Sureth
Encyclopedia
Sureth is the term commonly used by the indigenous Assyrian
Christian populations of Iraq
, Syria
, and Southeastern Turkey
to refer to the various dialects of the Neo-Aramaic language spoken in those areas. In Iran
, the word Suraya or Suryaya is often heard instead. The number of its speakers is estimated to range from 500,000 to two million people.
The term Swadaya (which means "conversational" or "vernacular") can also be found, in contrast to the word Sapraya (which means "literary").
In the area called Tur Abdin
(to the west of the Sureth speaking area), the local language is called Turoyo. When they want to distinguish their languages between each other Sureth/Swadaya and Surayt/Turoyo speakers use the terms Madinkhaya (respectively Madenhoyo in Turoyo) meaning "Eastern (dialect)" and Ma'irwaya (respectively Ma'erboyo) meaning "Western (dialect)".
It is undeniably a Semitic language spoken by the natives of the Fertile Crescent
prior to the Muslim invasion.
The core of its heartland is the North of the Fertile Crescent (most particularly Northern Iraq, Syria, North-Western Iran and South-Eastern Turkey).
All native speakers of this language (or dialect), wherever they may be (America, Europe, Australia, the Middle-East, etc.), can trace their ancestry to Northern Mesopotamia
(that is to say Northern Iraq), the core of the Assyrian Empire that had Nineveh as its capital-city.
Sureth is a far cry from Akkadian language
(written in cuneiform characters, that can be deciphered nowadays), though close in phonology.
Among other alterations, Sureth has borrowed a lot to the invaders' languages (Persian, Greek, Arabic, Turk or even English).
For instance, conjugation in Sureth has been strongly influenced by Aryan
languages and has a peculiar situation of its own among the Semitic languages
, different from Arabic and Hebrew notably.
Last but not least, the vast stretch of land covered by the Assyrian Empire has seen the emergence of a wide variety of variants (or local dialects) sometimes unconnected to each other ranging from Biblical Aramaic to Iranian Sureth including Samaritan
, Mandaic, classical Syriac
, etc.
Assyrian people
The Assyrian people are a distinct ethnic group whose origins lie in ancient Mesopotamia...
Christian populations of Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
, Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
, and Southeastern Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
to refer to the various dialects of the Neo-Aramaic language spoken in those areas. In Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, the word Suraya or Suryaya is often heard instead. The number of its speakers is estimated to range from 500,000 to two million people.
The term Swadaya (which means "conversational" or "vernacular") can also be found, in contrast to the word Sapraya (which means "literary").
In the area called Tur Abdin
Tur Abdin
Tur Abdin is a hilly region of south east Turkey incorporating the eastern half of Mardin Province, and Şırnak Province west of the Tigris, on the border with Syria. The name 'Tur Abdin' is from the Syriac language meaning 'mountain of the servants '. Tur Abdin is of great importance to Syriac...
(to the west of the Sureth speaking area), the local language is called Turoyo. When they want to distinguish their languages between each other Sureth/Swadaya and Surayt/Turoyo speakers use the terms Madinkhaya (respectively Madenhoyo in Turoyo) meaning "Eastern (dialect)" and Ma'irwaya (respectively Ma'erboyo) meaning "Western (dialect)".
Origins
Scholars differ on the origin of Sureth.It is undeniably a Semitic language spoken by the natives of the Fertile Crescent
Fertile Crescent
The Fertile Crescent, nicknamed "The Cradle of Civilization" for the fact the first civilizations started there, is a crescent-shaped region containing the comparatively moist and fertile land of otherwise arid and semi-arid Western Asia. The term was first used by University of Chicago...
prior to the Muslim invasion.
The core of its heartland is the North of the Fertile Crescent (most particularly Northern Iraq, Syria, North-Western Iran and South-Eastern Turkey).
All native speakers of this language (or dialect), wherever they may be (America, Europe, Australia, the Middle-East, etc.), can trace their ancestry to Northern Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia
Mesopotamia is a toponym for the area of the Tigris–Euphrates river system, largely corresponding to modern-day Iraq, northeastern Syria, southeastern Turkey and southwestern Iran.Widely considered to be the cradle of civilization, Bronze Age Mesopotamia included Sumer and the...
(that is to say Northern Iraq), the core of the Assyrian Empire that had Nineveh as its capital-city.
Development
This area has undergone many upheavals and invasions, especially Persian (Aryan), Arab and Turkish.Sureth is a far cry from Akkadian language
Akkadian language
Akkadian is an extinct Semitic language that was spoken in ancient Mesopotamia. The earliest attested Semitic language, it used the cuneiform writing system derived ultimately from ancient Sumerian, an unrelated language isolate...
(written in cuneiform characters, that can be deciphered nowadays), though close in phonology.
Among other alterations, Sureth has borrowed a lot to the invaders' languages (Persian, Greek, Arabic, Turk or even English).
For instance, conjugation in Sureth has been strongly influenced by Aryan
Aryan
Aryan is an English language loanword derived from Sanskrit ārya and denoting variously*In scholarly usage:**Indo-Iranian languages *in dated usage:**the Indo-European languages more generally and their speakers...
languages and has a peculiar situation of its own among the Semitic languages
Semitic languages
The Semitic languages are a group of related languages whose living representatives are spoken by more than 270 million people across much of the Middle East, North Africa and the Horn of Africa...
, different from Arabic and Hebrew notably.
Last but not least, the vast stretch of land covered by the Assyrian Empire has seen the emergence of a wide variety of variants (or local dialects) sometimes unconnected to each other ranging from Biblical Aramaic to Iranian Sureth including Samaritan
Samaritan
The Samaritans are an ethnoreligious group of the Levant. Religiously, they are the adherents to Samaritanism, an Abrahamic religion closely related to Judaism...
, Mandaic, classical Syriac
Syriac language
Syriac is a dialect of Middle Aramaic that was once spoken across much of the Fertile Crescent. Having first appeared as a script in the 1st century AD after being spoken as an unwritten language for five centuries, Classical Syriac became a major literary language throughout the Middle East from...
, etc.