Syriac

Introduction

ܠܫܢܐ ܣܘܪܝܝܐ

ܐܠܦܒܝܬ

(Alphabet)

𐡀𐡁𐡂𐡃 𐡄𐡅𐡆𐡇 𐡈𐡉𐡊𐡋 𐡌𐡍𐡎𐡏 𐡐𐡑𐡒𐡓 𐡔𐡕

Syriac is written with twenty letters. There are three main scripts used for writing Syriac. They are: ___

The estrangela script is the earliest form of Syriac writing.

It is written from right to left.

ܐ ܒ ܓ ܕ ܗ ܘ ܙ ܚ ܛ ܝ ܟ ܠ ܡ ܢ ܣ ܥ ܦ ܨ ܩ ܪ ܫ ܬ

ܐ ܒ ܓ ܕ ܗ ܘ ܙ ܚ ܛ ܝ ܟ ܠ ܡ ܢ ܣ ܥ ܦ ܨ ܩ ܪ ܫ ܬ

	transliteration			ܐܪܡܝܐ (Aramaic)		שם האות
numerical value	transl.		ه
1	ʾ	ـܐ		א	𐡀	ܐܵܠܲܦ݂
2	b, ḇ	ـܒ	, ܒ݂ܒ݁	ב	𐡁	ܒܹ݁ܝܬ݂
3	g, ḡ	ـܓ	ܓ݁	ג	𐡂	ܓ݁ܵܡܲܠ
4	d, ḏ	ـܕ	ܕ݁	ד	𐡃	ܕ݁ܵܠܲܬ݂
5	h	ـܗ	ܗ	ה	𐡄	ܗܹܐ
6	w	ـܘ	ܘ	ו	𐡅	ܘܲܘ
7	z	ـܙ	ܙ	ז	𐡆	ܙܲܝܢ
8	ḥ	ـܚ	ܚ	ח	𐡇	ܚܹܝܬ݂
9	ṭ	ـܛ	ܛ	ט	𐡈	ܛܹܝܬ݂
10	y	ـܝ	ܝ	י	𐡉	ܝܘܿܕ
20	k, ḵ	ـܟ	ܟ݁ܟ݂	כ, ך	𐡊	ܟ݁ܵܦ݂
30	l	ـܠ	ܠ	ל	𐡋	ܠܵܡܲܕ݂
40	m	ـܡ	ܡ	מ, ם	𐡌	ܡܝܼܡ
50	n	ـܢ	ܢ	נ, ן	𐡍	ܢܘܼܢ
60	s	ـܣ	ܣ	ס	𐡎	ܤܸܡܟ݁ܲܬ݂
70	ʿ	ـܥ	ܥ	ע	𐡏	ܥܹܐ
80	p, p̄	ـܦ	ܦ݁	פ, ף	𐡐	ܦܹ݁ܐ
90	ṣ	ـܨ	ܨ	צ, ץ	𐡑	ܨܵܕ݂ܹܐ
100	ḳ	ـܩ	ܩ	ק	𐡒	ܩܘܿܦ݂
200	r	ـܪ	ܪ	ר	𐡓	ܪܹܝܫ
300	š	ـܫ	ܫ	ש	𐡔	ܫܝܼܢ
400	t, ṯ	ـܬ	ܬ݁	ת	𐡕	ܬ݁ܲܘ

Pronunciation

Pronunciation of the BGDKPT letters

a) a bgdkpt letter is pronounced hard (marked with qushaya) after a consonant and is pronounced soft (marked with rukaka) if it follows a vowel.

b) a bgdkpt letter following a shwa is pronounced soft

c) When doubled, it is pronounced hard

d) Unlike in Hebrew, a bgdkpt letter following a diphthong (ay, aw) is pronounced hard.

Pronouns

ܫܡ̈ܐ

(nouns)

‍ܚܠܦܫܡ̈ܐ

‍(subject pronouns)

ܩܢܘ̇ܡܵܐ ܩܲܕܡܵܝܵܐ = first person

ܩܢܘ̇ܡܵܐ ܩܢܘ̇ܡܵܐ ܬܪܲܝܵܢܵܐ = second person

ܩܢܘ̇ܡܵܐ ܩܢܘ̇ܡܵܐ ܬܠܝ݂ܬܵܝܵܐ = third person

ܚܠܵܦ ܫܡܵܐ ܣܒܼܝ݂ܣܵܐ

(suffix pronouns)

Demonstrative

Demonstrative Pronouns

	msg.	fsg.	mpl.	fpl.
this, these (near)	ܗܳܢܳܐ
that, those (far)

ܡܶܠܬܶܐ

(verbs)

ܡܶܠܴܐ، ܡܶܠܬܳܐ; (ܙ)، ܪ، ܡܷ̈ܠܷܐ

Peal & ethpe’el, palpel & ethpalpal, aphel & ettaph’al, shap’el & estaph’el, aph’el & ettaph’el, pay’el, pa’el & ethpa’al

Peal

Ethpe’el

Meaning: The Ethpe’el is normally the passive of the peal. The logical subject is introduced by ܡܶܢ ‘by’

Aph’el

The causative form of the pe’al. to cause to X

Ettaph’el

The passive form of aphel. to be caused to X

Shaph’el & Eshtaph’el

Taph’el

Pa’el

Meaning: Generally known as the intensive conjugation, expressing a stronger or repeated sense compared to the peal.

a) Intensified meaning of the peal

b) transitive meaning of an intransitive peal

c) denominative

The Ethpa’al

Meaning: The passive form of pa’el

Strong & Weak Verbs

pe-nun

pe-alaph

pe-yod

e-alaph

hollow (or e-waw)

geminate (or double e)

lamed-yod

Double weak

Guttural – verbs with a guttural letter or ܪ

The Infinitive

All infinitives in Syriac begin with ܡ

	sg.
Peal	ܡܶܩܛܰܠ /meḳṭal/
aph’el	ܡܰܩܛܳܠܘܽ /maḳṭālu/
ettaph’al	ܡܶܬ݂ܬ݁ܰܩܛܳܠܘܽ /meṯtaḳṭālu/
taph’el	ܡܬܰܩܛܳܠܘܽ /meṯaḳṭālu/
ethpe’el	ܡܶܬܩܛܳܠܘܽ /meṯḳěṭālu/
pa”al	ܡܩܰܛܳܠܘܽ /měḳaṭṭālu/
ethpa’al	ܩܛܰܠ

The Perfect Tense

	sg.	pl.
1 com.	ܩܶܛܠܶܬ݂	ܩܛܰܠܢ
2nd m	ܩܛܰܠܬ݁	ܩܛܰܠܬܽܘܢ
2nd f.	ܩܛܰܠܬ݁ܝ	ܩܛܰܠܬܷ݁ܝܢ
3rd m	ܩܛܰܠ	ܩܛܰܠܘ ܩܛܰܠܘܽܢ
3rd fem.	ܩܶܛܠܰܬ݂	ܩܛܰܠܵܝ ܩܛܰܠܝ̈ܢ

The perfect tense is used to indicate the following tense

1. The aorist: he killed
2. The present perfect: he has killed
3. The pluperfect: he had killed
4. The future perfect: he will have killed

Imperfect

The imperfect in Syriac is used to indicate an action that is incomplete or in the future. In a subordinate clause, the future is relative to the main clause.

To express the jussive (‘let …’)

To express a negative prohibition, with ܠܳܐ

	u	e	a
1 com.	ܐܶܩܛܘܿܠ	—
2nd m	ܬܶܩܛܘܿܠ	—
2nd f.	ܬܶܩܛܠܺܝܢ	—
3rd m	ܢܶܩܛܘܿܠ	—
3rd fem.	ܬܶܩܛܘܿܠ	—

Syntax

ܕ݁ܠܴܐ is used to negate an adjective or noun, which is then used in the absolute state

what is not lawful – ܕ݁ܠܴܐ ܫܰܠܻܝܛ

without number – ܕ݁ܠܴܐ ܡܢܝܢ

ܫܽܘܡܳܗܳܐ	adjective
ܪܶܡܙܳܢܳܝܳܐ	demonstrative
ܢܶܩܒ݂ܳܐ	feminine
ܕ݁ܶܟ݂ܪܳܐ	masculine
ܦ݁ܰܪܨܽܘܦ݂ܳܐ	person
ܡܩܰܕ݂ܡܽܘܬ݂ ܣܝܳܡܳܐ	preposition
ܙܡܢܐ: ܙܡܢܐ ܕܩܐܡ	tense: present tense, past tense, future tense
ܡܠܬܐ ܡܶܠܬܐ ܥܒܘܕܬܐ, ܡܶܠܬܐ ܚܫܘܫܬܐ	verb: voice: active voice, passive voice

ܐܫܪ̈ܐ	conjunctions
ܕ݁ܶܟ݂ܪܳܐ	masculine
ܕܟܪܢܝܐ	masculine form
ܙܡܢܐ: ܙܡܢܐ ܕܩܐܡ	tense: present tense, past tense, future tense
ܙܶܢ, ܙܢܳܐ ܙܢܳܐ ܡܚܰܘܝܳܢܳܐ ܙܢܳܐ ܦ݂ܳܩܘܽܕ݂ܳܐ	mood indicative mood imperative mood
‍ܚܠܦܫܡ̈ܐ	subject pronouns
ܡܚܰܘܝܳܢܳܐ	indicative
ܟܿܡܳܝܽܘܬܼܳܐ ܟܿܡܵܝܘ݂ܬܼܵܐ	quantifiers
ܡܠܬܐ ܡܶܠܬܐ ܥܒܘܕܬܐ, ܡܶܠܬܐ ܚܫܘܫܬܐ	verb: voice: active voice, passive voice
ܡܶܠܬ݂ ܫܡܳܐ	Infinitive
ܡܩܰܕ݂ܡܽܘܬ݂ ܣܝܳܡܳܐ	preposition
ܡܫܰܘܬ݁ܦ݂ܐ, ܡܫܰܘܬ݁ܰܦ݂	Participle
ܢܩܒܬܢܝܐ	feminine form
ܥܲܠܡܸܠܬܼܵܐ	adverbs
ܦ݁ܳܩܘܽܕ݂ܳܐ	imperative
ܦ݁ܰܪܨܽܘܦ݂ܳܐ	person
ܪܶܡܙܳܢܳܝܳܐ	demonstrative
ܫܽܘܡܳܗܳܐ ܫܘܡܗ̈ܐ	adjective adjectives
ܫܸܡܵܐ ܓܢܘ݂ܫܝܵܝܵܐ	collective nouns
ܫܸܡܵܐ ܩܢܘ̇ܡܵܝܵܐ	proper nouns

ܫ݀ܡܹ̈ܐ ܕ̤ܟ݂ܪ̈ܵܢܵܝܹ̈ܐ = masculine names

ܫ݀ܡܹ̈ܐ ܢܲܩܒ݂ܬ݂ܵܢܵܝܹ̈ܐ = feminine names