*Terms of Use – Feel free to download and print as many copies as you would like. However, please do not alter any of the material, post it to another website, or publish it in any other form. Thanks!
For questions, comments, corrections, or feedback, feel free to send me an e-mail at classicalsyriac@hotmail.com. To receive regular updates to this page, follow the Classical Syriac Grammar Facebook page here: Classical Syriac Grammar Facebook Page.
*Some important updates have been made to chapter 8 as of December 8, 2022.
1. Syriac Grammar – Chapter 1
a) Classical Syriac Grammar – Week 1 – Alphabet – Estrangela (Last Updated December 8, 2022)
b) Practice Sheet 1.1 – Alphabet Tracing Sheet – Estrangela
c) Practice Sheet 1.2 – Alphabet Practice Sheet – Estrangela
d) Practice Sheet 1.3 – Alphabet Sequence Practice – Estrangela
e) Practice Sheet 1.4 – Alphabet Practice with Following Letter Attached – Estrangela
f) Practice Sheet 1.5 – Alphabet Practice with Previous Letter Attached – Estrangela
g) Practice Sheet 1.6 – Syriac to English Transliteration – Estrangela
h) Practice Sheet 1.7 – Copy Work – Estrangela
i) Practice Sheet 1.8 – Alphabet Tracing Sheet – West Syriac (Serto)
j) Practice Sheet 1.9 – Alphabet Tracing Sheet – East Syriac
2. Syriac Grammar – Chapter 2
a) Classical Syriac Grammar – Week 2 – Vowels – Estrangela (Last Updated: December 8, 2022)
b) Practice Sheet 2.1 – Vowel Points and Pronunciation – Estrangela
c) Practice Sheet 2.2 – Dividing Words into Syllables
d) Practice Sheet 2.3. – Estrangela – Transliteration with Vowels
e) Practice Sheet 2.4. – Estrangela – Copy Work With Vowels
f) Memorize Vocabulary Using Quizlet
3. Syriac Grammar – Chapter 3
a) Classical Syriac Grammar – Week 3 – Nouns, Genitival ܕ, Inseparable Prepositions, Waw – Estrangela (Last Updated: December 8, 2022)
b) Memorize Chapter 3 Vocabulary Using Quizlet
c) Practice Sheet 3.1 – Memorizing Noun Paradigms
d) Practice Sheet 3.2 – Adding Prepositions, the Conjunction ܘ, and the Particle ܕ to Other Words
4. Syriac Grammar – Chapter 4
a) Classical Syriac Grammar – Week 4 – Other Signs, Verbless Clauses, Adjectives – Estrangela (Last Updated February 10, 2023)
b) Memorize Chapter 4 Vocabulary Using Quizlet (Last Updated February 22, 2022)
c) Practice Sheet 4.1 – Adjectives
5. Syriac Grammar – Chapter 5
a) Classical Syriac Grammar – The Peˁal Perfect, Negation, Steps for Translation – Estrangela (Last Updated: December 8, 2022)
b) Memorize Chapter 5 Vocabulary Using Quizlet
c) Practice Sheet 5.1 – The Peˁal Perfect of Regular Verbs
6. Syriac Grammar – Chapter 6
a) Classical Syriac Grammar – Chapter 6- Independent Personal Pronouns, Enclitic Personal Pronouns, Pronominal Suffixes, Possession With Particle of Existence, Use of Particle Existence With Suffixes – Estrangela (Last Updated: February 10, 2023)
b) Memorize Chapter 6 Vocabulary Using Quizlet
c) Memorize Pronominal Suffixes on Prepositions Using Quizlet
d) Practice Sheet 6.1 – Independent and Enclitic Personal Pronouns
e) Practice Sheet 6.2 – Prepositions With Pronominal Suffixes
7. Syriac Grammar – Chapter 7
a) Classical Syriac Grammar – Chapter 7 – Pronominal Suffixes on Nouns, Relative Clauses – Estrangela (Last Updated: January 9, 2023)
b) Memorize Chapter 7 Vocabulary Using Quizlet
c) Memorize Pronominal Suffixes on Nouns Using Quizlet
d) Practice Sheet 7.1 – Pronominal Suffixes on Singular Nouns
e) Practice Sheet 7.2 – Pronominal Suffixes on Plural Nouns
f) Practice Sheet 7.3 – Pronominal Suffixes on Singular Nouns With Irregular Pronominal States
8. Syriac Grammar – Chapter 8
a) Classical Syriac Grammar – Chapter 8 – Paˁˁel, ’Apˁel, ’Etpeˁel, and ’Etpaˁˁal Perfect (Regular Verbs) (Last Updated December 8, 2022)
b) Memorize Chapter 8 Vocabulary Using Quizlet
c) Practice Sheet 8.1 – Regular Verbs in the Derived Patterns
9. Syriac Grammar – Chapter 9
a) Classical Syriac Grammar – Chapter 9 – Demonstratives, Apposition, and Postpositive Conjunctions (Last Updated: January 14, 2023)
b) Memorizing Chapter 9 Vocabulary Using Quizlet
c) Practice Sheet 9.1 – Near and Remote Demonstratives
10. Syriac Grammar – Chapter 10
a) Classical Syriac Grammar – Chapter 10 – Original Third-Yod Verbs, Prepositive Conjunctions (Part 1) (Last Updated: January 11, 2022)
b) Memorize Chapter 10 Vocabulary Using Quizlet
c) Practice Sheet 10.1 – The Peˁal Perfect of Original Third-Yôd Verbs
d) Practice Sheet 10.2 – The Peˁal Perfect of Original Third-Yôd Verb in the Derived Patterns
11. Syriac Grammar – Chapter 11
a) Classical Syriac Grammar – Chapter 11 – Middle Weak Verbs, Prepositive Conjunctions (Part 2) (Last Updated: February 9, 2023)
b) Memorize Chapter 11 Vocabulary Using Quizlet
c) Practice Sheet 11.1 – The Peˁal Perfect of Second-Wāw/Yôd Verbs
d) Practice Sheet 11.2 – The Perfect of Second-Wāw/Yôd Verbs in the Derived Patterns
12. Syriac Grammar – Chapter 12
a) Classical Syriac Grammar – Chapter 12 – Geminate Verbs and the Verb ܗܘܵܐ (Last Updated: January 26, 2023) – Major Update
b) Memorize Chapter 12 Vocabulary Using Quizlet
c) Practice Sheet 12.1 – The Peˁal Perfect of Geminate Verbs
d) Practice Sheet 12.2 – The Perfect of Geminate Verbs in the Derived Patterns
e) Practice Sheet 12.3 – The Peˁal Perfect of ܗܘܵܐ
f) Memorize the Peˁal Perfect of ܒܙܙ Using Quizlet
g) Memorize the Peˁal Perfect of ܗܘܵܐ Using Quizlet
13. Syriac Grammar – Chapter 13
a) Memorize Regular Verbs in the Peˁal Perfect with 3msg Pronominal Suffixes Using Quizlet
Memorize Cardinal Numbers 1-10 Using Quizlet
Appendix #1 – Syriac Grammar – Verb Charts
Appendix #2 – Syriac Grammar – Vocabulary Guide
Between the Perfect and the Doomed 
Thank-you for sharing your work.
Are Chapters 5 and 6 available? They are missing above for download. Thanks!
Hi Alan. I’m still in the process of editing chapters 5 and 6. They should both be up in the next couple of weeks (hopefully!).
Maria Barekhlukh for sharing this work
Thanks. I hope it’s helpful.
wonderful learning website.
Aloho Notar lkhoon 3al kool medem.
Thanks! I’m glad it’s helpful.
Thanks so much Dr. Francois. These are by far the best online Syriac teachings I’ve encountered. I especially appreciate your inclusion of vocabulary words in your video presentations, because it really helps people like me who have little to no Syriac knowledge to be able to hear how words of a new language should be properly pronounced.
One more thing before I go. Do you or will you be posting videos on the Syriac vowel system?
Hi Harry. Thanks for leaving the comment. I’m glad the material is helpful. I am planning on doing two or three videos (I think!) on Syriac vowels: one doing a basic introduction to Syriac vowels, one that gives the vowels used in the eastern script, and possibly one that gives the vowels in the western script. Hopefully I’ll be able to get one or two of them up some time in January – but we’ll see what happens. Thanks again for the feedback.
Very helpful and well done!
By the way, allow me to mention the very impressive site syri.ac, which may be of interest to readers here.
Thank you and God bless you.
Thanks for leaving the comment. That’s an excellent site and I really recommend it as well – especially for the links to Syriac texts in the public domain.
perfect work
I’ve only recently become interested in Syriac, and your grammar has been amazing for keeping this newfound obsession alive! Thank you so much for the work you do on this! I’m in the throes of study even now 😀
Thanks for leaving the comment. I appreciate it. I’m in the middle of preparing lectures for a last minute course I’m teaching in a couple of weeks so I haven’t been able to put up any new Syriac material for the website for a bit. Once that’s done I’m hoping to be able to get some new material up. Glad you’re enjoying it.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge, your are very nice. God bless you for that.
No problem. Thanks for checking out the website. Hopefully I’ll be able to get more information up soon.
Thank you every much for your work ! Very helpful and clear.
Where could I ind a oriental syriac dialect dictionary with full vocalisation, if such a dictionary does exist ?
Thanks again, I will pray for you !
Frère Hugues.
Abbaye de Randol
F.-63450 Cournols
France
Are you looking for a Syriac to French dictionary, a Syriac to English dictionary, a Syriac to Latin dictionary, or a Syriac to Syriac dictionary? Or is there another kind of dictionary you are looking for? Let me know and I can give you a recommendation.
I am looking for an Eastern Syriac dictionary written in an European language, if this does exist !
Many thanks for all your work !
With my prayers
F. Hugues Bohineust.
Dear Dr. Mark François,
My daughter is using your site to study Syriac. She’s going into ch. 4 and I can’t keep pace with her. She’s 15. I need a tutor to answer her questions and check her work. Please refer me to someone who is knowledgeable in Estrangela and I’ll pay them.
Thank you!
Hi Jason. It’s great to hear that she’s using the material. I would have to do some thinking about how this would work, but I would be willing to check her work and answer her questions myself for free (depending on the time commitment). I’m just happy that she’s using the material. Send me an e-mail at classicalsyriac@hotmail.com and we can figure out how it might work.
Thank you so much for your amazing work. Your videos are so professional and easy to follow. Do you plan to have more videos? That will he great! I have intermediate knowledge of Syriac grammar, I want to become advanced.
Hi Ester. Thanks for leaving a comment – I appreciate it. I’m hoping to do some more videos soon. I was pretty busy this year preparing courses that I taught in May and June. But now that those courses are done, I should have a bit more time – assuming the marking doesn’t take too long. But I’m definitely hoping to make some more this summer.
Excellent effort, very professional, informative and educative.. Keep the good work Dr. Francois. May Hashem ybrakh otkha.
These are great resources!
Quick question: I’m interested in learning Syriac so that I can read Ephrem the Syrian’s poems and hymns and the Peshitta. Where would I find affordable versions of those texts?
Thanks!
Hi Stephen. If you want to read Ephrem’s hymns in Syriac, the best place to go is here: https://www.isdistribution.com/BookDetail.aspx?aId=10802. It’s a link to the standard edition of Ephrem’s hymns on paradise and the price is very reasonable. For the Old Testament Peshitta the standard text is published by Brill in separate volumes, which can sometimes be expensive. You can normally get some of the volumes on Amazon. It’s called The Old Testament in Syriac Peshitta version. You can also view texts online without a critical apparatus here: http://cal.huc.edu/. Hope that helps.
Thanks!
Hi I am from India and east syriac is the liturgical language of our church.
But I find that you pronounce the letter ܦ as `f´ while we pronounce it as `p´ why is that…
That’s a good question. The answer is that there are different traditions for how the letter ܦ is pronounced. One factor has to do with the pronunciation that was used in the dialect of Aramaic that readers of Syriac used in their everyday language. The other factor has to do with the church tradition that readers are a part of. As far as I know, everyone pronounces ܦ as a “p” when no vowel sound comes before it and when it is not doubled. West Syriac and an earlier version of East Syriac pronounce it as an “f” when it is preceded by a vowel sound. This was also the case in Imperial Aramaic. However, since at least the 10th century CE, the letter ܦ in East Syriac has been pronounced as a “p” even if it is preceded by a vowel sound. In some cases it can even be pronounced like a “w” (e.g. ܢܲܦܫܵܐ = nawšā). I don’t know if that’s the case for how East Syriac is pronounced in India but that’s how it would be pronounced in Iraq in some cases. Hope that makes sense. I would be interested to hear how you pronounce ܢܲܦܫܵܐ. Hope everything is going well with you in India. I know that India is being hit very hard with COVID right now. All the best.
Hi, how pronounce the word of “father” in Classical Syriac, “Ava” or “Abba”?
That’s a good question. It is normally pronounced Ava. However, in the East Syriac version of Galatians 4:6 it seems to be pronounced as Abba. The reason why that’s the case is because it is transliterating the word Abba that is being quoted in the Greek text.
Do you speak neo aramaic….
Do you thing applying the neo aramaic setence formation gramatical rules, into classical aramaic can help us to start talking in the classcal aramaic?
Unfortunately, I don’t speak neo-Aramaic. My understanding, though, is that neo-Aramaic is quite different from Classical Syriac. Part of it has to do with historical development within the language, part of it has to do with influence from other languages, but one of the biggest issues is that neo-Aramaic dialects aren’t direct descendants of Classical Syriac. I’m familiar with some of the differences between Classical Syriac and neo-Aramaic dialects but, without being able to speak any of the dialects, I couldn’t say whether or not it would be helpful for actually speaking Classical Syriac.
But you do think that classical syriac was a spoken language right? What do you think is the best way to start talking in it again..? Can you try to make up some sentences…?
It was definitely a spoken language at one point. It was based on the Aramaic dialect that was spoken at Edessa. I’m not really an expert in that area but I imagine that Classical Syriac would have functioned somewhat like Standard German a couple of hundred years ago – Standard German was used in official settings but at home everyone spoke their own dialect. It would certainly be possible to start speaking Classical Syriac again today but it wouldn’t be straightforward. If I were the one doing it, I would start by trying to learn northeastern Neo-Aramaic (i.e. Assyrian) and work backwards.
The north eastern aramaic (assyrian) that you mentioned….
Is it the same language they used to film The Passion of Christ..?
I don’t believe it is. The language used in the Passion of the Christ seems to mimic the Aramaic that is found in Ezra and Danie. For example, there were several places where I heard כל קבל די (kol qovel di). There were also several places where the pronunciation wouldn’t have matched up with later forms of Aramaic.
Thank you for making your materials freely available and they are easy to follow for me as I have studied Syriac for only a short while.
In respect to a question someone asked above about a source for Biblical Syriac texts, the best source for the Old Testament material is the Leiden Peshitta. The Brill website has the critical apparatus giving important textual variations but has a user fee. However, https://github.com/ETCBC/peshitta/tree/master/plain/0.2 is the latest version of the Leiden Peshitta main text which is freely available. The Leiden Peshitta folks provided an earlier version to the Hebrew Union College CAL (Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon) website some years ago, but that version does not (yet) reflect the updates available on Leiden’s ETCBC github website. I am currently analyzing the differences and letting the folks at CAL know where their site may need changes.
One thing that would be nice to see is a list of links to the oldest Biblical manuscripts. I have found 7a1, 8a1, 5b1, 9a1, 9c1, 12a1, and 15a1. I am aware of other manuscripts online but not aware of their Leiden Peshitta numbers (some of those are from the 17th century so not useful for my purposes). Do you know of a free source for that information?
Thanks again!
Hi Andrew. Not a problem. I’m glad that the material is being used. I didn’t realize that the text on the Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon site doesn’t reflect the changes on the the ETCBC website. I noticed one or two typos in their version of Habakkuk—but after a quick email to Stephen Kaufman they were corrected. The advantage to the text on the Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon is that each of the words are tagged to their lexicon. But that’s definitely good to know.
I agree that it would be nice to have a list of the oldest biblical manuscripts that are available online. I was trying to make a list last summer for New Testament manuscripts but I have been pretty tied up with an article I am writing and a book review. I don’t know if you know this website, but this might be a good place to start: http://syri.ac/digimss/faceted/field_language_tag/syriac-5. Eventually I want to make my own list that is annotated, easy to use, and has links to the digitized manuscripts.
Very Nice! I just finished one year hebrew and just started with biblical aramaic but I’ve been always curios about syriac, and the way you teach its so easy to follow and understand. Thank you for making it free!
Not a problem. Glad it’s helpful!
Dear Dr. Mark,
I am deeply grateful for your free Syriac courses here; this is truly a gift!
I have searched some other Syriac grammars.
It seems they differ in the names of the vowels given between East Syriac and West Syriac than your video. As far as I can tell, it is complicated by the ancient pronunciations, development over time, and modern usage. In short, the most confusing thing is that they call the long e rvasa, while this is the name for the long u in East Syriac. Can you help me understand why this is? Along with the differences in names of the vowels between East and West Syriac ?
My questions regarding the difference in vowel names leads me to a second question. I have a friend who is trying to take Syriac courses online at https://syriac.school/
are you familiar with this school?
They teach the West Syriac pronunciation. I have benefited greatly from your courses, and, as far as I can understand, your course presents the more ancient (classical) vocalization of vowels, which is for the most part retained in East Syriac.
My main intention for studying Syriac is because of my love for St. Isaac the Syrian, who was an East Syriac writer. I have a desire to learn Syriac, and want to start with your course, but it seems to differ with almost all other Syriac grammars and courses presented today, which teach West Syriac pronunciation, etc. Correct me if I am wrong. I do not have much knowledge of Syriac, but from an initial reading of different grammars, certain differences strike me.
I do not want to spend money where it will only confuse me. So, I am wondering if you could provide me with any insight in how to seriously pursue my Syriac studies beyond your courses, and what I should know regarding differences, etc. Please let me know if you need further clarification.
Again, I am deeply and eternally grateful for your free courses!!!
Dear Fr. Macarius. Thanks for your message and your encouraging words. I’m away from home right now for about a week but I will get back to you as soon as I get home. You’re right that the names of the vowels can sometimes be different. But I’ll try to into more detail once I get back home. All the best.
Thank you much!
Dear Fr. Macarius. I created a post and a PDF with an answer to your question about Syriac vowels. It can be found here: https://markfrancois.wordpress.com/2022/04/20/vowel-names-in-west-syriac-and-east-syriac/
Thank you very much!
This is extremely helpful!
I am grateful for the extra time you have spent on creating it, hopefully others will find it useful.
take care,
Glad it was helpful!
Hi, thanks for your great teaching, so helpfull
may God Bless you
I have a question
how we can guess Vowels in words without vowels signs like as: a in /zavnin/ and a in /harta/ ?
Hi Iman. The good thing about Syriac is that there are very few places where you have to guess which vowel to use in texts that don’t have vowel signs. Unfortunately, however, there aren’t any shortcuts in the cases where it isn’t clear. When you memorize vocabulary, you have to memorize the vowels that go with the word.
thanx a lot
may God bless you
Dear Doctor Marc Steven François,
As an Aramaic Syriac descendant, I would like to thank you heartly and greatly for the Incredible Masterpiece you have done in honor of our Motherland, Civilization through our Language.
May The Lord Bless You And Bless Your Work.
El. Sa.
Thanks for leaving a comment. You definitely have a great heritage. I’m glad that I get to benefit from it.
Hi,
I’ve been considering learning Classical Syriac to integrate with my study of other Semitic languages. Looking through the PDFs, I noticed that Lessons 6, 7, and 9 don’t have grammatical sheets attached. Will these be available at some point?
Many thanks for your free resources,
Simon
Hi Simon. They should be available at some point soon. I am currently updating these chapters. The nature of the revisions made it seem wise to remove them from the website for the time being until they are finished. Hopefully they will be done soon. Glad you’re enjoying the resources.
Dear Mark,
I started learning Syriac with your resources some years ago and I am really glad to see that you have added lessons now! Thank you so much for all the work, this is great!
Hi Matthew. Thanks for taking the time to leave a message. I’m glad the material getting used!
I haven’t found any other resources yet as valuable as yours for a beginning Syriac learner. I’m using your grammar and supplementing it with Muraoka’s Classical Syriac Basic Grammar. I’ve used Muraoka’s Biblical Hebrew Grammar as well as his Septuagint Greek Syntax so feel comfortable with his presentation
Hi Gary. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. That’s a really big complement. I used Muraoka’s grammar when studying Syriac in university. It’s a great reference grammar and it’s good to keep it handy while translating and learning. That being said, it can be a bit overwhelming if it’s used by itself, which is what we did when I was in school. All the best, Mark
Hello from France
Thank you so much for all these resources and your very good work. It is really helpful for a beginner like me. I am learning alone and I hope soon I will be able to read the Peshitta. I have bought one that is bilingual Portuguese/Aramaic.
God bless you!
CG
Hi Celia. Thanks for leaving a note. I’m glad the material is helpful.
Whoa! This is an incredible collection of resources, it’s very generous of you to share all this hard work, thank you so much!
Thanks! I’m glad it’s helpful.
Shlomo myaqro Mark!
Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge!
My question is this: The letter (T) ܬ at the end of a word marks either “You” or “I” depending on whether the letter is pronounced soft (th) (ܬ̥) or hard (t) (ܬ̇). That the hard pronunciation stands for ܐܰܢ̱ܬ (You) eg.x ܫܳܡܥܰܬ = ܫܳܡܰܥ ܐܰܢ̱ܬ = “you hear/you hear” is clearly noticeable here. But in the word ܫܶܡܥܶܬ̥ (shem`th) = “I have heard” . Where/how is it that soft (th) (ܬ̥) in the same word is perceived with such a difference?
Kind regards
Simon C
Hi Simon. I’m not entirely sure if I understood the question. So I’ll do my best. And sorry ahead of time for not transliterating everything properly. The reason why the ܬ in the 2msg (i.e., ܩܛܠܬ) is pronounced with the hard pronunciation is because it isn’t preceded by a vowel sound. The vowel pattern is ܩܛܲܠܬ (qtalt), which means that there isn’t a vowel sound between ܠ and ܬ. However, in the 1csg, the ܬ is preceded by a vowel sound. The vowel pattern is ܩܸܛܠܹܬ (qetleth). So unless the ܬ represents a double ܬ, it is pronounced with the hard pronunciation when it is not preceded by a vowel sound and the soft pronunciation when it is preceded by a vowel sound. I hope that helps. If that wasn’t the question you were asking, feel free to clarify. All the best.
Hello Mark. You have put an enormous amount of work into all this and it is a real blessing to have access to all of it for free! I’ve been using it as a reference grammar – you go into more detail than Noldeke or Muraoka on a couple of matters (conjunctions, use of ܗܘܐ).
Just a couple of errata:
The Syriac text gets mangled in examples where there is a footnote – eg Mark 13:33 in ch 11, Matt 22:32 and John 1:3 in ch 12.
Pg 104 in ch. 10: “third yod verbs are relatively rare and are identical to original third yod verbs…”
pg 117 John 4:2 ܡܢܡܕ looks like it should be ܡܥܡܕ
Thanks for the corrections. That will definitely make things easier as I revise these chapters in the summer. We have about a week and a half of classes left where I teach so it might take me a bit to get to it, but I definitely appreciate it. And I’m glad the material is helpful. If you catch anything else in the future, feel free to let me know.
(I tried to submit the question below, but it seems that it didn’t go through. So I try again).
Shlomo again malphono myaqro Mark! And thanks for your first reply. However, that was not the answer to my actual question. I try to rephrase the question through these 3 examples using the word ܫܡܲܥ (hear): 1) ܫܡܲܥܬ̇ (shma´t = YOU have heard), 2) ܫܡܲܥܢܲܢ (shma´nan= WE have heard) and 3) ܫܡܲܥܬ̇ܘܢ (shma´ton = YOU (pl.) have heard). In all these 3 examples we can See and Hear that the origin of the ending of the word consists of personal pronouns, as in example 1: ܐܲܢ̱ܬ̇] ܫܡܲܥ ܐܲܢ̱ܬ̇] is written as one word ܫܡܲܥܬ̇ in example 2: ܫܡܲܥ ܚܢܲܢ [ܚܢܲܢ] is written as a single word ܫܡܲܥܢܲܢ and example 3: ܐܲܢ̱ܬ̇ܘܢ] ܫܡܲܥ ܐܲܢ̱ܬ̇ܘܢ] is written together as the word ܫܡܲܥܬ̇ܘܢ . So far I understand. But in the case of the word ܫܸܡܥܸܬ̥ (sheméth = I have heard) I can NOT see and hear that the ending with soft T (=ܬ̥ th) has any connection to the word I (ܐܸܢܵܐ). Therefore, I wonder what the origin is of the soft T (ܬ̥) at the end of a word that makes it stand for I (ܐܸܢܵܐ). I hope the question is clearer this time. I also want to thank you again for the time you put in this. Whish you all the best.
I see what you mean now. In Ugaritic, which is closely related to Hebrew and Aramaic, the word for “I” is ’anāku. This is related to the older version of the word “I” in Hebrew, which is ’ānōki. Based on comparisons with other Semitic languages and phenomena found in Hebrew and Aramaic, the “k” sound in pronouns could sometimes be transformed into a “t” sound. For example, in both Hebrew and Aramaic, the “k” sound can be seen in 2nd person forms of pronominal suffixes on nouns and prepositions. However, the 2nd person forms for verbs in the perfect and for independent personal pronouns have the letter “t” whenever you would have expected a “k” based on the pronominal suffix forms. In other words, the “k” sound seems to transform into a “t” sound for verbs and independent personal pronouns. This means that the “t” in the 1csg in both Hebrew and Syriac probably goes back to the word “I” when it was originally spelled with a “k” (‘anāku) but the “k” was transformed into a “t” sound at some point for verbs in the perfect. So in Ugaritic, the equivalent 1csg form is qataltu. However, in Babylonian, the equivalent ends with “ku” instead. So the “t” sound in both Hebrew and Syriac likely goes back to an original 1csg “ku” sound that eventually changed into “tu”. Does that make sense?
Thanks for this answer! Perhaps it could be in the way you have described. However, there seems to be some uncertainty. Therefore, I want to ask 4 questions: 1) Can there be yet another answer? 2) How does the word ܫܸܡܥܸܬ̥ (sheméth = I have heard) sound, or is written in Hebrew? Is it also with a soft Th? (If I am not mistaken, the root word is the same in Hebrew as in Syriac ܫܡܲܥ shma´ = hear). 3) I don’t know Arabic myself, but the answer you gave seems to fit into Arabic with its ending, doesn’t it? 4) would it be grammatically possible to use ܐܸܢܵܐ as an ending in the sentence “I have heard”, for example ܫܡܲܥ ܐ̱ܢܵܐ or ܫܡܲܥܢܵܐ? The 4th question I ask because the other personal pronouns (ܐܲܢ̱ܬܘܢ, ܚܢܲܢ, etc.) are still active in Syriac but not ‘anāku or ‘ānōki for the word I, including a transformation of the “k” sound to a “t” sound. It is, as is commonly known, ܐܸܢܵܐ ‘ānō or ‘anā.
I thank you in advance for answering these questions!
Hi Simon,
Good questions. Here are my thoughts on most of them:
1. It’s not impossible that there could be another explanation, but this explanation has so much explanatory power that it seems like it has to be the right one. Based on comparisons with Babylonian, the perfect tense (also called the suffix conjugation) probably originated from verbal adjectives having pronominal suffixes added to them. The pronominal suffixes added to these forms are basically identical to the endings of verbs in the perfect in both Hebrew and Aramaic. The one big difference is in the 1csg, where it ends in “ku”. Like I mentioned, this explanation also explains why there is a correspondence between “t” and “k” in second person forms in Hebrew and Aramaic.
2. In Hebrew, the “t” in the first common singular isa hard “t” for the regular verb. But the only reason why that’s the case is because it isn’t preceded by a vowel sound. In original third-yod verbs, the “t” has a soft “t” sound because there is a vowel sound that precedes it. The difference between a hard “t” and soft “t” isn’t really meaningful in this case—it simply depends on what sound comes before it.
3. Unfortunately, I haven’t studied Arabic.
4. It isn’t grammatically possible to put ܐܸܢܵܐ at the end of a verb in the perfect (if that’s what you’re asking). This is because the pronoun is already built into verbs in the perfect. In the example that you gave, there would be a really big problem because you were combining a first common singular pronoun with a 3 masculine singular verb. But you definitely can do this with participles in Syriac because Syriac participles aren’t marked for person.
5. You’re right about Syriac not having an equivalent to ānōki . However, if the explanation I gave is correct, the change from “k” to “t” would have happened hundreds of years before Hebrew and Aramaic diverged into separate languages. In other words, if we wanted to know that this theory was correct, we would need to see what the 1csg pronoun looked like in, maybe, 2000 BC. That’s something we can do in Babylonian but we really can’t do that for the ancestor language of Hebrew and Aramaic. But we do know that by 1500 BC, the first common singular of the perfect had the “t” sound in that part of the world. Maybe with the publication of some newly discovered texts in Amorite, we might have a better idea.
I am grateful for your answers. The reason for the fourth question is because in West Neo Syriac we say ܫܰܡܶܥ ܐ̱ܢܳܐ (shamé´no) for “I have heard” or “I heard”. (In West Neo Syriac ܫܰܡܶܥ means “He heard” and ܫܡܰܥ means “hear” and ܫܳܡܰܥ means “he hears”. The last two expressions are thus exactly the same as Classical Syriac). And considering that in West Neo Syriac we also say ܫܰܡܺܝܥܺܝܢܰܢ (we have heard) and ܫܰܡܺܝܥܺܝܬܽܘܢ (pl. you have heard) [for ܫܡܰܥܢܰܢ and ܫܡܰܥܬܽܘܢ] makes me see a direct comparability to the written language ܟܬ̥ܳܒܳܢܳܝܳܐ (kthobonoyo) classical Syriac in this case.
I am aware that there are grammatical differences between West Neo Syriac and Classical Syriac but since in the present tense it is exactly the same spelling and pronunciation, ܫܳܡܰܥ ܐ̱ܢܳܐ (I hear), in both "dialects" and that the two examples above are so close in pronunciation, I thought the question was justified.[I also think that West Neo Syriac is a natural spoken language while Classical Syriac is a constructed written language, and like all languages that once begin to be recorded and used in written form, differences arise to varying degrees. A written language needs to be structured in a logical way, with rules and with spellings and a word order that a spoken language does not always need to take into account.
And over time, both written and spoken language change to varying degrees so that what was said or written hundreds of years ago can be difficult to understand today. Is that not correct?]
Therefore, I thought that if in West Neo Syriac it is natural to express ܫܰܡܶܥ ܐ̱ܢܳܐ (shamé´no) for "I have heard" or "I heard", then it might also be possible to apply this form of expression also in classical Syriac, possibly with a modified vocalization of the word ܫܡܥ .
It would be interesting if you have any comments on this.
Hi Simon. Thanks for the extra information. That’s really interesting and makes sense. My understanding is that in Turoyo and Northeastern Neo-Aramaic, the normal past tense that you see in Classical Syriac (qtal) has been replaced by a form based on the passive participle. I wouldn’t be surprised if the past tense in Western Neo-Aramaic originally came from a participial form at an earlier stage (one article I have says that the past tense in Western Neo-Aramaic comes from the resultative participle). But I’m definitely not an expert on Western Neo-Aramaic. If that’s the case, it would explain why you can use personal pronouns with past tense forms when the verb itself isn’t conjugated.
Modern dialects of Aramaic aren’t direct descendants of Classical Syriac so we can expect there to be differences. Some differences are probably simplifications that developed over time. Other differences are probably due to contact with other languages that were spoken in the area. But the past tense in Classical Syriac lines up with how the past tense was used in earlier stages of Aramaic so the verbal system makes sense. You can use an independent personal pronoun with the past tense but the suffix on the past tense still needs to line up with it. If I find anything more on the past tense in Western Neo-Aramaic I’ll let you know. If you happen to find an answer yourself, let me know too.
Hi again!
It is absolutely true that it is the Turoyo tongue that I have started from in my comparison with classical Syriac. And now that we’ve entered this discussion, I feel it might be of value to say this as well:
In the previous examples, I have shown that ܐ̱ܢܳܐ is used in Turoyo as the ending of a verb word. But with some words, ܠܺܝ (me) is also used with the same intention. For example, for the expression ܟܶܬ̥ܒ̥ܶܬ̥ (I wrote) we say in Turoyo ܟܬ̥ܘܒ̥ ܠܺܝ (kthowli). In a literal translation it would be “me write” or “write me” which sounds strange when translated into other languages. But this is something completely natural in turoyo. [can also be expressed as ܟܬ̥ܒ̥ ܠܺܝ (kth´w li) without any clear vocalization].
I’m not an expert in these contexts, but I tend to say that this is an archaic expression that exists in the spoken language but in a written language it would probably have to be written and expressed in a different way. Am I right about this?
On the other hand, we say ܟܬ̥ܰܘܒ̥ ܐܶܠܺܝ (ktaow eli) [pronounced and sounds like ܟܬ̥ܰܒ̥ ܐܶܠܺܝ ] for “write [to] me” which sounds more naturally in meaning and also in comparison to other languages, right? [The letter olaf with the vowel e is more or less a clarifying vowel, or so to speak a half vowel. It could also be expressed ܟܬ̥ܰܘܒ̥ ܠܺܝ (ktaow li)].
I now want to write 4 examples in the past tense where we use ܠܺܝ alternatively ܐ̱ܢܳܐ in Turoyo as an ending of a verb word (suffix). Perhaps there may be something of interest in a comparison with classical Syriac.
1) ܚܙܶܐ ܠܺܝ (hze li) which means “I have seen” or “I saw”. But, ܚܙܺܝ ܐܶܠܺܝ (hzy eli) also expressed as ܚܙܺܝܘܼ ܐܶܠܺܝ (hzyo eli) means “it seemed to me”.
ܩܪܶܐ ܠܺܝ ܐܶܓܰܪܬ̥ܳܐ (2 (qre li egartho) which means “I have read [a] letter”. But, ܩܪܺܝ ܐܶܠܺܝ ܐܶܓܰܪܬ̥ܳܐ (qry eli egartho) also expressed as ܩܪܺܝܘܼ ܐܶܠܺܝ ܐܶܓܰܪ̥ܳܐ (qryo eli egartho) “a letter was read to me ” or “it was read a letter to me”.
Note: in Turoyo we say ܩܪܰܝ ܐܶܠܺܝ… (qray eli…) in the meaning “read to me…”. (The same applies in example 4, soܡܢܰܝ ܐܶܠܺܝ… ).
3) ܗܰܠܰܟ̥ ܠܺܝ ܠܒܰܝܬܳܐ (halakh li lbayto) (I walked home) 4). ܡܢܶܐ ܠܺܝ ܠܫܰܒ̥ܥܳܐ (mne li l´shawo) which means “I counted to seven” or “I have counted to seven”. But, ܡܢܺܝ ܐܶܠܺܝ ܠܫܰܒ̥ܥܳܐ or …ܡܢܺܝܘܼ means “it was counted to me until seven” or “to me it was counted to seven”.
Of course, depending on the different personal pronouns you want to express, ܠܺܝ is replaced by, for example, ܠܳܟ̥ ـ ܠܶܗ etc.
And now 4 examples with ܐ̱ܢܳܐ at the end of verb words in the past tense:
1) ܕܰܡܶܟ̥ ܐ̱ܢܳܐ ܫܶܢܬ̥ܳܐ ܒܰܣܺܝܡܬܳܐ (damehk no shentho basimto) which means “I had a good sleep”.
2) ܣܰܠܶܩ ܐ̱ܢܳܐ ܥܰܠ ܛܽܘܪܳܐ ܪܳܡܳܐ (saleq no hal tuoro romo) means “I climbed (ascended) on a high mountain”. Some people from Tur Abdin can also express this sentence in this way: ܝܰܣܶܩ ܐ̱ܢܳܐ ܥܰܠ ܛܽܘܪܳܐ ܥܶܠܳܝܳܐ (yaseq no hal tuoro heloyo).
3) ܢܰܦܶܩ ܐ̱ܢܳܐ ܡܶܢ ܒܰܝܬܳܐ (napheq no men bayto) means “I went out of the house”.
4) ܪܰܗܶܛ ܐ̱ܢܳܐ ܠܡܰܕܪܰܫܬܳܐ (rahet no l´madrashto) means “I ran to school”.
Note that especially example 1, (but also the other 3 examples), can be expressed like this: ܣܰܠܶܩ ܐ̱ܢܳܐ ܠܺܝ ܥܰܠ ܛܽܘܪܳܐ ܪܳܡܳܐ (saleq no li hal tuoro romo) which means “I climbed (ascended) me on a high mountain”. To Syriac listeners, it wouldn’t sound strange, just a bit like an old-fashioned expression.
Of course, depending on the different personal pronouns you want to express, ܐ̱ܢܳܐ is replaced by, for example, ܐܰܢ̱ܬ ـ ܐܰܢ̱ܬܽܘܢ etc. but with an addition of yod in the verb word to ܕܰܡܺܝܟ̥ ܐܰܢ̱ܬ ـ ܣܰܠܺܝܩ ܐܰܢ̱ܬ etc. In such cases it is then pronounced as a single word ܕܰܡܺܝܟ̥ܰܬ ـ ܣܰܠܺܝܩܺܝܬܽܘܢ etc.
For the male form there is no ending, it is then only ܕܰܡܶܟ̥ ـ ܪܰܗܶܛ ـ ܣܰܠܶܩ ـ while for the feminine form it would be ܪܰܗܺܝܛܳܐ ـ ܣܰܠܺܝܩܳܐ ـ ܕܰܡܺܝܟ̥ܳܐ etc.
(I am aware that the word ܩܛܰܠ (qtal) “kill” is usually used as an example in conjugations. But as I think that word sounds terrible, I have avoided it. If we were to use it, it would sound like this in Turoyo in past tense: ܩܛܺܝܠ ܠܺܝ (qtil li) meaning “I have killed.” As well as ܡܰܩܬܶܠ ܠܺܝ ܬܰܥܠܳܐ or ܐܰܩܬܶܠ ܠܺܝ ܬܰܥܠܳܐ (maqtel li tahlo or aqtel li tahlo) meaning “I have [let] kill a fox”.)
I hope this post is not confusing, my intention is to give you an insight into the Turoyo inflectional forms in comparison to classical Syriac.
Hi Simon. Just wanted to let you know that I haven’t forgot our conversation. I have a big stack of exams and papers to grade that are due on Monday. I should be able to get back to you after that. The examples you gave from Turoyo were interesting to read and I’ll definitely have a few comments once my grading is finished.