| Moon | ܣܗܪܐ /sahro/ | ܣܗܪܐ /sahra/ | ܣܗܪܐ /sahraː/ | ࡎࡉࡓࡀ /sira/ | ܣܗܪܐ /sahraː/ | ܣܗܪܐ /sahraː/ | שהר /sahr/ |
| Mother | ܐܡܐ /imo/ | ܝܡܐ /jimma/ | ܐܡܐ /emaː/ | ࡀࡌࡀ /ama/ | ܐܡܐ /ʔemmaː/ | ܐܡܐ /ʔemmaː/ | אמ /ʔem/ |
| Father | ܒܒܐ /babo/ | ܒܒܐ /baba/ | ܒܒܐ /babːaː/ | ࡀࡁࡀ /aba/ | ܐܒܐ /ʔabbaː/ | ܐܒܐ /ʔabbaː/ | אב /ʔab/ |
| Eat | ܐܟܠ /oxulo/ | ܐܟܠ /axil/ | ܐܟܠ /iʔχel/ | ࡀࡊࡀࡋ /akal/ | ܐܟܠ /ʔaːχel/ | ܐܟܠ /ʔeχal/ | אכל /ʔakal/ |
| Drink | ܫܬܐ /ʃote/ | ܫܬܐ /ʃtaja/ | ܫܬܐ /ʃetaː/ | ࡔࡕࡀ /ʃta/ | ܫܬܐ /ʃtaː/ | ܐܫܬܝ /ʔeʃtiː/ | שתה /ʃataː/ |
| Love | ܚܘܒܐ /ħubo/ | ܚܘܒܐ /xubba/ | ܚܘܒܐ /ħubaː/ | ࡓࡅࡄࡌࡀ /ɾuhma/ | ܚܘܒܐ /ħubbaː/ | ܚܘܒܐ /ħubbaː/ | רחם /raħem/ |
| Heart | ܠܒܐ /lebo/ | ܠܒܐ /libba/ | ܠܒܐ /lebaː/ | ࡋࡉࡁࡀ /liba/ | ܠܒܐ /lebbaː/ | ܠܒܐ /lebbaː/ | לב /leb/ |
| Tree | ܐܝܠܢܐ /ilono/ | ܐܝܠܢܐ /ilana/ | ܐܝܠܢܐ /elona/ | ࡀࡊࡀࡍࡀ /akana/ | ܐܝܠܢܐ /ʔiːlaːnaː/ | ܐܝܠܢܐ /ʔiːlaːnaː/ | עץ /ʕeːsˤ/ |
| House | ܒܝܬܐ /bajto/ | ܒܝܬܐ /beθa/ | ܒܝܬܐ /bajθa/ | ࡁࡉࡕࡀ /bita/ | ܒܝܬܐ /bajtaː/ | ܒܝܬܐ /bajθaː/ | בית /beːt/ |
| Dog | ܟܠܒܐ /kalbo/ | ܟܠܒܐ /kalba/ | ܟܠܒܐ /kalbaː/ | ࡊࡀࡋࡁࡀ /kalba/ | ܟܠܒܐ /kalbaː/ | ܟܠܒܐ /kalbaː/ | כלב /kalb/ |
| Cat | ܫܘܢܪܐ /ʃunoro/ | ܩܛܘ /qaːtu/ | ܩܛܘܢܐ /qatˤuna/ | ࡔࡅࡍࡀࡓࡀ /ʃunara/ | ܫܘܢܪܐ /ʃunnaːraː/ | ܫܘܢܪܐ /ʃunnaːraː/ | — /—/ |
| Hand | ܐܝܕܐ /iðo/ | ܐܝܕܐ /iːða/ | ܐܝܕܐ /iða/ | ࡏࡃࡀ /ʔida/ | ܐܝܕܐ /ʔiːðaː/ | ܐܝܕܐ /ʔiːðaː/ | יד /jad/ |
| Eye | ܥܝܢܐ /ʕajno/ | ܥܝܢܐ /ʕajna/ | ܥܝܢܐ /ʕajna/ | ࡏࡉࡍࡀ /ʔina/ | ܥܝܢܐ /ʕajnaː/ | ܥܝܢܐ /ʕajnaː/ | עין /ʕajn/ |
| Hello | ܫܠܡܐ /ʃlomo/ | ܫܠܡܐ /ʃlaːma/ | ܫܠܡܐ /ʃlomaː/ | ࡔࡋࡀࡌࡀ /ʃlama/ | ܫܠܡܐ /ʃlaːmaː/ | ܫܠܡܐ /ʃlaːmaː/ | שלם /ʃəlaːm/ |
| Thank you | ܬܘܕܝ /tawdi/ | ܒܣܝܡܐ /basima/ | ܬܘܕܝ /tawdiː/ | ࡈࡀࡁࡅࡕࡀ /ʈabuta/ | ܬܘܕܝ /tawdiː/ | ܫܘܒܚܐ /ʃubħaː/ | — /—/ |
| One | ܚܕ /ħað/ | ܚܕ /xa/ | ܚܕ /xeð/ | ࡄࡀࡃ /had/ | ܚܕ /ħað/ | ܚܕ /ħað/ | חד /ħad/ |
| Good | ܛܒܐ /tˤobo/ | ܛܒܐ /tˤaba/ | ܛܒܐ /tˤaːβa/ | ࡈࡀࡁࡀ /tˤaba/ | ܛܒܐ /tˤaːβaː/ | ܛܒܐ /tˤaːβaː/ | טב /tˤab/ |
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