Brief overview
Syriac Aramaic is an ancient language that originated in the region of Mesopotamia and was spoken by the Syriac Christians. Here is a brief overview of its grammar:
1. Alphabet: The Syriac Aramaic alphabet consists of 22 letters.
2. Nouns: Syriac Aramaic nouns have three genders (masculine, feminine, and neuter), and they decline for case (nominative, genitive, and accusative).
3. Pronouns: Syriac Aramaic pronouns decline for case, gender, and number. There are also personal pronouns, possessive pronouns, and demonstrative pronouns.
4. Verbs: Syriac Aramaic verbs conjugate for tense (past, present, and future), person, and number. There are also active and passive voices.
5. Adjectives: Syriac Aramaic adjectives agree with the noun they modify in gender, number, and case.
6. Prepositions: Syriac Aramaic prepositions are used to indicate location, direction, and time.
7. Adverbs: Syriac Aramaic adverbs modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs.
8. Syntax: Syriac Aramaic word order is relatively free, but the verb typically comes at the beginning of a sentence. The subject usually comes before the verb, and the object comes after the verb.
Overall, Syriac Aramaic is a complex language with a rich history and a unique grammar.
Syriac grammar in more detail.
Alphabet
The Syriac alphabet is a writing system used to write the Syriac language, which is an Aramaic language spoken by various Christian communities in the Middle East. The Syriac alphabet is a variant of the Aramaic alphabet, which was used to write several languages including Aramaic, Hebrew, and Phoenician.
The Syriac alphabet consists of 22 letters, all of which are consonants. Vowels are indicated using diacritical marks, which are placed above or below the consonants. The script is written from right to left.
The letters of the Syriac alphabet are:
1. ܐ - ālap̄ (or alap̄)
2. ܒ - bēṯ
3. ܓ - gāmal
4. ܕ - dālaṯ
5. ܗ - hē
6. ܘ - waw
7. ܙ - zayn
8. ܚ - ḥēṯ
9. ܛ - ṭēṯ
10. ܝ - yōḏ
11. ܟ - kāp̄
12. ܠ - lāmaḏ
13. ܡ - mēm
14. ܢ - nūn
15. ܣ - sāmek̲̄
16. ܥ - ʿē
17. ܦ - p̄ē
18. ܨ - ṣāḏē
19. ܩ - qōp̄
20. ܪ - rēš
21. ܫ - šīn
22. ܬ - taw
The Syriac alphabet was used not only for writing Syriac, but also for other languages such as Arabic, Kurdish, and Persian, as well as for writing religious texts in other languages such as Greek and Latin. It has been used since the 1st century CE and is still used today by some Christian communities in the Middle East.
Nouns
Here are some examples of Syriac Aramaic nouns:
1. ܒܝܬܐ (baytā) - "house"
2. ܢܗܪܐ (nahrā) - "river"
3. ܡܕܢܚܐ (madneḥā) - "field"
4. ܬܪܝܢܐ (taryānā) - "road"
5. ܥܠܝܐ (ʿalayā) - "higher"
6. ܡܫܝܚܐ (mshikhā) - "anointing oil"
7. ܩܘܪܝܐ (quryā) - "city"
8. ܡܪܢܐ (marnā) - "lord"
9. ܐܘܪܚܐ (ʾurkhā) - "power"
10. ܫܪܝܪܐ (šarīrā) - "body"
Syriac Aramaic is a Semitic language, and like other Semitic languages, it has a system of triconsonantal roots. Syriac nouns do not have a specific conjugation, but they can be declined according to their grammatical function in a sentence.
Syriac nouns have two grammatical genders: masculine and feminine. The gender of a noun is usually indicated by its ending. For example, the feminine ending "-tā" is added to masculine nouns to form feminine nouns.
Syriac nouns can also be declined for case. There are three cases in Syriac: the nominative, genitive, and accusative. The case endings are added to the noun to indicate its grammatical function in the sentence.
Here is an example of the declension of the Syriac noun "baytā" (house) in the three cases:
Nominative: ܒܝܬܐ (baytā) - "the house"
Genitive: ܒܝܬܐܢ (baytān) - "of the house"
Accusative: ܒܝܬܐ (baytā) - "the house" (direct object)
Note that in Syriac, the definite article is an independent word that precedes the noun, and it is not indicated by a suffix as in some other Semitic languages. In this example, the definite article "the" is represented by the word "ܐܝܬ" (ayt).
Pronouns
Here are the Syriac pronouns:
Personal Pronouns:
1. ܐܢܐ (anā) - I
2. ܐܢܐܝ (anāy) - my
3. ܟܝܢ (kīn) - you (masc. sing.)
4. ܟܝܢܐ (kīnā) - you (fem. sing.)
5. ܟܝܢܘܢ (kīnwon) - you (masc. pl.)
6. ܟܝܢܘܢܐ (kīnwonā) - you (fem. pl.)
7. ܡܢ (mn) - he
8. ܡܢܝ (many) - his
9. ܐܢܐ (antā) - she
10. ܐܢܝܢ (anin) - her
11. ܐܢܐ (ana) - we
12. ܐܢܝܢ (anin) - our
13. ܐܘܢܓܪܘܢ (ʾwngarun) - you (masc. and fem. pl.)
14. ܐܘܢܓܪܘܢ (ʾwngarun) - they (masc. and fem.)
Demonstrative Pronouns:
1. ܗܘ (hu) - this (masc.)
2. ܗܘܝ (huy) - this (fem.)
3. ܗܕܐ (hada) - this (masc. sing.)
4. ܗܕܐܝ (haday) - this (fem. sing.)
5. ܗܐ (ha) - that (masc.)
6. ܗܐܝ (hay) - that (fem.)
7. ܗܘܢ (hun) - those (masc.)
8. ܗܘܢܐ (hunā) - those (fem.)
Interrogative Pronouns:
1. ܐܝܟ (ayk) - who (masc.)
2. ܐܝܟܐ (aykā) - who (fem.)
3. ܐܢܐ (anā) - what
Relative Pronouns:
1. ܐܝܡܢ (aymān) - who
2. ܐܝܡܢܐ (aymānā) - which
3. ܕܝ (day) - that
Note that in Syriac, the pronouns can be declined for case and number, just like nouns.
Prepositions
Syriac has several prepositions. Here are some of the most common ones, along with examples:
1. ܠܒܝ (ləbī) - "to, for"
- ܠܒܝ ܐܬܘܪܝܐ ܕܐܝܬܘܗܝ (ləbī ʾa-tawrāyā d-ʾītuhiyē) - "for the Assyrians of his time"
- ܫܘܪܬܐ ܠܒܝ ܒܪܐ (šūrtā ləbī bərā) - "a message to the son"
2. ܥܕܪܐ (ʿidrā) - "against, opposite to"
- ܥܕܪܐ ܦܪܪܘܣ ܗܟܝܬܐ (ʿidrā parros hakkētā) - "opposite the mountain range"
- ܥܕܪܐ ܡܬܘܪܝܐ (ʿidrā matturayyā) - "against the enemy"
3. ܥܠܡ (ʿalām) - "over, above"
- ܥܠܡ ܕܩܘܡܝܐ (ʿalām d-qūmyā) - "above the clouds"
- ܥܠܡ ܫܘܪܐ (ʿalām šūrā) - "over the wall"
4. ܢܗܘܐ (nhwā) - "in, at"
- ܢܗܘܐ ܒܪܐ (nhwā bərā) - "in the son"
- ܢܗܘܐ ܒܝܫܬܐ (nhwā byšta) - "at the house"
5. ܕܪܝܫ (dryš) - "of, from"
- ܪܘܚܐ ܕܪܝܫ ܒܟܠܗܘܢ (rūḥā dryš bəkullhun) - "a spirit of all"
- ܣܒܪܐ ܕܪܝܫ ܐܝܠܝܢ (sibrā dryš ʾīlyīn) - "a remnant of the gods"
6. ܥܡܐ (ʿammā) - "with, together with"
- ܥܡܐ ܕܝܠܕܘܬܐ (ʿammā d-yaldūtā) - "together with the child"
- ܡܫܝܚܐ ܥܡܐ ܠܢ
Adjectives
Here are some examples of Syriac Aramaic adjectives:
1. ܢܳܦܳܬܳܐ (naphta) - "pure"
2. ܐܳܪܳܢܳܐ (aronna) - "wide"
3. ܬܳܪܳܐ (tara) - "pure"
4. ܥܰܠܳܐ (ala) - "high"
5. ܩܶܛܪܳܐ (qetra) - "short"
6. ܟܰܬ݂ܪܳܐ (katra) - "difficult"
7. ܚܳܪܳܐ (khara) - "narrow"
8. ܥܰܠܳܐ (ala) - "great"
9. ܣܶܥܪܳܐ (se'ra) - "small"
10. ܥܰܠܳܝܳܐ (alaya) - "exalted"
In Syriac Aramaic, adjectives agree with the noun they modify in gender, number, and case. Here is an example of the declension of the adjective "pure" (naphta) in the masculine singular for the three cases:
Nominative case:
ܢܳܦܬܳܐ (naphta)
Genitive case:
ܢܳܦܬܳܐ ܕ݁ܪܝܫܳܐ (naphta d-rysha)
meaning "pure of head" (rysha is the genitive form of "head")
Accusative case:
ܢܳܦܬܳܐ ܕ݁ܒܰܪܥܳܐ (naphta d-bar'a)
meaning "pure wine" (bar'a is the accusative form of "wine")
Note that the adjective agrees with the gender of the noun it modifies. If the noun is feminine, the adjective must be in the feminine form. If the noun is plural, the adjective must be in the plural form.
Verbs
Syriac verbs, like the verbs in other Semitic languages, are characterized by a complex system of conjugations and patterns of root letters that convey various shades of meaning. Syriac verbs can be divided into two categories: strong verbs and weak verbs.
Strong verbs (also known as "regular" verbs) follow a predictable pattern of conjugation based on the root letters. For example, the root letters K-T-B (meaning "write") can form the following conjugations in the past tense:
- singular masculine: katabta (you wrote)
- singular feminine: katabti (you wrote)
- dual masculine: katabtuma (you two wrote)
- dual feminine: katabtuna (you two wrote)
- plural masculine: katabtun (you all wrote)
- plural feminine: katabtunna (you all wrote)
Weak verbs (also known as "irregular" verbs) do not follow a predictable pattern and typically have unique vowel patterns and conjugations. For example, the verb ܩܘܠ (qowl, meaning "say") can form the following conjugations in the past tense:
- singular masculine: qawal (you said)
- singular feminine: qawalt (you said)
- dual masculine: qawaltuma (you two said)
- dual feminine: qawaltuna (you two said)
- plural masculine: qawalun (you all said)
- plural feminine: qawaltunna (you all said)
Syriac verbs also have various other forms and tenses, including present tense, imperative mood, infinitive, and participles. In addition, Syriac verbs can be conjugated in different voices, including active, passive, and reflexive. The study of Syriac verbs can be complex, but it is essential to understanding the language and its literature.
Here are some examples of Syriac verbs:
1. ܬܘܼܝܚܵܐ (twayhā, "to praise")
- Singular masculine past tense: twayheh (he praised)
- Singular feminine past tense: twayhit (she praised)
- Plural masculine past tense: twayhun (they praised)
- Plural feminine past tense: twayhunna (they praised)
2. ܒܘܼܟܵܐ (buwkā, "to weep")
- Singular masculine past tense: bewka (he wept)
- Singular feminine past tense: bewkit (she wept)
- Plural masculine past tense: bewkun (they wept)
- Plural feminine past tense: bewkunna (they wept)
3. ܫܪܘܼܒܵܐ (sharwā, "to sing")
- Singular masculine past tense: sharwah (he sang)
- Singular feminine past tense: sharwat (she sang)
- Plural masculine past tense: sharwun (they sang)
- Plural feminine past tense: sharwunna (they sang)
4. ܩܘܼܕܵܐ (qudā, "to sanctify")
- Singular masculine past tense: qadah (he sanctified)
- Singular feminine past tense: qadat (she sanctified)
- Plural masculine past tense: qadun (they sanctified)
- Plural feminine past tense: qadunna (they sanctified)
5. ܪܘܼܚܵܐ (rukhā, "to rest")
- Singular masculine past tense: rukheh (he rested)
- Singular feminine past tense: rukhit (she rested)
- Plural masculine past tense: rukhun (they rested)
- Plural feminine past tense: rukhunna (they rested) Adverbs
Adverbs
Syriac has several adverbs. Here are some of the most common ones:
1. ܡܢܢܝܢ (mennin) - "from now on"
- Example: ܡܢܢܝܢ ܐܝܬܘܗܝ ܐܢܬܘܢ ܫܘܪܝܐ (mennin ʾītuhiyē ʾantūn šūrā) - "from now on you will go towards"
2. ܠܐ ܩܝܡ (lā qīm) - "never"
- Example: ܠܐ ܩܝܡ ܐܢܬܘܢ ܬܫܠܝܢ (lā qīm ʾantūn tšlyn) - "you will never forget"
3. ܬܠܡܝܕܝ (tlamīdī) - "always"
- Example: ܬܠܡܝܕܝ ܐܢܬܘܢ ܗܢܘܢ ܐܝܬܘܗܝ (tlamīdī ʾantūn hnūn ʾītuhiyē) - "you are always here"
4. ܡܢ ܡܢܝܢ (min mennin) - "from then on"
- Example: ܡܢ ܡܢܝܢ ܐܢܬܘܢ ܬܫܠܝܢ (min mennin ʾantūn tšlyn) - "from then on you will forget"
5. ܡܢ ܡܘܬܐ (min mawtā) - "immediately"
- Example: ܡܢ ܡܘܬܐ ܐܢܬܘܢ ܕܒܝܬ ܢܥܪܬܐ (min mawtā ʾantūn d-bēt nʿreṯā) - "immediately you left the house"
6. ܩܒܪܐ (qabrá) - "very"
- Example: ܩܒܪܐ ܗܘܘ ܪܘܚܐ (qabrá hū rūḥā) - "very spirit"
7. ܐܡܪ (ammar) - "perhaps, maybe"
- Example: ܐܡܪ ܗܢܘܢ ܐܢܬܘܢ ܬܫܠܝܢ (ammar hnūn ʾantūn tšlyn) - "maybe you will forget"
8. ܕܝܢ (dīn) - "now"
- Example: ܕ
And here are some more common Syriac adverbs:
1. ܒܠܚܘܕܢܝܐ (blḥwdnyā) - "clearly"
2. ܒܝܬܐ (bytā) - "inside"
3. ܒܝܬ (byt) - "within"
4. ܡܪܝܢ (maryān) - "often"
5. ܩܕܝܫܐ (qdīšā) - "holy"
6. ܥܡܪ (ʿammar) - "always"
7. ܦܓܪܐ (pgrā) - "early"
8. ܦܪܫܢ (pršn) - "clearly"
9. ܬܘܠܝܬܐ (twlytā) - "slowly"
10. ܬܘܠܝܐ (twlyā) - "slow".
Note that the transliteration system used here is the Estrangelo script, which is commonly used for writing Syriac.
Syntax
Syriac has a relatively flexible word order, but typically follows a subject-verb-object (SVO) order. However, in some cases, the object can precede the subject.
Syriac is also characterized by its use of suffixes and prefixes to indicate grammatical relationships between words. For example, Syriac nouns have a variety of suffixes that indicate case (e.g. genitive, dative, accusative) and number (singular, plural).
Verbs in Syriac are conjugated to agree with the subject in both person and number. Syriac also has a rich system of prefixes and suffixes that can be added to verbs to indicate tense, aspect, and mood.
One interesting feature of Syriac is its use of the "emphatic state," which is a special form of a noun or adjective that is used to emphasize or intensify its meaning. The emphatic state is formed by adding a prefix or suffix to the word, and it has a variety of functions depending on the context in which it is used.
Overall, Syriac syntax is characterized by its flexibility and its use of affixes to indicate grammatical relationships between words.
Here are some examples of Syriac syntax:
- Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) order:
- ܐܢܫܐ ܐܬܐܠܝܐ ܫܘܒܚܐ
- ansha atalya shubkha
- "The man bought a book."
- Object-Subject-Verb (OSV) order:
- ܫܘܒܚܐ ܐܢܫܐ ܐܬܐܠܝܐ
- shubkha ansha atalya
- "The book the man bought."
- Noun case suffixes:
- ܠܡܠܬܐ ܕܪܘܚܐ
- l'malta d'rucha
- "The kingdom of God."
- Verb conjugation:
- ܐܬܠܝܘܢ ܠܐܬܠܐܝܢ ܡܢ ܟܘܪܝܐ
- atalyun la'tlayin men kurya
- "They bought (past tense) it from the market."
- Emphatic state:
- ܡܢ ܚܝܕܐ ܐܢܬܘܢ ܬܫܒܘܚܬܐ ܕܫܘܒܚܐ
- men khidha antun tshubukhta d'shubkha
- "You have bought the book itself (emphatic state) from the market."
Excerpt from the Syriac New Testament.
Here is an excerpt from the Syriac New Testament, specifically the Gospel of Matthew 1:23, with explanations of the grammar:
ܘܥܠܡܐ ܕܝܢܫܘܥ ܡܬܩܪܝܬܐ ܐܠܗܐ ܐܢܬܘܢ ܕܠܘܬ ܐܝܬܝܗܘܢ ܘܐܢܬܘܢ ܒܪܗ ܗܘܐ ܒܝܬ ܐܠܗܐ ܐܢܬܘܢ ܠܐ ܢܬܩܦܝܢܘܢ ܐܝܬܝܗܘܢ ܠܘܬ ܐܢܬܘܢ ܫܪܪܐܝܬܘܢ ܘܐܢܬܘܢ ܠܐ ܢܬܩܦܝܢܘܢ ܐܝܬܝܗܘܢ ܠܘܬ ܗܘܘ ܕܠܘܬܐ ܐܝܬܝܗܘܢ.
w'alma d'ynshua mthqryta alaha antun d'lwt 'ytihun w'antun brh hu b'yt alaha antun la ntqfynun 'ytihun lwt 'antun sharr'ytun w'antun la ntqfynun 'ytihun lwt hu w'd'lwt' ytihun.
Translation: "Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us."
Grammar explanations:
- The sentence begins with the interjection "w'alma," which can be translated as "behold" or "listen."
- The subject of the sentence is "virgin," which is in the singular and marked by the definite article "alma."
- The verb "shall be with child" is in the future tense and agrees with the subject in gender and number.
- The conjunction "w'" is used to connect two clauses, indicating that the second clause is dependent on the first.
- The second clause has the subject "they" and the verb "shall call," which is also in the future tense and agrees with the subject in gender and number.
- The name "Emmanuel" is introduced as a direct object, marked by the possessive pronoun "his" and the accusative ending "-hun."
- The phrase "which being interpreted is" is introduced by the particle "d'" and the participle "mthqryta," which means "interpreted" or "translated."
- The phrase "God with us" is introduced by the preposition "b'" and the noun "alaha," which is in the construct state and means "God." The pronoun "us" is marked by the suffix "-
Getting it further.