Syriac language
The Syriac language as heard mittelostaramäische language to the northwestern branch of the Semitic languages.
Syriac is not the national language of Syria - this is the Arab - but the minority language of Syrian Christians who live mainly in eastern Turkey, northern Iraq and in northeastern Syria. Because of persecution, however, had to emigrate, many of these Christians.
Syriac - Aramaic is also the liturgical language of various Syriac churches: Syriac Orthodox, Syriac Catholic Church, Syriac Maronite Church, Chaldean Catholic Church, Assyrian Church of the East and the Ancient Church of the East. The Melkite ( Konstantin Opel - loyal ) churches in the Arab region have been largely Arabized linguistically.
- 6.1 textbooks of the Syriac
- 6.2 Textbook of Neusyrischen
- 6.3 dictionaries
Designation
The term " Syrian " points to the Aramaic language. Consequently, make the most speakers in the self-designation no difference.
Linguistically, the two terms are used, however, not always the same, but with " Syriac " is only a part of the Aramaic language refers to the modern Ostaramäische.
Linguistic history
" Aramaic "
Today's Syriac is a continuation of Altaramäischen and Imperial Aramaic, which has been called since the Christianization of Syriac.
Syriac
The Syro - Aramaic - actually (old ) Syrian, the term is used of change - is considered the best-documented language of Aramaic and was more than a millennium the lingua franca throughout the Near East. Significant value as a written language it has to this day by the translation of the Bible in the 2nd century AD Syrian named only the Greeks Aramaic. This name then took over the Christian Arameans who wanted to set yourself apart from their pagan countrymen. Strictly linguistically Syriac is subsumed (Classical Syriac or Mittelsyrisch ) under Mittelaramäisch, more Ostmittelaramäisch. Syriac is the outgoing of Edessa Church language, which survives in several forms. The different forms reflect the religious and sectarian division in period architecture (West Syriac Jacobite table and East Syriac Nestorian ). With the spread of Islam, the Syriac, which had experienced in late antiquity literary heyday, was pushed back ever since the 8th century. For example, with the Mongol invasion in 1250 we no longer speak of Syriac, but by Neusyrisch or simply Syriac.
The Syriac has been heavily influenced by the Greek language, this concerns esp. the vocabulary and sentence construction. In the Jacobite script and Greek letters are used as vowels.
Christian Palästinisch
Christian Palästinisch was a used by the Melkites between the 6th and 13th centuries Aramaic dialect, which was written in Estrangelo, the oldest form of the Syriac script. It is characterized by strong use of consonants Alaph, Vav and Judh as vowels and heavy use of Greek foreign words. Due to the use of the Syrian Scripture has assigned this dialect long time the Syrian language, he was referred to as Palestinian- Syriac. Recent research has proven, however, that this dialect belongs to westaramäischen group, while the Syriac is a dialect ostaramäischer.
Neusyrisch
Also the Neusyrische was pushed further and further in the course of history, so that today only single, relatively small linguistic islands in the native range are left. The persecution and genocide, especially during the First World War has resulted in the surviving speakers of a wave of emigration, which continues to this day, making the language area continues to shrink.
Dialects
There are two different forms of the Syrian. The dialects in classical Western and Ostsyrisch and spoken Turoyo be divided ( originated from the West Syrian tradition ) and in Madenhoyo ( from the East Syrian tradition originated, also referred to as Zentralaramäisch ). The Westsyrische is mainly maintained by the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch, the Syriac Catholic, the Maronite Church and the Free Church of Aramaic as a liturgical language. The East Syriac ( Swadaya ) is the liturgical language of the Assyrian Church of the East (see Assyrian- neuaramäische language ), the Old Apostolic Church of the East and the Chaldean Catholic Church.
Dissemination
It is spoken by up to 3,000,000 people in Syria, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Turkey, and also of immigrants from these countries to the USA, Latin America, Australia and Europe, mainly because of the for the most part by the genocidal persecution the Christians in the 19th and 20th centuries forced emigration.
Font
As today's Hebrew alphabet and the Arabic alphabet is also the Syrian alphabet emerged from the Aramaic script and is the recipient of an own comprehensive literature.
The Syrian alphabet consists of 22 letters. As in most other Semitic writings is also available in the Syrian document does not own letters for the vowels. These are but partly waw by the sign of the semi-vowels and iodine or, if desired, represented by additional symbols above or below the word. The alphabet depending on the denomination had some differences on ( Estrangelo, Serto or Jacobite writing, Nestorian writing).
Literary works
The Syriac has an extensive literature of its own. Significant Author Syrian works are, inter alia Aphraates, Bardaisan, Ephrem the Syrian, Isaac of Nineveh, Jacob of Edessa, Theophilus of Edessa ( whose works are only partially preserved ), Michael Syrus and Gregorius Bar - Hebraeus.