{"warnings":{"main":{"warnings":"Subscribe to the mediawiki-api-announce mailing list at for notice of API deprecations and breaking changes. Use [[Special:ApiFeatureUsage]] to see usage of deprecated features by your application."},"parse":{"warnings":"\"prop=sections\" has been deprecated. Please use \"prop=tocdata\" instead."}},"parse":{"title":"Syriac alphabet","pageid":533521,"revid":1375985905,"redirects":[],"text":"
Ancient writing system
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Syriac alphabet
Estrangela-styled alphabet
Script type
Impure abjad\n
Period
c. 1st century CE – present
DirectionRight-to-left script
LanguagesAramaic (Classical Syriac, Western Neo-Aramaic, Sureth, Turoyo, Christian Palestinian Aramaic), Arabic (Garshuni), Malayalam (Karshoni), Sogdian
Related scripts
Parent systems
Child systems
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ISO 15924
ISO 15924Syrc (135), ​Syriac
  •  Syre, 138 (ʾEsṭrangēlā variant)
  •  Syrj, 137 (Western variant)
  •  Syrn, 136 (Eastern variant)
Unicode
Unicode alias
Syriac
 This article contains phonetic transcriptions in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA. For the distinction between [ ], / / and ⟨ ⟩, see IPA § Brackets and transcription delimiters.
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This article contains Syriac text, written from right to left in a cursive style with some letters joined. Without proper rendering support, you may see unjoined Syriac letters or other symbols instead of Syriac alphabet.
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The Syriac alphabet (ܐܠܦ ܒܝܬ ܣܘܪܝܝܐ ʾālep̄ bêṯ Sūryāyā[a]) is a writing system primarily used to write the Syriac language since the 1st century.[1] It is one of the Semitic abjads descending from the Aramaic alphabet through the Palmyrene alphabet,[2] and shares similarities with the Phoenician, Hebrew, Arabic and Sogdian, the precursor and a direct ancestor of the traditional Mongolian scripts.\n

Syriac is written from right to left in horizontal lines. It is a cursive script where most—but not all—letters connect within a word. There is no letter case distinction between upper and lower case letters, though some letters change their form depending on their position within a word. Spaces separate individual words.\n

All 22 letters are consonants (called ܐܵܬܘܼܬܵܐ‎, ˀātūṯā). There are optional diacritic marks (called ܢܘܼܩܙܵܐ‎, nuqzā) to indicate vowels (ܙܵܘܥܵܐ‎, zāwˁā) and other features. 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 Hebrew and Greek numerals.\n

Apart from Classical Syriac Aramaic, the alphabet has been used to write other dialects and languages. Several Christian Neo-Aramaic languages, from Turoyo to the Northeastern Neo-Aramaic language of Suret, once vernaculars, primarily began to be written in the 19th century. The Serṭā variant has explicitly been adapted to write Western Neo-Aramaic, previously written in the square Maalouli script, developed by George Rizkalla (Rezkallah), based on the Hebrew alphabet.[3][4] Besides Aramaic, when Arabic began to be the dominant spoken language in the Fertile Crescent after the Islamic conquest, texts were often written in Arabic using the Syriac script as knowledge of the Arabic alphabet was not yet widespread; such writings are usually called Karshuni or Garshuni (ܓܪܫܘܢܝ‎). In addition to Semitic languages, Sogdian was also written with Syriac script, as well as Malayalam, which form was called Suriyani Malayalam.\n

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Alphabet forms

[edit]
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The opening words of the Gospel of John written in Serṭā, Maḏnḥāyā and ʾEsṭrangēlā (top to bottom) — brēšiṯ iṯaw[hy]-[h]wā melṯā, 'in the beginning was the word'.
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There are three major variants of the Syriac alphabet: ʾEsṭrangēlā, Maḏnḥāyā and Serṭā.\n

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Classical ʾEsṭrangēlā

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A 9th century ʾEsṭrangēlā manuscript of John Chrysostom's Homily on the Gospel of John.
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A 17th century Maḏnḥāyā liturgical manuscript from the Vatican Library. Note the title written in ʾEsṭrangēlā.
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Yəšūʿ or ʾĪšōʿ, the Syriac name of Jesus in the ʾEsṭrangēlā script.
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The oldest and classical form of the alphabet is ʾEsṭrangēlā[b] (ܐܣܛܪܢܓܠܐ‎). The name of the script is thought to derive from the Greek adjective strongýlē (στρογγύλη, 'rounded'),[5] though it has also been suggested to derive from serṭā ʾewwangēlāyā (ܣܪܛܐ ܐܘܢܓܠܝܐ‎, 'gospel character').[6] Although ʾEsṭrangēlā 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 (such as the Leiden University version of the Peshitta), in titles, and in inscriptions. In some older manuscripts and inscriptions, it is possible for any letter to join to the left, and older Aramaic letter forms (especially of ḥeṯ and the lunate mem) are found. Vowel marks are usually not used with ʾEsṭrangēlā, because it is the oldest form of the script and arose before specialized diacritics were developed.\n

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East Syriac Maḏnḥāyā

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The East Syriac dialect is usually written in the Maḏnḥāyā (ܡܲܕ݂ܢܚܵܝܵܐ‎, 'Eastern') form of the alphabet. Other names for the script include Swāḏāyā (ܣܘܵܕ݂ܵܝܵܐ‎, 'conversational' or 'vernacular', often translated as 'contemporary', reflecting its use in writing modern Neo-Aramaic), ʾĀṯōrāyā (ܐܵܬ݂ܘܿܪܵܝܵܐ‎, 'Assyrian', not to be confused with the traditional name for the Hebrew alphabet), Kaldāyā (ܟܲܠܕܵܝܵܐ‎, 'Chaldean'), and, inaccurately, \"Nestorian\" (a term that was originally used to refer to the Church of the East in the Sasanian Empire). The Eastern script resembles ʾEsṭrangēlā somewhat more closely than the Western script.\n

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Vowels

[edit]
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The Eastern script uses a system of dots above and/or below letters, based on an older system, to indicate vowel sounds not found in the script:\n

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It is thought that the Eastern method for representing vowels influenced the development of the niqqud markings used for writing Hebrew.\n

In addition to the above vowel marks, transliteration of Syriac sometimes includes ə, e̊ or superscript e (or often nothing at all) to represent an original Aramaic schwa that became lost later on at some point in the development of Syriac. Some transliteration schemes find its inclusion necessary for showing spirantization or for historical reasons. Whether because its distribution is mostly predictable (usually inside a syllable-initial two-consonant cluster) or because its pronunciation was lost, both the East and the West variants of the alphabet traditionally have no sign to represent the schwa.\n

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West Syriac Serṭā

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A 16th century Sertā manuscript of the New Testament Epistle of James.
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An example of Garshuni: a 16th-century Arabic-language manuscript written in the Syriac Serṭā script.
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The West Syriac dialect is usually written in the Serṭā or Serṭo (ܣܶܪܛܳܐ‎, 'line') form of the alphabet, also known as the Pšīṭā (ܦܫܺܝܛܳܐ‎, 'simple'), 'Maronite'. Most of the letters are clearly derived from ʾEsṭrangēlā, but are simplified, flowing lines. A cursive chancery hand is evidenced in the earliest Syriac manuscripts, but important works were written in ʾEsṭrangēlā. From the 8th century, the simpler Serṭā style came into fashion, perhaps because of its more economical use of parchment.\n

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Vowels

[edit]
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The Western script is usually vowel-pointed, with miniature Greek vowel letters above or below the letter which they follow:\n

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Summary table

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History of the alphabet
‡ Entries marked with a double dagger are non-alphabetic
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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 ʾālep̄, dālaṯ, hē, waw, zayn, ṣāḏē, rēš and taw (and, in early ʾEsṭrangēlā manuscripts, the letter semkaṯ[7]) do not connect to a following letter within a word; these are marked with an asterisk (*).\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Letter\nSound Value
(Classical Syriac)\n		Numerical
Value\n		Phoenician
Equivalent\n		Imperial Aramaic
Equivalent\n		Hebrew
Equivalent\n		Arabic\n

Equivalent\n

\n
Name\nTranslit.\nʾEsṭrangēlā
(classical)\n		Maḏnḥāyā
(eastern)\n		Serṭā
(western)\n		Latin\n

(1930)\n

\n		Cyrillic\n

(pre-1929, 1938)\n

\n		Unicode
(typing)\n		Transliteration\nIPA\n
*ܐܠܦ\nʾĀlep̄*[c]\n\n\n\na, ə\nə, a\nܐ\nʾ or null
mater lectionis: ā\n		[ʔ] or ∅
mater lectionis: [ɑ]\n		1\n𐤀‎\n𐡀‎\nא\nا\n
ܒܝܬ\nBēṯ\n\n\n\nb, v\nб, в\nܒ\nhard: b
soft: ḇ (also bh, v or ꞵ)\n		hard: [b]
soft: [v] or [w]\n		2\n𐤁‎\n𐡁‎\nב\nب\n
ܓܡܠ\nGāmal\n\n\n\ng, x/h, ç\nг, h, dж\nܓ\nhard: g
soft: ḡ (also g̱, gh, ġ or γ)\n		hard: [ɡ]
soft: [ɣ]\n		3\n𐤂‎\n𐡂‎\nג\nج\n
*ܕܠܬ\nDālaṯ*\n\n\n\nd\nd\nܕ\nhard: d
soft: ḏ (also dh, ð or ẟ)\n		hard: [d]
soft: [ð]\n		4\n𐤃‎\n𐡃‎\nד\nد / ذ\n
*ܗܐ\nHē*\n\n\n\nh\nh\nܗ\nh
mater lectionis: ē (or e)\n		[h]
mater lectionis: [e]\n		5\n𐤄‎\n𐡄‎\nה\nه\n
*ܘܘ\nWaw*\n\n\n\nv, o, u\nв, o, у\nܘ\nconsonant: w
mater lectionis: ū or ō
(also u or o)\n		consonant: [w]
mater lectionis: [u] or [o]\n		6\n𐤅‎\n𐡅‎\nו\nو\n
*ܙܝܢ\nZayn*\n\n\n\nz\nз\nܙ\nz\n[z]\n7\n𐤆‎\n𐡆‎\nז\nز\n
ܚܝܬ\nḤēṯ\n\n\n\nx\nx\nܚ\nḥ (also H, kh, x or ħ)\n[ħ], [x] or [χ]\n8\n𐤇‎\n𐡇‎\nח\nح / خ\n
ܛܝܬ\nṬēṯ\n\n\n\nţ\nt\nܛ\nṭ (also T or ţ)\n[tˤ]\n9\n𐤈‎\n𐡈‎\nט\nظ / ط\n
ܝܘܕ\nYōḏ\n\n\n\nj, ij/ьj\nj, иj/ыj\nܝ\nconsonant: y
mater lectionis: ī (also i)\n		consonant: [j]
mater lectionis: [i] or [ɪ]\n		10\n𐤉‎\n𐡉‎\nי\nي\n
ܟܦ\nKāp̄\n\n\n\nk, x, c\nq, x, ч\nܟ\nhard: k
soft: ḵ (also kh or x)\n		hard: [k]
soft: [x]\n		20\n𐤊‎\n𐡊‎\nכ ך\nك\n
ܠܡܕ\nLāmaḏ\n\n\n\nl\nl\nܠ\nl\n[l]\n30\n𐤋‎\n𐡋‎\nל\nل\n
ܡܝܡ\nMīm\n\n\n\nm\nм\nܡ\nm\n[m]\n40\n𐤌‎\n𐡌‎\nמ ם\nم\n
ܢܘܢ\nNūn\n\n\n\nn\nн\nܢܢ\nn\n[n]\n50\n𐤍‎\n𐡍‎\nנ ן\nن\n
ܣܡܟܬ\nSemkaṯ\n\n\n\ns\nc\nܣ\ns\n[s]\n60\n𐤎‎\n𐡎‎\nס\nس\n
ܥܐ\nʿĒ\n\n\n\na\nə\nܥ\nʿ\n[ʕ][d]\n70\n𐤏‎\n𐡏‎\nע\nع / غ\n
ܦܐ\nPē\n\n\n\np, f\nп, ф\nܦ\nhard: p
soft: p̄ (also p̱, ᵽ, ph or f)\n		hard: [p]
soft: [f] or [w]\n		80\n𐤐‎\n𐡐‎\nפ ף\nف\n
*ܨܕܐ\nṢāḏē*\n\n\n\ns\nc\nܨ\nṣ (also S or ş)\n[sˤ]\n90\n𐤑‎\n𐡑‎\nצ ץ\nض / ص\n
ܩܘܦ\nQōp̄\n\n\n\nq\nк\nܩ\nq (also ḳ)\n[q]\n100\n𐤒‎\n𐡒‎\nק\nق\n
*ܪܝܫ\nRēš*\n\n\n\nr\np\nܪ\nr\n[r]\n200\n𐤓‎\n𐡓‎\nר\nر\n
ܫܝܢ\nŠīn\n\n\n\nş, ƶ\nш, ж\nܫ\nš (also sh)\n[ʃ]\n300\n𐤔‎\n𐡔‎\nש\nش\n
*ܬܘ\nTaw*\n\n\n\nt\nт\nܬ\nhard: t
soft: ṯ (also th or θ)\n		hard: [t]
soft: [θ]\n		400\n𐤕‎\n𐡕‎\nת\nت / ث\n
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Contextual forms of letters

[edit]
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Letter\n

name\n

\n		ʾEsṭrangēlā (classical)\nMaḏnḥāyā (eastern)\n
Unconnected\n

final\n

\n		Connected\n

final\n

\n		Initial or\n

unconnected\n

medial\n

\n		Unconnected\n

final\n

\n		Connected\n

final\n

\n		Initial or\n

unconnected\n

medial\n

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ʾĀlep̄  \"\" [e]\n
Bēṯ \"\"\"\" \n
Gāmal \"\"\"\" \n
Dālaṯ  \"\"  \n
Hē  \"\"  \n
Waw  \"\"  \n
Zayn  \"\"  \n
Ḥēṯ \"\"\"\" \n
Ṭēṯ \"\"\"\" \n
Yōḏ \"\"\"\" \n
Kāp̄\"\"\"\"\"\"\n
Lāmaḏ \"\"\"\" \n
Mīm \"\"\"\" \n
Nūn\"\"\"\"\"\"\n
Semkaṯ \"\"\"\"  / \n
ʿĒ \"\"\"\" \n
Pē \"\"\"\" \n
Ṣāḏē  \"\"  \n
Qōp̄ \"\"\"\" \n
Rēš  \"\"  \n
Šīn \"\"\"\" \n
Taw  \"\"  \n
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Ligatures

[edit]
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Letter\n

name\n

\n		ʾEsṭrangēlā (classical)\nMaḏnḥāyā (eastern)Unicode
character(s)		Description\n
Unconnected\n

final\n

\n		Connected\n

final\n

\n		Initial or\n

unconnected\n

medial\n

\n		Unconnected\n

final\n

\n		Connected\n

final\n

\n		Initial or\n

unconnected\n

medial\n

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Lāmaḏ-ʾĀlep̄\"\"  ܠܐLāmaḏ and ʾĀlep̄ combined
at the end of a word\n
Taw-ʾĀlep̄\"\"\n / ܬܐTaw and ʾĀlep̄ combined
at the end of a word\n
Hē-Yōḏ     ܗܝHē and Yōḏ combined
at the end of a word\n
Taw-Yōḏ     ܬܝTaw and Yōḏ combined
at the end of a word\n
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Letter alterations

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Matres lectionis

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The name of the monk \"Adam\" in Syriac in the 781 CE Xi'an Nestorian Stele, China.
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Three letters act as matres lectionis: rather than being a consonant, they indicate a vowel. ʾālep̄ (ܐ), the first letter, represents a glottal stop, but it can also indicate a vowel, especially at the beginning or the end of a word. The letter waw (ܘ) is the consonant w, but can also represent the vowels o and u. Likewise, the letter yōḏ (ܝ) represents the consonant y, but it also stands for the vowels i and e.\n

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Majlīyānā

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In modern usage, some alterations can be made to represent phonemes not represented in classical phonology. A mark similar in appearance to a tilde (~), called majlīyānā (ܡܲܓ̰ܠܝܼܵܢܵܐ‎), is placed above or below a letter in the Maḏnḥāyā variant of the alphabet to change its phonetic value (see also: Geresh):\n

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Rūkkāḵā and qūššāyā

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In addition to foreign sounds, a marking system is used to distinguish qūššāyā (ܩܘܫܝܐ, 'hard' letters) from rūkkāḵā (ܪܘܟܟܐ, 'soft' letters). The letters bēṯ, gāmal, dālaṯ, kāp̄, pē, and taw, all stop consonants ('hard') are able to be 'spirantized' (lenited) into fricative consonants ('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):\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Name\nStop\nTranslit.\nIPA\nName\nFricative\nTranslit.\nIPA\nNotes\n
Bēṯ (qšīṯā)\nܒ݁\nb\n[b]\nBēṯ rakkīḵtā\nܒ݂\nḇ\n[v] or [w]\n[v] has become [w] in most modern dialects.\n
Gāmal (qšīṯā)\nܓ݁\ng\n[ɡ]\nGāmal rakkīḵtā\nܓ݂\nḡ\n[ɣ]\nUsually becomes [j], [ʔ], or is not pronounced in modern Eastern dialects.\n
Dālaṯ (qšīṯā)\nܕ݁\nd\n[d]\nDālaṯ rakkīḵtā\nܕ݂\nḏ\n[ð]\n[d] is left unspirantized in some modern Eastern dialects.\n
Kāp̄ (qšīṯā)\nܟ݁\nk\n[k]\nKāp̄ rakkīḵtā\nܟ݂\nḵ\n[x]\n\n
Pē (qšīṯā)\nܦ݁\np\n[p]\nPē rakkīḵtā\nܦ݂ or ܦ̮\np̄\n[f] or [w]\n[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.\n
Taw (qšīṯā)\nܬ݁\nt\n[t]\nTaw rakkīḵtā\nܬ݂\nṯ\n[θ]\n[t] is left unspirantized in some modern Eastern dialects.\n
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The mnemonic bḡaḏkp̄āṯ (ܒܓܕܟܦܬ) is often used to remember the six letters that are able to be spirantized (see also: Begadkepat).\n

In the East Syriac variant of the alphabet, spirantization marks are usually omitted when they interfere with vowel marks. 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, gemination, etymology, and other factors. Foreign words do not always follow the rules for spirantization.\n

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Syāmē

[edit]
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Syriac uses two (usually) horizontal dots[f] above a letter within a word, similar in appearance to diaeresis, called syāmē (ܣܝ̈ܡܐ, literally 'placings', also known in some grammars by the Hebrew name ribbuy [רִבּוּי], 'plural'), to indicate that the word is plural.[8] These dots, having no sound value in themselves, arose before both eastern and western vowel systems as it became necessary to mark plural forms of words, which are indistinguishable from their singular counterparts in regularly-inflected nouns. For instance, the word malkā (ܡܠܟܐ, 'king') is consonantally identical to its plural malkē (ܡܠܟ̈ܐ, 'kings'); the syāmē above the word malkē (ܡܠܟ̈ܐ) clarifies its grammatical number and pronunciation. Irregular plurals also receive syāmē even though their forms are clearly plural: e.g. baytā (ܒܝܬܐ, 'house') and its irregular plural bāttē (ܒ̈ܬܐ, 'houses'). Because of redundancy, some modern usage forgoes syāmē points when vowel markings are present.\n

There are no firm rules for which letter receives syāmē; the writer has full discretion to place them over any letter. Typically, if a word has at least one rēš, then syāmē are placed over the rēš that is nearest the end of a word (and also replace the single dot above it: ܪ̈). Other letters that often receive syāmē are low-rising letters—such as yōḏ and nūn—or letters that appear near the middle or end of a word.\n

Besides plural nouns, syāmē are also placed on:\n

\n\n

Mṭalqānā

[edit]
\n

Syriac uses a diacritic line, called mṭalqānā (ܡܛܠܩܢܐ, literally 'concealer', also known by the Latin term linea occultans in some grammars), to indicate a silent letter that can occur at the beginning or middle of a word.[9] In Eastern Syriac, this line is diagonal and only occurs above the silent letter (e.g. ܡܕ݂ܝܼܢ݇ܬܵܐ‎, 'city', pronounced mḏīttā, not *mḏīntā, with the mṭalqānā over the nūn, assimilating with the taw). The line can only occur above a letter ʾālep̄, hē, waw, yōḏ, lāmaḏ, mīm, nūn, ʿē or rēš (which comprise the mnemonic ܥܡ̈ܠܝ ܢܘܗܪܐ ʿamlay nūhrā, 'the works of light'). In Western Syriac, this line is horizontal and can be placed above or below the letter (e.g. ܡܕ݂ܺܝܢ̄ܬܳܐ‎, 'city', pronounced mḏīto, not *mḏīnto).\n

Classically, mṭalqānā was not used for silent letters that occurred at the end of a word (e.g. ܡܪܝ mār[ī], '[my] lord'). In modern Turoyo, however, this is not always the case (e.g. ܡܳܪܝ̱‎ mor[ī], '[my] lord').\n

\n

Latin alphabet and romanization

[edit]
\n

In the late 1920s to late 1930s, both Cyrillic and Latin alphabets for Syriac (specifically for the C. Urmi dialect) were developed in the USSR with some material promulgated.[10] Although they did not supplant the Syriac script, the usage of the Latin script in the Syriac community has still become widespread because most of the Assyrian diaspora is in Europe and the Anglosphere, where the Latin alphabet is predominant.\n

In Syriac romanization, some letters are altered and would feature diacritics and macrons to indicate long vowels, schwas and diphthongs. The letters with diacritics and macrons are mostly upheld in educational or formal writing.[11]\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Soviet Latin alphabet[12][13]\n
ABCÇD\nE\nƏFGHI\nJKLMN\nOPQRS\nŞT\nŢUV\nXZƵЬIJ/ЬJ (digraph)\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Soviet Cyrillic alphabet (some Latin letters are used)[14][15]\n
AƏБВГҺD\nE\nЖЗИJ\nКQLМН\nOПРС\nТt\nУФХ\nШЧЫDЖ (digraph)\n
\n

The Latin letters below are commonly used when it comes to transliteration from the Syriac script to Latin:[16]\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Transliterated Syriac-Latin alphabet[17]\n
AĀB\nḆCD\nḎEĒ\nĔF\nGHḤIJ\nK\nḴLMNO\nŌPQRSŠ\nṢTṬ\nṮUŪ\nVWXYZ\n
\n\n

Sometimes additional letters may be used and they tend to be:\n

\n\n

Unicode

[edit]
\n

The Syriac alphabet was added to the Unicode Standard in September, 1999 with the release of version 3.0.\nAdditional letters for Suriyani Malayalam were added in June, 2017 with the release of version 10.0.\n

\n

Blocks

[edit]
\n
Main articles: Syriac (Unicode block) and Syriac Supplement (Unicode block)
\n

The Unicode block for Syriac is U+0700–U+074F:\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Syriac[1][2]
Official Unicode Consortium code chart (PDF)\n
 0123456789ABCDEF\n
U+070x\n܀\n܁\n܂\n܃\n܄\n܅\n܆\n܇\n܈\n܉\n܊\n܋\n܌\n܍\n\nSAM\n
U+071x\nܐ\nܑ\nܒ\nܓ\nܔ\nܕ\nܖ\nܗ\nܘ\nܙ\nܚ\nܛ\nܜ\nܝ\nܞ\nܟ\n
U+072x\nܠ\nܡ\nܢ\nܣ\nܤ\nܥ\nܦ\nܧ\nܨ\nܩ\nܪ\nܫ\nܬ\nܭ\nܮ\nܯ\n
U+073x\nܰ\nܱ\nܲ\nܳ\nܴ\nܵ\nܶ\nܷ\nܸ\nܹ\nܺ\nܻ\nܼ\nܽ\nܾ\nܿ\n
U+074x\n݀\n݁\n݂\n݃\n݄\n݅\n݆\n݇\n݈\n݉\n݊\n\n\nݍ\nݎ\nݏ\n
Notes\n
1.^As of Unicode version 18.0
\n
2.^Grey areas indicate non-assigned code points
\n
\n

The Syriac Abbreviation (a type of overline) can be represented with a special control character called the Syriac Abbreviation Mark (U+070F).\n

The Unicode block for Suriyani Malayalam specific letters is called the Syriac Supplement block and is U+0860–U+086F:\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Syriac Supplement[1][2]
Official Unicode Consortium code chart (PDF)\n
 0123456789ABCDEF\n
U+086x\nࡠ\nࡡ\nࡢ\nࡣ\nࡤ\nࡥ\nࡦ\nࡧ\nࡨ\nࡩ\nࡪ\n\n\n\n\n\n
Notes\n
1.^As of Unicode version 18.0
\n
2.^Grey areas indicate non-assigned code points
\n
\n

HTML code table

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Note: HTML numeric character references can be in decimal format (&#DDDD;) or hexadecimal format (&#xHHHH;). For example, ܕ and ܕ (1813 in decimal) both represent U+0715 SYRIAC LETTER DALATH.\n

\n

Ālep̄ bēṯ

[edit]
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
ܕܓܒܐ\n
ܕܓܒܐ\n
ܚܙܘܗ\n
ܚܙܘܗ\n
ܠܟܟܝܛ\n
ܠܟܝܛ\n
ܥܣܢܢܡܡ\n
ܥܤܢܡ\n
ܪܩܨܦ\n
ܪܩܨܦ\n
ܬܫ\n
ܬܫ\n
\n

Vowels and unique characters

[edit]
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
ܲܵ\n
ܲܵ\n
ܸܹ\n
ܸܹ\n
ܼܿ\n
ܼܿ\n
̰̈\n
̰̈\n
݂݁\n
݂݁\n
܀܂\n
܀܂\n
܄݇\n
܄݇\n
\n

Comparison of scripts

[edit]
\n

Matthew 5:8 (sixth beatitude), using the Urmi dialect:\n

\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Syriac script\nLatin script\n

(1930)\n

\n		Cyrillic script\n

(before 1929, after 1938)\n

\n		Translation\n
ܛܘܼܒ̣ܵܐ ܠܐܵܢܝܼ ܕܝܼܢܵܐ ܕܸܟ̣ܝܹ̈ܐ ܒܠܸܒܵܐ: ܣܵܒܵܒ ܕܐܵܢܝܼ ܒܸܬ ܚܵܙܝܼ ܠܐܲܠܵܗܵܐ.\nŢuva l'ənij d'inə dixji b'liввə: səвəв d'ənij вit xəzij l'Ələhə.\nTyвə l'aниj d'инa dиxjи б'lиббa: caбaб d'aниj бит xaзиj l'Alaha.\nBlessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.\n
\n

See also

[edit]
\n\n

Notes

[edit]
\n
\n
    \n
  1. ^ Also ܐܒܓܕ ܣܘܪܝܝܐ ʾabgad Sūryāyā.\n
    2. \n
  2. ^ Also pronounced/transliterated Estrangelo in Western Syriac.\n
    3. \n
  3. ^ Also pronounced ʾĀlap̄ or ʾOlaf (ܐܳܠܰܦ‎) in Western Syriac.\n
    4. \n
  4. ^ Among most Assyrian Neo-Aramaic speakers, the pharyngeal sound of ʿĒ (/ʕ/) is not pronounced as such; rather, it typically merges into the plain sound of ʾĀlep̄ ([ʔ] or ∅) or geminates a previous consonant.\n
    5. \n
  5. ^ In the final position following Dālaṯ or Rēš, ʾĀlep̄ takes the normal form rather than the final form in the Maḏnḥāyā variant of the alphabet.\n
    6. \n
  6. ^ In some Serṭā usages, the syāmē dots are placed diagonally when they appear above the letter Lāmaḏ.\n
    7. \n
\n

References

[edit]
\n
\n
    \n
  1. ^ \"Syriac alphabet\". Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved June 16, 2012.\n
    2. \n
  2. ^ P. R. Ackroyd, C. F. Evans (1975). The Cambridge History of the Bible: Volume 1, From the Beginnings to Jerome. Cambridge University Press. p. 26. ISBN 9780521099738.\n
    3. \n
  3. ^ Maissun Melhem (21 January 2010). \"Schriftenstreit in Syrien\" (in German). Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 15 November 2023. Several years ago, the political leadership in Syria decided to establish an institute where Aramaic could be learned. Rizkalla was tasked with writing a textbook, primarily drawing upon his native language proficiency. For the script, he chose Hebrew letters.\n
    4. \n
  4. ^ Oriens Christianus (in German). 2003. p. 77. As the villages are very small, located close to each other, and the three dialects are mutually intelligible, there has never been the creation of a script or a standard language. Aramaic is the unwritten village dialect...\n
    5. \n
  5. ^ Hatch, William (1946). An Album of Dated Syriac Manuscripts. Boston: The American Academy of Arts and Sciences, reprinted in 2002 by Gorgias Press. p. 24. ISBN 1-931956-53-7.\n
    6. \n
  6. ^ Nestle, Eberhard (1888). Syrische Grammatik mit Litteratur, Chrestomathie und Glossar. Berlin: H. Reuther's Verlagsbuchhandlung. [translated to English as Syriac grammar with bibliography, chrestomathy and glossary, by R. S. Kennedy. London: Williams & Norgate 1889. p. 5].\n
    7. \n
  7. ^ Coakley, J. F. (2002). Robinson's Paradigms and Exercises in Syriac Grammar (5th ed.). Oxford University Press. p. 141. ISBN 978-0-19-926129-1.\n
    8. \n
  8. ^ Nöldeke, Theodor and Julius Euting (1880). Kurzgefasste syrische Grammatik. Leipzig: T.O. Weigel. [translated to English as Compendious Syriac Grammar, by James A. Crichton. London: Williams & Norgate 1904. 2003 edition. pp. 10–11. ISBN 1-57506-050-7]\n
    9. \n
  9. ^ Nöldeke, Theodor and Julius Euting (1880). Kurzgefasste syrische Grammatik. Leipzig: T.O. Weigel. [translated to English as Compendious Syriac Grammar, by James A. Crichton. London: Williams & Norgate 1904. 2003 edition. pp. 11–12. ISBN 1-57506-050-7]\n
    10. \n
  10. ^ Moscati, Sabatino, et al. The Comparative Grammar of Semitic Languages.\nHarrassowitz, Wiesbaden, Germany, 1980.\n
    11. \n
  11. ^ S. P. Brock, \"Three Thousand Years of Aramaic literature\", in Aram,1:1 (1989)\n
    12. \n
  12. ^ Friedrich, Johannes (1959). \"Neusyrisches in Lateinschrift aus der Sowjetunion\". Zeitschrift der Deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft (in German) (109): 50–81.\n
    13. \n
  13. ^ Polotsky, Hans Jakob (1961). \"Studies in Modern Syriac\". Journal of Semitic Studies. 6 (1): 1–32. doi:10.1093/jss/6.1.1.\n
    14. \n
  14. ^ Письменность и революция. Сб. 1, 1933, p. 120\n
    15. \n
  15. ^ [:File:Aysor cyrillic alphabet, USSR, 1930.jpg Aysor Cyrillic alphabet, from М. Бит Ләзер, В. Скоробогатов. Qтава d'аllаббит. Урха хаdта ка маdраса d'шита камета. М.: Пиjшеlи бусмина басмәхәнә кинtрунета d'әlмә d'СССР, 1930]\n
    16. \n
  16. ^ \"Syriac Romanization Table\" (PDF). Library of Congress.\n
    17. \n
  17. ^ Nicholas Awde; Nineb Lamassu; Nicholas Al-Jeloo (2007). Aramaic (Assyrian/Syriac) Dictionary & Phrasebook: Swadaya-English, Turoyo-English, English-Swadaya-Turoyo. Hippocrene Books. ISBN 978-0-7818-1087-6.\n
    18. \n
\n

Sources

[edit]
\n\n

External links

[edit]
\n
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\"Wikimedia
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Syriac alphabet.
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123456789102030405060708090100200300400\n
\n
\n
Overview
Related
Brahmic
Northern
Southern
Others
Linear
\n\n
Non-linear
Braille
\n
Chinese family of scripts
Chinese characters
Chinese-influenced
Cuneiform
Other logosyllabic
Logoconsonantal
Numerals
Other
Full
Redundant
Braille
\n
Ethno-linguistic group(s) indigenous to the Middle East; also known as Syriac-Arameans or Chaldeans
Identity
Syriac
Christianity
West Syriac Rite
East Syriac Rite
Neo-Aramaic
dialects
Culture
History
(including
related
contexts)
Ancient Assyria
Classical
antiquity
\n\n
Middle ages
\n\n
Modern era
By country
Homeland
(Settlements)
Diaspora
Politics
\n
West Syriac, legacy of
the Church of Antioch
Eastern Catholic
Oriental Orthodox
East Syriac, legacy of
the Church of the East
(the \"Nestorian Church\")
(410–1552)
Eastern Catholic
Nestorian
Protestant (Eastern Protestant)
Saint Thomas Christians,
legacy of
the Malankara Church
(active 1st century–1601)
in Kerala, India
Eastern Catholic
\n\n
Oriental Orthodox
Nestorian (Assyrian Church of the East)
Protestant (Eastern Protestant)
Key figures
Languages
See also
\n\n
\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
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