SyrischAramäisch

SyrischAramäisch refers to the group of Neo‑Aramaic languages that are written in the Syriac script and that are spoken by various Syriac–Aramaic speaking communities, primarily in the Middle East and among diaspora communities worldwide. The term is often used synonymously with Syriac or Modern Aramaic languages such as Suret (Assyrian Neo‑Aramaic) and Chaldean Neo‑Aramaic, though some linguists distinguish Syriac scholars’ emphasis on literature and liturgical usage from the spoken varieties. The language family belongs to the Afro‑asiatic phylum, within the Semitic branch, and historically stems from classical Aramaic, which was the lingua franca of the Near East from the 8th century BC until the advent of Arabic.

The distinctive feature of SyrischAramäisch is the use of the Syriac alphabet, a variant of the Aramaic script classified as Estrangela, with later cursive forms known as Serto or Madnhaya. The script was historically used for religious texts in Christianity (particularly the Syriac Orthodox Church, the Chaldean Catholic Church, and the Assyrian Church of the East), as well as for early Islamic literature. Modern dialects of the language evolved through contact with Arabic and Turkish, leading to variations in phonology and vocabulary, yet they retain a shared morphological core. Efforts for preservation and revitalization, including radio broadcasts and digital media, are ongoing in countries such as Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon, as well as in Syrian‑Iraqi diaspora communities in the United States, Germany, and Sweden.