Assyrian Neo-Aramaic is the most spoken modern Aramaic dialect with about 9 hundred thousand speakers.It's most prestigious dialect is the Urmian dialect.
It is traditionally spoken in Upper Mesopotamia, Northern Iraq, North-northeast Iran , Azerbaijan, North-northeast Turkey and Northern Syria. But due to continuous wars in the region and persecution from the 20th century and onwards the bulk of its speakers have immigrated abroad.
Nowadays it is considered endangered because the second generation does not fully acquire the language being adapted in the language of the country they are living in.
Akkadian
Assyrian Neo-Aramaic is not to be confused with Assyrian , a dialect of the Ancient Akkadian ,another Semitic language,the language of the ancient Assyrians.
The Akkadian at one time adopted Aramaic as their second official language along with Akkadian. Bilingualism was widespread and due to the fact that Aramaic and Akkadian had similar grammar and vocabulary,both being Semitic, Aramaic eventually completely supplanted Akkadian.
Script
Assyrian Neo-Aramaic is written in the Eastern Madnkhaya version of the Syriac script.
Chaldean
Chaldean is considered a sister dialect of it by some but that is a matter of debate more like political than linguistic..
Modern Assyrians
Assyrian Neo-Aramaic and Turoyo make up the bulk of the modern Assyrian speakers.
Hello (lit. Peace be upon you).
Shmlam'alokh (singular male)
Shlam'alakh (singular female)
Shlam'alokhun (plural)
ܫܠܡ ܐܠܗܘܢ
How are you?
Dakheet(sg)?
Dakheet(oon)? (pl.)
Read also
Greetings in Assyrian Neo-Aramaic.
External links