The Syriac alphabet is a
writing systemA writing system is a symbolic system used to represent elements or statements expressible in language.-General properties:Writing systems are distinguished from other possible symbolic communication systems in that the reader must usually understand something of the associated spoken language to...
primarily used to write the
Syriac languageSyriac 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...
from around the 2nd century BC . It is one of the
SemiticThe 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...
abjadAn abjad is a type of writing system in which each symbol always or usually stands for a consonant; the reader must supply the appropriate vowel....
s directly descending from the
Aramaic alphabetThe Aramaic alphabet is adapted from the Phoenician alphabet and became distinctive from it by the 8th century BC. The letters all represent consonants, some of which are matres lectionis, which also indicate long vowels....
and shares similarities with the
PhoenicianThe Phoenician alphabet, called by convention the Proto-Canaanite alphabet for inscriptions older than around 1050 BC, was a non-pictographic consonantal alphabet, or abjad. It was used for the writing of Phoenician, a Northern Semitic language, used by the civilization of Phoenicia...
,
HebrewThe Hebrew alphabet , known variously by scholars as the Jewish script, square script, block script, or more historically, the Assyrian script, is used in the writing of the Hebrew language, as well as other Jewish languages, most notably Yiddish, Ladino, and Judeo-Arabic. There have been two...
,
ArabicThe Arabic alphabet or Arabic abjad is the Arabic script as it is codified for writing the Arabic language. It is written from right to left, in a cursive style, and includes 28 letters. Because letters usually stand for consonants, it is classified as an abjad.-Consonants:The Arabic alphabet has...
, and the traditional
Mongolian alphabetThe classical Mongolian script , also known as Uyghurjin, was the first writing system created specifically for the Mongolian language, and was the most successful until the introduction of Cyrillic in 1946...
s.
General remarks
Syriac is written from right to left. It is a
cursiveCursive, also known as joined-up writing, joint writing, or running writing, is any style of handwriting in which the symbols of the language are written in a simplified and/or flowing manner, generally for the purpose of making writing easier or faster...
script where some, but not all, letters connect within a word.
The alphabet consists of 22 letters, all of which are consonants. The vowel sounds are supplied by the reader's memory or by pointing (a system of diacritical marks to indicate the correct reading).
In fact, three letters act as matres lectionis: rather than being a consonant, they indicate a vowel.
’Ālaph' is the reconstructed name of the first letter of the Proto-Canaanite alphabet, continued in descended Semitic alphabets as Phoenician ' , Syriac ' , Hebrew Aleph , and Arabic ' ....
, the first letter, represents a
glottal stopThe glottal stop, or more fully, the voiceless glottal plosive, is a type of consonantal sound used in many spoken languages. In English, the feature is represented, for example, by the hyphen in uh-oh! and by the apostrophe or [[ʻokina]] in Hawaii among those using a preservative pronunciation of...
, but it can also indicate a vowel at the beginning or the end of a word. The letter
WawWaw is the sixth letter of the Northwest Semitic family of scripts, including Phoenician, Aramaic, Hebrew, Syriac, and Arabic ....
is the consonant
w, but can also represent the vowels
o and
u. Likewise, the letter represents the consonant
y, but it also stands for the vowels
i and
e.
In addition to the sounds of the language, the letters of the Syriac alphabet can be used to represent numbers in a system similar to
HebrewThe system of Hebrew numerals is a quasi-decimal alphabetic numeral system using the letters of the Hebrew alphabet.In this system, there is no notation for zero, and the numeric values for individual letters are added together...
and
Greek numeralsGreek numerals are a system of representing numbers using letters of the Greek alphabet. They are also known by the names Ionian numerals, Milesian numerals , Alexandrian numerals, or alphabetic numerals...
.
Forms of the Syriac alphabet
There are three major variants of the Syriac alphabet. The oldest and classical form of the alphabet is
, though it has also been suggested to derive from (
, 'gospel character')). Although Estrangelā is no longer used as the main script for writing Syriac, it has received some revival since the 10th century. It is often used in scholarly publications (for instance, the
Leiden UniversityLeiden University , located in the city of Leiden, is the oldest university in the Netherlands. The university was founded in 1575 by William, Prince of Orange, leader of the Dutch Revolt in the Eighty Years' War. The royal Dutch House of Orange-Nassau and Leiden University still have a close...
version of the
PeshittaThe Peshitta is the standard version of the Bible for churches in the Syriac tradition.The Old Testament of the Peshitta was translated into Syriac from the Hebrew, probably in the 2nd century AD...
), in titles and inscriptions. In some older
manuscriptA manuscript or handwrite is written information that has been manually created by someone or some people, such as a hand-written letter, as opposed to being printed or reproduced some other way...
s and
inscriptionsEpigraphy Epigraphy Epigraphy (from the , literally "on-writing", is the study of inscriptions or epigraphs as writing; that is, the science of identifying the graphemes and of classifying their use as to cultural context and date, elucidating their meaning and assessing what conclusions can be...
it is possible for any letter to join to the left, and older Aramaic letter forms (especially of
{{Special characters
| image =Shlama.svg
| alt =
| link =http://www.bethmardutho.org/meltho/
| special =Syriac text, written from right to left in a cursive style with some letters joined
| fix =Help:Multilingual_support#Syriac/Aramaic script
| characters =Syriac script
| error =unjoined Syriac letters written left-to-right instead of right-to-left or other symbols }}
The Syriac alphabet is a writing systemA writing system is a symbolic system used to represent elements or statements expressible in language.-General properties:Writing systems are distinguished from other possible symbolic communication systems in that the reader must usually understand something of the associated spoken language to...
primarily used to write the
Syriac languageSyriac 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...
from around the 2nd century BC {{Citation needed|date=May 2010}}. It is one of the
SemiticThe 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...
abjadAn abjad is a type of writing system in which each symbol always or usually stands for a consonant; the reader must supply the appropriate vowel....
s directly descending from the
Aramaic alphabetThe Aramaic alphabet is adapted from the Phoenician alphabet and became distinctive from it by the 8th century BC. The letters all represent consonants, some of which are matres lectionis, which also indicate long vowels....
and shares similarities with the
PhoenicianThe Phoenician alphabet, called by convention the Proto-Canaanite alphabet for inscriptions older than around 1050 BC, was a non-pictographic consonantal alphabet, or abjad. It was used for the writing of Phoenician, a Northern Semitic language, used by the civilization of Phoenicia...
,
HebrewThe Hebrew alphabet , known variously by scholars as the Jewish script, square script, block script, or more historically, the Assyrian script, is used in the writing of the Hebrew language, as well as other Jewish languages, most notably Yiddish, Ladino, and Judeo-Arabic. There have been two...
,
ArabicThe Arabic alphabet or Arabic abjad is the Arabic script as it is codified for writing the Arabic language. It is written from right to left, in a cursive style, and includes 28 letters. Because letters usually stand for consonants, it is classified as an abjad.-Consonants:The Arabic alphabet has...
, and the traditional
Mongolian alphabetThe classical Mongolian script , also known as Uyghurjin, was the first writing system created specifically for the Mongolian language, and was the most successful until the introduction of Cyrillic in 1946...
s.
General remarks
Syriac is written from right to left. It is a
cursiveCursive, also known as joined-up writing, joint writing, or running writing, is any style of handwriting in which the symbols of the language are written in a simplified and/or flowing manner, generally for the purpose of making writing easier or faster...
script where some, but not all, letters connect within a word.
The alphabet consists of 22 letters, all of which are consonants. The vowel sounds are supplied by the reader's memory or by pointing (a system of diacritical marks to indicate the correct reading).
In fact, three letters act as matres lectionis: rather than being a consonant, they indicate a vowel.
’Ālaph' is the reconstructed name of the first letter of the Proto-Canaanite alphabet, continued in descended Semitic alphabets as Phoenician ' , Syriac ' , Hebrew Aleph , and Arabic ' ....
({{lang|syr|ܐ}}), the first letter, represents a
glottal stopThe glottal stop, or more fully, the voiceless glottal plosive, is a type of consonantal sound used in many spoken languages. In English, the feature is represented, for example, by the hyphen in uh-oh! and by the apostrophe or [[ʻokina]] in Hawaii among those using a preservative pronunciation of...
, but it can also indicate a vowel at the beginning or the end of a word. The letter
WawWaw is the sixth letter of the Northwest Semitic family of scripts, including Phoenician, Aramaic, Hebrew, Syriac, and Arabic ....
({{lang|syr|ܘ}}) is the consonant
w, but can also represent the vowels
o and
u. Likewise, the letter {{Nowrap|
YōdhYodh is the tenth letter of many Semitic alphabets, including Phoenician, Aramaic, Hebrew Yud , Syriac and Arabic...
({{lang|syr|ܝ}})}} represents the consonant
y, but it also stands for the vowels
i and
e.
In addition to the sounds of the language, the letters of the Syriac alphabet can be used to represent numbers in a system similar to
HebrewThe system of Hebrew numerals is a quasi-decimal alphabetic numeral system using the letters of the Hebrew alphabet.In this system, there is no notation for zero, and the numeric values for individual letters are added together...
and
Greek numeralsGreek numerals are a system of representing numbers using letters of the Greek alphabet. They are also known by the names Ionian numerals, Milesian numerals , Alexandrian numerals, or alphabetic numerals...
.
Forms of the Syriac alphabet
There are three major variants of the Syriac alphabet. The oldest and classical form of the alphabet is
{{transl|sem|Esṭrangelā}} ({{lang|syr|ܐܣܛܪܢܓܠܐ}}; the name is thought to derive from the Greek adjective {{lang|grc|στρογγύλη}} (
strongylē, 'rounded'), though it has also been suggested to derive from {{lang|syc|ܣܪܛܐ ܐܘܢܓܠܝܐ}} (
{{transl|sem|serṭā ’ewangēlāyā}}, 'gospel character')). Although Estrangelā is no longer used as the main script for writing Syriac, it has received some revival since the 10th century. It is often used in scholarly publications (for instance, the
Leiden UniversityLeiden University , located in the city of Leiden, is the oldest university in the Netherlands. The university was founded in 1575 by William, Prince of Orange, leader of the Dutch Revolt in the Eighty Years' War. The royal Dutch House of Orange-Nassau and Leiden University still have a close...
version of the
PeshittaThe Peshitta is the standard version of the Bible for churches in the Syriac tradition.The Old Testament of the Peshitta was translated into Syriac from the Hebrew, probably in the 2nd century AD...
), in titles and inscriptions. In some older
manuscriptA manuscript or handwrite is written information that has been manually created by someone or some people, such as a hand-written letter, as opposed to being printed or reproduced some other way...
s and
inscriptionsEpigraphy Epigraphy Epigraphy (from the , literally "on-writing", is the study of inscriptions or epigraphs as writing; that is, the science of identifying the graphemes and of classifying their use as to cultural context and date, elucidating their meaning and assessing what conclusions can be...
it is possible for any letter to join to the left, and older Aramaic letter forms (especially of
{{Special characters
| image =Shlama.svg
| alt =
| link =http://www.bethmardutho.org/meltho/
| special =Syriac text, written from right to left in a cursive style with some letters joined
| fix =Help:Multilingual_support#Syriac/Aramaic script
| characters =Syriac script
| error =unjoined Syriac letters written left-to-right instead of right-to-left or other symbols }}
The Syriac alphabet is a writing systemA writing system is a symbolic system used to represent elements or statements expressible in language.-General properties:Writing systems are distinguished from other possible symbolic communication systems in that the reader must usually understand something of the associated spoken language to...
primarily used to write the
Syriac languageSyriac 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...
from around the 2nd century BC {{Citation needed|date=May 2010}}. It is one of the
SemiticThe 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...
abjadAn abjad is a type of writing system in which each symbol always or usually stands for a consonant; the reader must supply the appropriate vowel....
s directly descending from the
Aramaic alphabetThe Aramaic alphabet is adapted from the Phoenician alphabet and became distinctive from it by the 8th century BC. The letters all represent consonants, some of which are matres lectionis, which also indicate long vowels....
and shares similarities with the
PhoenicianThe Phoenician alphabet, called by convention the Proto-Canaanite alphabet for inscriptions older than around 1050 BC, was a non-pictographic consonantal alphabet, or abjad. It was used for the writing of Phoenician, a Northern Semitic language, used by the civilization of Phoenicia...
,
HebrewThe Hebrew alphabet , known variously by scholars as the Jewish script, square script, block script, or more historically, the Assyrian script, is used in the writing of the Hebrew language, as well as other Jewish languages, most notably Yiddish, Ladino, and Judeo-Arabic. There have been two...
,
ArabicThe Arabic alphabet or Arabic abjad is the Arabic script as it is codified for writing the Arabic language. It is written from right to left, in a cursive style, and includes 28 letters. Because letters usually stand for consonants, it is classified as an abjad.-Consonants:The Arabic alphabet has...
, and the traditional
Mongolian alphabetThe classical Mongolian script , also known as Uyghurjin, was the first writing system created specifically for the Mongolian language, and was the most successful until the introduction of Cyrillic in 1946...
s.
General remarks
Syriac is written from right to left. It is a
cursiveCursive, also known as joined-up writing, joint writing, or running writing, is any style of handwriting in which the symbols of the language are written in a simplified and/or flowing manner, generally for the purpose of making writing easier or faster...
script where some, but not all, letters connect within a word.
The alphabet consists of 22 letters, all of which are consonants. The vowel sounds are supplied by the reader's memory or by pointing (a system of diacritical marks to indicate the correct reading).
In fact, three letters act as matres lectionis: rather than being a consonant, they indicate a vowel.
’Ālaph' is the reconstructed name of the first letter of the Proto-Canaanite alphabet, continued in descended Semitic alphabets as Phoenician ' , Syriac ' , Hebrew Aleph , and Arabic ' ....
({{lang|syr|ܐ}}), the first letter, represents a
glottal stopThe glottal stop, or more fully, the voiceless glottal plosive, is a type of consonantal sound used in many spoken languages. In English, the feature is represented, for example, by the hyphen in uh-oh! and by the apostrophe or [[ʻokina]] in Hawaii among those using a preservative pronunciation of...
, but it can also indicate a vowel at the beginning or the end of a word. The letter
WawWaw is the sixth letter of the Northwest Semitic family of scripts, including Phoenician, Aramaic, Hebrew, Syriac, and Arabic ....
({{lang|syr|ܘ}}) is the consonant
w, but can also represent the vowels
o and
u. Likewise, the letter {{Nowrap|
YōdhYodh is the tenth letter of many Semitic alphabets, including Phoenician, Aramaic, Hebrew Yud , Syriac and Arabic...
({{lang|syr|ܝ}})}} represents the consonant
y, but it also stands for the vowels
i and
e.
In addition to the sounds of the language, the letters of the Syriac alphabet can be used to represent numbers in a system similar to
HebrewThe system of Hebrew numerals is a quasi-decimal alphabetic numeral system using the letters of the Hebrew alphabet.In this system, there is no notation for zero, and the numeric values for individual letters are added together...
and
Greek numeralsGreek numerals are a system of representing numbers using letters of the Greek alphabet. They are also known by the names Ionian numerals, Milesian numerals , Alexandrian numerals, or alphabetic numerals...
.
Forms of the Syriac alphabet
There are three major variants of the Syriac alphabet. The oldest and classical form of the alphabet is
{{transl|sem|Esṭrangelā}} ({{lang|syr|ܐܣܛܪܢܓܠܐ}}; the name is thought to derive from the Greek adjective {{lang|grc|στρογγύλη}} (
strongylē, 'rounded'), though it has also been suggested to derive from {{lang|syc|ܣܪܛܐ ܐܘܢܓܠܝܐ}} (
{{transl|sem|serṭā ’ewangēlāyā}}, 'gospel character')). Although Estrangelā is no longer used as the main script for writing Syriac, it has received some revival since the 10th century. It is often used in scholarly publications (for instance, the
Leiden UniversityLeiden University , located in the city of Leiden, is the oldest university in the Netherlands. The university was founded in 1575 by William, Prince of Orange, leader of the Dutch Revolt in the Eighty Years' War. The royal Dutch House of Orange-Nassau and Leiden University still have a close...
version of the
PeshittaThe Peshitta is the standard version of the Bible for churches in the Syriac tradition.The Old Testament of the Peshitta was translated into Syriac from the Hebrew, probably in the 2nd century AD...
), in titles and inscriptions. In some older
manuscriptA manuscript or handwrite is written information that has been manually created by someone or some people, such as a hand-written letter, as opposed to being printed or reproduced some other way...
s and
inscriptionsEpigraphy Epigraphy Epigraphy (from the , literally "on-writing", is the study of inscriptions or epigraphs as writing; that is, the science of identifying the graphemes and of classifying their use as to cultural context and date, elucidating their meaning and assessing what conclusions can be...
it is possible for any letter to join to the left, and older Aramaic letter forms (especially of
{{transl-People:* Children of Heth, a Canaanite nation in the Hebrew Bible, purportedly named after Heth, son of Canaan, son of Ham, son of Noah* figures in the Book of Mormon:** Heth , an early Jaredite** Heth a later Jaredite...
and the
lunateLunate is a term meaning crescent or moon-shaped. In the specialized terminology of lithic reduction, a lunate flake is a small, crescent-shaped flake removed from a stone tool during the process of pressure flaking....
MemMem is the thirteenth letter of many Semitic abjads, including Phoenician, Aramaic, Hebrew and Arabic...
) are found.
The West Syriac dialect is usually written in the
{{transl|sem|Serṭā}} ({{lang|syr|ܣܪܛܐ}}, 'line') form of the alphabet, also known as the
{{transl|sem|Pšīṭā}} ({{lang|syr|ܦܫܝܛܐ}}, 'simple'), 'Maronite', or the 'Jacobite' script (although the term
Jacobite is considered derogatory). Most of the letters are clearly derived from Estrangelā, but are simplified, flowing lines. A cursive,
chancery handThe term "chancery hand" can refer to one of two very different styles of historical handwriting.A chancery hand was at first a form of handwriting for business transactions that developed in the Lateran chancelry of the thirteenth century, then spread to France, notably through the Avignon...
is evidenced in the earliest Syriac manuscripts, but important works were written in Estrangelā. From the 8th century, the simpler Sertā style came into fashion, perhaps because of its more economical use of
parchmentParchment is a thin material made from calfskin, sheepskin or goatskin, often split. Its most common use was as a material for writing on, for documents, notes, or the pages of a book, codex or manuscript. It is distinct from leather in that parchment is limed but not tanned; therefore, it is very...
. The Nabataean alphabet (which gave rise to the
Arabic alphabetThe Arabic alphabet or Arabic abjad is the Arabic script as it is codified for writing the Arabic language. It is written from right to left, in a cursive style, and includes 28 letters. Because letters usually stand for consonants, it is classified as an abjad.-Consonants:The Arabic alphabet has...
) was based on this form of Syriac handwriting. The Western script is usually vowel-pointed with miniature Greek vowel letters above or below the letter which they follow:
- Capital alpha
Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals it has a value of 1. It was derived from the Phoenician letter Aleph...
({{lang|grc|Α}}) represents [a], transliterated as a or ă ({{lang|syr|ܦܬܚܐ}}, {{transl|sem|Pṯāḥā}}),
- Lowercase alpha
Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals it has a value of 1. It was derived from the Phoenician letter Aleph...
({{lang|grc|α}}) represents [ɑ], transliterated as ā or â ({{lang|syr|ܙܩܦܐ}}, {{transl|sem|Zqāp̄ā}}; pronounced as [o] and transliterated as o in the West Syriac dialect),
- Lowercase epsilon
Epsilon is the fifth letter of the Greek alphabet, corresponding phonetically to a close-mid front unrounded vowel . In the system of Greek numerals it has a value of 5. It was derived from the Phoenician letter He...
({{lang|grc|ε}}) represents both [ɛ], transliterated as e or ĕ, and [e], transliterated as ē ({{lang|syr|ܪܒܨܐ}}, {{transl|sem|Rḇāṣā}}),
- Capital eta
ETA , an acronym for Euskadi Ta Askatasuna is an armed Basque nationalist and separatist organization. The group was founded in 1959 and has since evolved from a group promoting traditional Basque culture to a paramilitary group with the goal of gaining independence for the Greater Basque Country...
({{lang|grc|H}}) represents [i], transliterated as ī ({{lang|syr|ܚܒܨܐ}}, {{transl|sem|Ḥḇāṣā}}),
- A combined symbol of capital upsilon
Upsilon is the 20th letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals it has a value of 400. It is derived from the Phoenician waw. The name of the letter is pronounced in Modern Greek, and in English , , or...
({{lang|grc|Υ}}) and lowercase omicronOmicron is the 15th letter of the Greek alphabet. In the system of Greek numerals it has a value of 70. It is rarely used in mathematics because it is indistinguishable from the Latin letter O and easily confused with the digit 0...
({{lang|grc|ο}}) represents [u], transliterated as ū or u ({{lang|syr|ܥܨܨܐ}}, {{transl|sem|‘Ṣāṣā}}).
The East Syriac dialect is usually written in the
{{transl|sem|Madnḥāyā}} ({{lang|syr|ܡܕܢܚܝܐ}}, 'Eastern') form of the alphabet. Other names for the script include
{{transl|sem|Swādāyā}} ({{lang|syr|ܣܘܕܝܐ}}, 'conversational', often translated as 'contemporary'), 'Assyrian' (not to be confused with the traditional name for the
Hebrew alphabetThe Hebrew alphabet , known variously by scholars as the Jewish script, square script, block script, or more historically, the Assyrian script, is used in the writing of the Hebrew language, as well as other Jewish languages, most notably Yiddish, Ladino, and Judeo-Arabic. There have been two...
), 'Chaldean', and, inaccurately, '
NestorianNestorianism is a Christological doctrine advanced by Nestorius, Patriarch of Constantinople from 428–431. The doctrine, which was informed by Nestorius's studies under Theodore of Mopsuestia at the School of Antioch, emphasizes the disunion between the human and divine natures of Jesus...
' (a term that was originally used to refer to the
Church of the EastThe Church of the East tāʾ d-Maḏnḥāʾ), also known as the Nestorian Church, is a Christian church, part of the Syriac tradition of Eastern Christianity. Originally the church of the Persian Sassanid Empire, it quickly spread widely through Asia...
in the
Persian EmpireThe Sassanid Empire , known to its inhabitants as Ērānshahr and Ērān in Middle Persian and resulting in the New Persian terms Iranshahr and Iran , was the last pre-Islamic Persian Empire, ruled by the Sasanian Dynasty from 224 to 651...
). The Eastern script resembles Estrangelā more closely than the Western script, being somewhat a midway point between the two. The Eastern script uses a system of dots above or below letters, based on an older system, to indicate vowels:
- A dot above and a dot below a letter represent [a], transliterated as a or ă ({{lang|syr|ܦܬܚܐ}}, {{transl|sem|Pṯāḥā}}),
- Two diagonally-placed dots above a letter represent [ɑ], transliterated as ā or â ({{lang|syr|ܙܩܦܐ}}, {{transl|sem|Zqāp̄ā}}),
- Two horizontally-placed dots below a letter represent [ɛ], transliterated as e or ĕ ({{lang|syr|ܪܒܨܐ ܐܪܝܟܐ}}, {{transl|sem|Rḇāṣā arrīḵā}} or {{lang|syr|ܙܠܡܐ ܦܫܝܩܐ}}, {{transl|sem|Zlāmā pšīqā}}; often pronounced [ɪ] and transliterated as i in the East Syriac dialect),
- Two diagonally-placed dots below a letter represent [e], transliterated as ē ({{lang|syr|ܪܒܨܐ ܟܪܝܐ}}, {{transl|sem|Rḇāṣā karyā}} or {{lang|syr|ܙܠܡܐ ܩܫܝܐ}}, {{transl|sem|Zlāmā qašyā}}),
- A letter Yōḏ with a dot beneath it represents [i], transliterated as ī or i ({{lang|syr|ܚܒܨܐ}}, {{transl|sem|Ḥḇāṣā}}),
- A letter Waw with a dot below it represents [u], transliterated as ū or u ({{lang|syr|ܥܨܨܐ ܐܠܝܨܐ}}, {{transl|sem|‘Ṣāṣā allīṣā}} or {{lang|syr|ܪܒܨܐ}}, {{transl|sem|Rḇāṣā}}),
- A letter Waw with a dot above it represents [o], transliterated as ō or o ({{lang|syr|ܥܨܨܐ ܪܘܝܚܐ}}, {{transl|sem|‘Ṣāṣā rwīḥā}} or {{lang|syr|ܪܘܚܐ}}, {{transl|sem|Rwāḥā}}).
It is thought that the Eastern method for representing vowels influenced the development of the
Niqqud markings used for writing Hebrew.
When
ArabicArabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
began to be the dominant spoken language in the
Fertile CrescentThe 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...
, texts were often written in Arabic with the Syriac script. These writings are usually called
Karshuni or
GarshuniGarshuni or Karshuni are Arabic language writings that use the Syriac alphabet.Garshuni originated in the seventh century AD, when Arabic was becoming the dominant spoken language in the Fertile Crescent, but Arabic script was not yet fully developed and widely read...
({{lang|syr|ܓܪܫܘܢܝ}}). Garshuni is often used today by Neo-Aramaic speakers in written communication such as letters and fliers.
{{alphabet}}
Summary table
The Syriac alphabet consists of the following letters, shown in their isolated (non-connected) forms. When isolated, the letters
Kāp̄,
Mīm, and
Nūn are usually shown with their initial form connected to their final form (see below). The letters
’Ālap̄,
Dālaṯ,
Hē,
Waw,
Zayn,
Ṣāḏē,
Rēš, and
Taw (and, in early Estrangelā manuscripts, the letter
Semkaṯ) do not connect to a following letter within a word when written. These are marked with an asterisk (*).
| Name |
Letter |
Sound Value |
Numerical
Value |
Hebrew
Equivalent |
Arabic
Equivalent |
| sem|Esṭrangelā}} |
sem|Madnḥāyā}} |
sem|Serṭā}} |
Transliteration |
IPAThe International Phonetic Alphabet "The acronym 'IPA' strictly refers [...] to the 'International Phonetic Association'. But it is now such a common practice to use the acronym also to refer to the alphabet itself that resistance seems pedantic...
|
| {{transl|sem|’Ālap̄ * Aleph or Alef is the first letter of the Semitic abjads descended from Proto-Canaanite, Arabic alphabet, Phoenician alphabet, Hebrew alphabet, Syriac alphabet-People:*Aleph , an Italo disco artist and alias of Dave Rodgers...
}}* ({{lang|syr|ܐܠܦ}}) |
|
|
|
{{transl|syc|ʾ}} |
ʔ
or silent |
1 |
{{lang|he|א}} |
{{lang|ar|ا}} |
{{transl|sem|BēṯBet, Beth, Beh, or Vet is the second letter of many Semitic abjads, including Arabic alphabet , Aramaic, Hebrew , Phoenician and Syriac...
}} ({{lang|syr|ܒܝܬ}}) |
|
|
|
hard: {{transl|syc|b}}
soft: {{transl|syc|ḇ}} (also {{transl|syc|bh}}, {{transl|syc|v}}) |
hard: b
soft: v or w |
2 |
{{lang|he|ב}} |
{{lang|ar|ب}} |
| {{transl|sem|Gāmal}} ({{lang|syr|ܓܡܠ}}) |
|
|
|
hard: {{transl|syc|g}}
soft: {{transl|syc|ḡ}} (also {{transl|syc|gh}}, {{transl|syc|ġ}}) |
hard: ɡ
soft: ɣ |
3 |
{{lang|he|ג}} |
{{lang|ar|ج}}, {{lang|ar|غ}} |
| {{transl|sem|Dālaṯ Dalet is the fourth letter of many Semitic alphabets, including Phoenician, Aramaic, Hebrew , Syriac and Arabic...
}}* ({{lang|syr|ܕܠܬ}}) |
|
|
|
hard: {{transl|syc|d}}
soft: {{transl|syc|ḏ}} (also {{transl|syc|dh}}, {{transl|syc|ð}}) |
hard: d
soft: ð |
4 |
{{lang|he|ד}} |
{{lang|ar|د}}, {{lang|ar|ذ}} |
| {{transl|sem|Hē He is the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets, including Phoenician , Aramaic, Hebrew , Syriac and Arabic . Its sound value is a voiceless glottal fricative ....
}}* ({{lang|syr|ܗܐ}}) |
|
|
|
{{transl|syc|h}} |
h |
5 |
{{lang|he|ה}} |
{{lang|ar|ه}} |
| {{transl|sem|Waw}}* ({{lang|syr|ܘܘ}}) |
|
|
|
consonant: {{transl|syc|w}}
mater lectionis: {{transl|syc|ū}} or {{transl|syc|ō}}
(also {{transl|syc|u}} or {{transl|syc|o}}) |
consonant: w
mater lectionis: u or o |
6 |
{{lang|he|ו}} |
{{lang|ar|و}} |
| {{transl|sem|Zayn Zayin is the seventh letter of many Semitic abjads, including Phoenician , Aramaic , Hebrew , Syriac and Perso-Arabic alphabet...
}}* ({{lang|syr|ܙܝܢ}}) |
|
|
|
{{transl|syc|z}} |
z |
7 |
{{lang|he|ז}} |
{{lang|ar|ز}} |
| {{transl|sem|Ḥēṯ -People:* Children of Heth, a Canaanite nation in the Hebrew Bible, purportedly named after Heth, son of Canaan, son of Ham, son of Noah* figures in the Book of Mormon:** Heth , an early Jaredite** Heth a later Jaredite...
}} ({{lang|syr|ܚܝܬ}}) |
|
|
|
{{transl|syc|ḥ}} |
ħ, x, or χ |
8 |
{{lang|he|ח}} |
{{lang|ar|ح}}, {{lang|ar|خ}} |
| {{transl|sem|Ṭēṯ ' is the ninth letter of many Semitic abjads , including Phoenician, Aramaic, Hebrew Tet , Syriac and Arabic ; it is 9th in abjadi order and 16th in modern Arabic order....
}} ({{lang|syr|ܛܝܬ}}) |
|
|
|
{{transl|syc|ṭ}} |
tˤ |
9 |
{{lang|he|ט}} |
{{lang|ar|ط}} |
| {{transl|sem|Yōḏ Yodh is the tenth letter of many Semitic alphabets, including Phoenician, Aramaic, Hebrew Yud , Syriac and Arabic...
}} ({{lang|syr|ܝܘܕ}}) |
|
|
|
consonant: {{transl|syc|y}}
mater lectionis: {{transl|syc|ī}} (also {{transl|syc|i}}) |
consonant: j
mater lectionis: i or e |
10 |
{{lang|he|י}} |
{{lang|ar|ي}} |
| {{transl|sem|Kāp̄ Kaph is the eleventh letter of many Semitic abjads, including Phoenician, Aramaic, Hebrew Kaf , Arabic alphabet , Persian alphabet...
}} ({{lang|syr|ܟܦ}}) |
|
|
|
hard: {{transl|syc|k}}
soft: {{transl|syc|ḵ}} (also {{transl|syc|kh}}, {{transl|syc|x}}) |
hard: k
soft: x |
20 |
{{lang|he|כ ך}} |
{{lang|ar|ك}}, {{lang|ar|خ}} |
| {{transl|sem|Lāmaḏ Lamed or Lamedh is the twelfth letter in many Semitic abjads, including Phoenician, Aramaic, Hebrew Lamed and Arabic alphabet . Its sound value is .The Phoenician letter gave rise to the Greek Lambda , Latin L, and Cyrillic Л.-Origins:...
}} ({{lang|syr|ܠܡܕ}}) |
|
|
|
{{transl|syc|l}} |
l |
30 |
{{lang|he|ל}} |
{{lang|ar|ل}} |
| {{transl|sem|Mīm Mem is the thirteenth letter of many Semitic abjads, including Phoenician, Aramaic, Hebrew and Arabic...
}} ({{lang|syr|ܡܝܡ}}) |
|
|
|
{{transl|syc|m}} |
m |
40 |
{{lang|he|מ ם}} |
{{lang|ar|م}} |
| {{transl|sem|Nūn Nun is the fourteenth letter of many Semitic abjads, including Phoenician, Aramaic, Hebrew and Arabic alphabet . It is the third letter in Thaana , pronounced as "noonu"...
}} ({{lang|syr|ܢܘܢ}}) |
|
|
|
{{transl|syc|n}} |
n |
50 |
{{lang|he|נ ן}} |
{{lang|ar|ن}} |
{{transl|sem|SemkaṯSamekh or Simketh is the fifteenth letter in many Semitic alphabets, including Phoenician, Hebrew, and Aramaic, representing . The Arabic alphabet, however, uses a letter based on Phoenician šin to represent ; however, that glyph takes Samekh's place in the traditional Abjadi order of the Arabic...
}} ({{lang|syr|ܣܡܟܬ}}) |
|
|
|
{{transl|syc|s}} |
s |
60 |
{{lang|he|ס}} |
{{lang|ar|س}} |
{{transl|sem|‘Ē' or ' is the sixteenth letter in many Semitic abjads, including Phoenician, Aramaic, Hebrew and Arabic . It is the twenty-first letter in the new Persian alphabet...
}} ({{lang|syr|ܥܐ}}) |
|
|
|
{{transl|syc|ʿ}} |
ʕ |
70 |
{{lang|he|ע}} |
{{lang|ar|ع}} |
| {{transl|sem|Pē Pe is the seventeenth letter in many Semitic abjads, including Phoenician, Aramaic, Hebrew Pei and Persian, Arabic ....
}} ({{lang|syr|ܦܐ}}) |
|
|
|
hard: {{transl|syc|p}}
soft: {{transl|syc|ᵽ}} (also {{transl|syc|ph}}, {{transl|syc|f}}) |
hard: p
soft: f |
80 |
{{lang|he|פ ף}} |
{{lang|ar|ف}} |
| {{transl|sem|Ṣāḏē ' is the eighteenth letter in many Semitic alphabets, including Phoenician, Aramaic, Hebrew ' and Arabic ' . Its oldest sound value is probably , although there is a variety of pronunciation in different modern Semitic languages and their dialects...
}}* ({{lang|syr|ܨܕܐ}}) |
|
|
|
{{transl|syc|ṣ}} |
sˤ |
90 |
{{lang|he|צ ץ}} |
{{lang|ar|ص}} |
| {{transl|sem|Qōp̄ Qoph or Qop is the nineteenth letter in many Semitic abjads, including Phoenician, Aramaic, Syriac, Hebrew and Arabic alphabet . Its sound value is an emphatic or . The OHED gives the letter Qoph a transliteration value of Q or a K and a final transliteration value as a ck...
}} ({{lang|syr|ܩܘܦ}}) |
|
|
|
{{transl|syc|q}} |
q |
100 |
{{lang|he|ק}} |
{{lang|ar|ق}} |
| {{transl|sem|Rēš Resh is the twentieth letter of many Semitic alphabets, including Phoenician, Aramaic, Hebrew and Arabic alphabet . Its sound value is one of a number of rhotic consonants: usually or , but also or in Hebrew....
}}* ({{lang|syr|ܪܝܫ}}) |
|
|
|
{{transl|syc|r}} |
r |
200 |
{{lang|he|ר}} |
{{lang|ar|ر}} |
| {{transl|sem|Šīn Shin literally means "Sharp" ; It is the twenty-first letter in many Semitic abjads, including Phoenician , Aramaic/Hebrew , and Arabic ....
}} ({{lang|syr|ܫܝܢ}}) |
|
|
|
{{transl|syc|š}} (also {{transl|syc|sh}}) |
ʃ |
300 |
{{lang|he|ש}} |
{{lang|ar|ش}} |
| {{transl|sem|Taw Taw may refer to:* Taw , the twenty-second letter in many Semitic alphabets* Taw , the collection of all cardinal numbers* the shooter marble in a game of marbles* The River Taw in Devon, England* a method to produce white leather...
}}* ({{lang|syr|ܬܘ}}) |
|
|
|
hard: {{transl|syc|t}}
soft: {{transl|syc|ṯ}} (also {{transl|syc|th}}, {{transl|syc|θ}}) |
hard: t
soft: θ |
400 |
{{lang|he|ת}} |
{{lang|ar|ت}}, {{lang|ar|ث}} |
Contextual forms of letters
| Letter |
{{transl|sem|Esṭrangelā}} (classical) |
{{transl|sem|Madnḥāyā}} (eastern) |
Normal
form |
Final
connected |
Final
unconnected |
Normal
form |
Final
connected |
Final
unconnected |
| {{transl|sem|’Ālap̄}} |
 |
|
|
 |
 1 |
|
| {{transl|sem|Bēṯ}} |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
|
| Gāmal |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
|
| {{transl|sem|Dālaṯ}} |
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
| Hē |
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
| Waw |
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
| Zayn |
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
| {{transl|sem|Ḥēṯ}} |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
|
| {{transl|sem|Ṭēṯ}} |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
|
| {{transl|sem|Yōḏ}} |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
|
| {{transl|sem|Kāp̄}} |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| {{transl|sem|Lāmaḏ}} |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
|
| Mīm |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
|
| Nūn |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| {{transl|sem|Semkaṯ}} |
 |
 |
|
 |
 /  |
|
| ‘Ē |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
|
| Pē |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
|
| {{transl|sem|Ṣāḏē}} |
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
| {{transl|sem|Qōp̄}} |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
|
| Rēš |
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
| Šīn |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
|
| Taw |
 |
|
|
 |
|
|
1 In the final position following
Dālaṯ or
Rēš,
’Ālap̄ takes the normal form rather than the final form.
Ligatures
| Name |
{{transl|sem|Esṭrangelā}} (classical) |
{{transl|sem|Madnḥāyā}} (eastern) |
Unicode
character(s) |
Description |
Normal
form |
Final
connected |
Final
unconnected |
Normal
form |
Final
connected |
Final
unconnected |
| {{transl|sem|Lāmaḏ-’Ālap̄}} |
 |
|
|
|
|
|
ܠܐ |
{{transl|sem|Lāmaḏ}} and {{transl|sem|’Ālap̄}} combined
at the end of a word |
| {{transl|sem|Taw-’Ālap̄}} |
 |
|
|
|
 |
 /  |
ܬܐ |
{{transl|sem|Taw}} and {{transl|sem|’Ālap̄}} combined
at the end of a word |
| {{transl|sem|Hē-Yōḏ}} |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
ܗܝ |
{{transl|sem|Hē}} and {{transl|sem|Yōḏ}} combined
at the end of a word |
| {{transl|sem|Taw-Yōḏ}} |
|
|
|
|
|
|
ܬܝ |
{{transl|sem|Taw}} and {{transl|sem|Yōḏ}} combined
at the end of a word |
Letter alterations
In modern usage, some alterations can be made to represent
phonemeIn a language or dialect, a phoneme is the smallest segmental unit of sound employed to form meaningful contrasts between utterances....
s not represented in classical orthography. A mark similar in appearance to a
tildeThe tilde is a grapheme with several uses. The name of the character comes from Portuguese and Spanish, from the Latin titulus meaning "title" or "superscription", though the term "tilde" has evolved and now has a different meaning in linguistics....
, called
Majlīyānā ({{lang|syr|ܡܓ̰ܠܝܢܐ}}), is placed either above or below a letter in the
Madnḥāyā variant of the alphabet to change its phonetic value (see also:
GereshGeresh is a sign in Hebrew writing. It has two meanings.#An apostrophe-like sign placed after a letter :...
):
- Added to Gāmal: [ɡ] to [d͡ʒ] (voiced postalveolar affricate
The voiced palato-alveolar affricate, also described as voiced domed postalveolar affricate, is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. The sound is transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet with ⟨⟩ , and the equivalent X-SAMPA representation is ⟨dZ⟩...
)
- Added to {{unicode|Kāp̄}}: [k] to [t͡ʃ] (voiceless postalveolar affricate
The voiceless palato-alveolar affricate or domed postalveolar affricate is a type of consonantal sound used in some spoken languages. The sound is transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet with ⟨⟩ or ⟨⟩...
)
- Added to Zayn: [z] to [ʒ] (voiced postalveolar fricative
The voiced palato-alveolar fricative or voiced domed postalveolar fricative is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents this sound is , and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is Z. An alternative symbol used in some...
)
- Added to Šīn: [ʃ] to [ʒ]
In addition to foreign sounds, a marking system is used to distinguish
{{transl|sem|qūššāyā}} ({{lang|syr|ܩܘܫܝܐ}}, 'hard' letters) from
{{transl|sem|rūkkāḵā}} ({{lang|syr|ܪܘܟܟܐ}}, 'soft' letters). The letters
Bēṯ,
Gāmal,
Dālaṯ,
{{unicode|Kāp̄}},
Pē, and
Taw, all plosives ('hard'), are able to be spirantized into fricatives ('soft'). The system involves placing a single dot underneath the letter to give its 'soft' variant and a dot above the letter to give its 'hard' variant (though, in modern usage, no mark at all is usually used to indicate the 'hard' value):
| Name |
| | Plosive |
| | Translit. |
| | IPA |
Name |
| | Spirant |
| | Translit. |
| | IPA |
Notes |
| {{unicode|Bēṯ (qšīṯā)}} |
{{Hebrew|1={{lang|syc|ܒ݁}}}} |
b |
[b] |
{{unicode|Bēṯ rakkīḵtā}} |
{{Hebrew|1={{lang|syc|ܒ݂}}}} |
{{unicode|ḇ}} |
[v] or [w] |
[v] has become [w] in most modern dialects. |
| {{unicode|Gāmal (qšīṯā)}} |
{{Hebrew|1={{lang|syc|ܓ݁}}}} |
g |
[ɡ] |
{{unicode|Gāmal rakkīḵtā}} |
{{Hebrew|1={{lang|syc|ܓ݂}}}} |
{{unicode|ḡ}} |
[ɣ] |
|
| {{unicode|Dālaṯ (qšīṯā)}} |
{{Hebrew|1={{lang|syc|ܕ݁}}}} |
d |
[d] |
{{unicode|Dālaṯ rakkīḵtā}} |
{{Hebrew|1={{lang|syc|ܕ݂}}}} |
{{unicode|ḏ}} |
[ð] |
[d] is left unspirantized in some modern Eastern dialects. |
| {{unicode|Kāp̄ (qšīṯā)}} |
{{Hebrew|1={{lang|syc|ܟ݁ܟ݁}}
}} |
k |
[k] |
{{unicode|Kāp̄ rakkīḵtā}} |
{{Hebrew|1={{lang|syc|ܟ݂ܟ݂}}
}} |
{{unicode|ḵ}} |
[x] |
|
| {{unicode|Pē (qšīṯā)}} |
{{Hebrew|1={{lang|syc|ܦ݁}}}} |
p |
[p] |
{{unicode|Pē rakkīḵtā}} |
{{Hebrew|1={{lang|syc|ܦ݂}}}} or {{Hebrew|1={{lang|syc|ܦ̮}}}} |
{{unicode|ᵽ}} |
[f] or [w] |
[f] is not found in most modern Eastern dialects. Instead, it either is left unspirantized or sometimes appears as [w]. Pē is the only letter in the Eastern variant of the alphabet that is spirantized by the addition of a semicircle instead of a single dot. |
| {{unicode|Taw (qšīṯā)}} |
{{Hebrew|1={{lang|syc|ܬ݁}}}} |
t |
[t] |
{{unicode|Taw rakkīḵtā}} |
{{Hebrew|1={{lang|syc|ܬ݂}}}} |
{{unicode|ṯ}} |
[θ] |
[t] is left unspirantized in some modern Eastern dialects. |
The mnemonic {{unicode|
bḡaḏkᵽāṯ}} ({{lang|syr|ܒܓܕܟܦܬ}}) is often used to remember the six letters that are able to be spirantized (see also:
BegadkefatBegadkefat is the name given to a phenomenon of spirantization affecting most plosive consonants of Biblical Hebrew and Aramaic when they are preceded by a vowel and not geminated...
).
The degree to which letters can be spirantized varies from dialect to dialect as some dialects have lost the ability for certain letters to be spirantized. For native words, spirantization depends on the letter's position within a word or syllable, location relative to other consonants and vowels,
geminationIn phonetics, gemination happens when a spoken consonant is pronounced for an audibly longer period of time than a short consonant. Gemination is distinct from stress and may appear independently of it....
,
etymologyEtymology is the study of the history of words, their origins, and how their form and meaning have changed over time.For languages with a long written history, etymologists make use of texts in these languages and texts about the languages to gather knowledge about how words were used during...
, and other factors. Foreign words do not usually follow the rules for spirantization.
Unicode
The Syriac alphabet was added to the
UnicodeUnicode is a computing industry standard for the consistent encoding, representation and handling of text expressed in most of the world's writing systems...
Standard in September, 1999 with the release of version 3.0.
Block
The Unicode block for Syriac is U+0700 ... U+074F:
{{Unicode chart Syriac}}
The Syriac Abbreviation (a type of
overlineAn overline or overbar or overscore , refers to the typographical feature of a line drawn immediately above the text, for example used to indicate medieval sigla. Specifically, a line drawn over one symbol is a macron, and a line over a collection of symbols is a vinculum...
) can be represented with a special control character called the
Syriac Abbreviation MarkThe Syriac Abbreviation Mark is a Unicode Control character that forms part of the Syriac script block. In Syriac, words are sometimes written in an abbreviated form, omitting some of the last letters. In such cases, a special overline is drawn over some of the final letters of the abbreviated word...
(U+070F).
HTML code table
Note: HTML numeric character references can be in decimal format (&#
DDDD;) or hexadecimal format (&#x
HHHH;). For example, ܕ and ܕ (1813 in hexadecimal) both represent U+0715 SYRIAC LETTER DALATH.
’Ālap̄ Bēṯ
| ܕ |
ܓ |
ܒ |
ܐ |
| ܕ |
ܓ |
ܒ |
ܐ |
| ܚ |
ܙ |
ܘ |
ܗ |
| ܚ |
ܙ |
ܘ |
ܗ |
| ܠ |
ܟܟ |
ܝ |
ܛ |
| ܠ |
ܟ |
ܝ |
ܛ |
| ܥ |
ܣ |
ܢܢ |
ܡܡ |
| ܥ |
ܤ |
ܢ |
ܡ |
| ܪ |
ܩ |
ܨ |
ܦ |
| ܪ |
ܩ |
ܨ |
ܦ |
| |
|
ܬ |
ܫ |
| |
|
ܬ |
ܫ |
Vowels and unique characters
| ܲ |
ܵ |
| ܲ |
ܵ |
| ܸ |
ܹ |
| ܸ |
ܹ |
| ܼ |
ܿ |
| ܼ |
ܿ |
| ̈ |
̰ |
| ̈ |
̰ |
| ݁ |
݂ |
| ݁ |
݂ |
| ܀ |
܂ |
| ܀ |
܂ |
| ܄ |
݇ |
| ܄ |
݇ |
See also
- Abjad
An abjad is a type of writing system in which each symbol always or usually stands for a consonant; the reader must supply the appropriate vowel....
- Alphabet
An alphabet is a standard set of letters—basic written symbols or graphemes—each of which represents a phoneme in a spoken language, either as it exists now or as it was in the past. There are other systems, such as logographies, in which each character represents a word, morpheme, or semantic...
- Aramaic alphabet
The Aramaic alphabet is adapted from the Phoenician alphabet and became distinctive from it by the 8th century BC. The letters all represent consonants, some of which are matres lectionis, which also indicate long vowels....
- Aramaic language
Aramaic is a group of languages belonging to the Afroasiatic language phylum. The name of the language is based on the name of Aram, an ancient region in central Syria. Within this family, Aramaic belongs to the Semitic family, and more specifically, is a part of the Northwest Semitic subfamily,...
- Mandaic language
The Mandaic language is the language of the Mandaean religion. Classical Mandaic is used by a section of the Mandaean community in liturgical rites....
- Mongolian script
The classical Mongolian script , also known as Uyghurjin, was the first writing system created specifically for the Mongolian language, and was the most successful until the introduction of Cyrillic in 1946...
- Sogdian alphabet
The Sogdian alphabet was originally used for the Sogdian language, a language in the Iranian family used by the people of Sogdiana. The alphabet is derived from Syriac, the descendant script of the Aramaic alphabet. The Sogdian alphabet is one of three scripts used to write the Sogdian language,...
- 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...
- Old Uyghur alphabet
The Old Uyghur alphabet was used for writing the Old Uyghur language, a variety of Old Turkic spoken in the Tarim basin, which is an ancestor of the modern Uyghur language. It was descendant of the Sogdian alphabet, used for texts with Buddhist, Manichaean and Christian content for 700–800 years in...
- History of the alphabet
The origins of the alphabet are unknown, but there are several theories as to how it developed. One popular proposal — the Proto-Sinaitic theory — is that the history of the alphabet began in Ancient Egypt, more than a millennium into the history of writing...
- List of writing systems
External links
{{Commons category|Syriac language}}
{{Northwest Semitic abjad}}
{{list of writing systems}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Syriac Alphabet}}