ܐܠܦܒܝܬ
(The Alphabet)
| ܐܪܡܝܐ (Aramaic) | ܫܡܐ (name) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| numerical value | Transliteration | ه | |||||
| 1 | ʾ | ـܐ | ـܐـ | ܐـ | ܐ | א | ܐܠܦ |
| 2 | b, ḇ | ـܒ | ـܒـ | ܒـ | , ܒ݂ܒ݁ | ב | ܒܝܝܬ |
| 3 | g, ḡ | ـܓ | ـܓـ | ܓـ | ܓ݁ | ג | |
| 4 | d, ḏ | ـܕ | ـܕـ | ܕـ | ܕ݁ | ד | |
| 5 | h | ـܗ | ـܗـ | ܗـ | ܗ | ה | |
| 6 | w | ـܘ | ـܘـ | ܘـ | ܘ | ו | |
| 7 | z | ـܙ | ـܙـ | ܙـ | ܙ | ז | |
| 8 | ḥ | ـܚ | ـܚـ | ܚـ | ܚ | ח | |
| 9 | ṭ | ـܛ | ـܛـ | ܛـ | ܛ | ט | |
| 10 | y | ـܝ | ـܝـ | ܝـ | ܝ | י | |
| 20 | k, ḵ | ـܟ | ـܟـ | ܟـ | ܟ݁ܟ݂ | כ, ך | |
| 30 | l | ـܠ | ـܠـ | ܠـ | ܠ | ל | |
| 40 | m | ـܡ | ـܡـ | ܡـ | ܡ | מ, ם | |
| 50 | n | ـܢ | ـܢـ | ܢـ | ܢ | נ, ן | |
| 60 | s | ـܣ | ـܣـ | ܣـ | ܣ | ס | |
| 70 | ʿ | ـܥ | ـܥـ | ܥـ | ܥ | ע | |
| 80 | p, p̄ | ـܦ | ـܦـ | ܦـ | ܦ݁ | פ, ף | |
| 90 | ṣ | ـܨ | ـܨـ | ܨـ | ܨ | צ, ץ | |
| 100 | ḳ | ـܩ | ـܩـ | ܩـ | ܩ | ק | |
| 200 | r | ـܪ | ـܪـ | ܪـ | ܪ | ר | |
| 300 | š | ـܫ | ـܫـ | ܫـ | ܫ | ש | |
| 400 | t, ṯ | ـܬ | ـܬـ | ܬـ | ܬ݁ | ת |
ܩܘܼܫܵܝܵܐ (ḳuššāyā) and ܪܘܼܟ݁ܵܒ݂ܵܐ (rukkāḵā)
| b | g | d | k | p | t |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ܒ݁ | ܓ݁ | ܕ݁ | ܟ݁ | ܦ݁ | ܬ݁ |
| ܒ݂ | ܓ݂ | ܕ݂ | ܟ݂ | ܦ݂ | ܬ݂ |
| ḇ | ḡ | ḏ | ḵ | p̄ | ṯ |
Nabataean Script
| Arabic | Jewish | Nabataean | Samaritan | Hebrew | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ʾ | ܐ | א | 𐡀 | ࠀ | 𐤀 | ܐܠܦ |
| b, ḇ | , ܒ݂ܒ݁ | ב | 𐡁 | ࠁ | 𐤁 | ܒܝܝܬ |
| g, ḡ | ܓ݁ | ג | 𐡂 | ࠂ | 𐤂 | |
| d, ḏ | ܕ݁ | ד | 𐡃 | ࠃ | 𐤃 | |
| h | ܗ | ה | 𐡄 | ࠄ | 𐤄 | |
| w | ܘ | ו | 𐡅 | ࠅ | 𐤅 | |
| z | ܙ | ז | 𐤆 | ࠆ | 𐡆 | |
| ḥ | ܚ | ח | 𐡇 | ࠇ | 𐤇 | |
| ṭ | ܛ | ט | 𐡈 | ࠈ | 𐤈 | |
| y | ܝ | י | 𐡉 | ࠉ | 𐤉 | |
| k, ḵ | ܟ݁ܟ݂ | כ, ך | 𐡊 | ࠊ | 𐤊 | |
| l | ܠ | ל | 𐡋 | ࠋ | 𐤋 | |
| m | ܡ | מ, ם | 𐡌 | ࠌ | 𐤌 | |
| n | ܢ | נ, ן | 𐡍 | ࠍ | 𐤍 | |
| s | ܣ | ס | 𐡎 | ࠎ | 𐤎 | |
| ʿ | ܥ | ע | 𐡏 | ࠏ | 𐤏 | |
| p, p̄ | ܦ݁ | פ, ף | 𐡐 | ࠐ | 𐤐 | |
| ṣ | ܨ | צ, ץ | 𐡑 | ࠑ | 𐤑 | |
| ḳ | ܩ | ק | 𐡒 | ࠒ | 𐤒 | |
| r | ܪ | ר | 𐡓 | ࠓ | 𐤓 | |
| š | ܫ | ש | 𐡔 | ࠔ | 𐤔 | |
| t, ṯ | ܬ݁ | ת | 𐡕 | ࠕ | 𐤕 |
The Letters
ܐܠܦܐ
/ʾalpā/
The first letter of the Syriac alphabet, from Aramaic ⟨אַלְפָּא⟩ /ʾalpā/, cf. Phoenician ⟨אָֽלֶף⟩/⟨𐤐𐤋𐤀⟩ /ʾā́lep̄/, ultimately from unattested Proto-Semitic (PS) /*alpu/. It is transliterated by /ʾ/ when vowelled. It’s shape derives from the Phoenician letter ⟨𐤀⟩, which representes the head of an ox, itself developed from the Egyptian hieroglyph ⟨𓃾⟩ ⟨kꜣ⟩ ‘bull.
Development
| Phoenician | Akkadian | Arabic | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| *ḏ > d | ܕ݁ܗܒ݂ܐ ⟨dahḇā⟩ | זָהָב ⟨zāhāḇ⟩ | ذَهَبٌ ⟨ḏahabun⟩ | gold | |
| *ṯ̣ > ṭ | ܛܠܠܐ ⟨ṭellālā⟩ | צֵל ⟨ṣēl⟩ | 𒄑𒈪 ⟨ṣillum⟩ | ظِلٌّ ⟨ẓillun⟩ | shade, shadow |
| *ṣ́ > ʿ | ܐܪܥܐ ⟨ʿarʿā⟩ | אָרֶץ ⟨ʿāreṣ⟩ | 𒆠 ⟨erṣetum⟩ | أَرْضٌ ⟨ʾarḍun⟩ | land |
| *ś >s | ܥܫܪ ⟨ʿsar⟩ | עשׂר ⟨ʿśr⟩ | 𒌋 ⟨ešeret⟩ | عَشْرٌ ⟨ʿašrun⟩ | ten |
| *ṯ > t | ܬ݁ܠܬ݂ ⟨tlāṯ⟩ | שלש ⟨šālôš⟩ | 𒐈 ⟨šalāšat⟩ | ثَلَاثٌ ⟨ṯalāṯ⟩ | three |
ܙܘܥܐ
(the vowels)
| ܡܥܪܒܝܐ Western | ܡܕܢܚܝܐ Eastern | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| pethatha | ـܱܰ ܦܬ݂ܳܚܳܐ | ܦܬ݂ܵܚܵܐ ـܲ | a |
| zekapha | ܪܒ݂ܳܨܳܐ ـܷܶ | ܙܩܵܦ݂ܵܐ ـܵ | ā |
| ـܸ ܙܠܡܐ ܦܫܝܩܐ | e | ||
| ܙܠܵܡܵܐ ܩܲܫܝܵܐ ـܹ | e | ||
| rebasa | ܪܒ݂ܳܨܳܐ ـܷܶ | ܪܒ݂ܵܨܵܐ ܘܼ | e |
| ܘܿ ܪܘܵܚܵܐ | o | ||
| habasa | ܚܒ݂ܳܨܳܐ ـܻܺ | ܚܒ݂ܵܨܵܐ ܝܼ | i |
| asasa | ܥܨܳܨܳܐ ـܾܽ | u |
The Vowels East Syriac
ܦܬ݂ܵܚܵܐ (pṯāḥā) [a] ـܲ
ܙܩܵܦ݂ܵܐ (zqāp̄ā) [ɑ] : ـܵ
ܪܒ݂ܵܨܵܐ ܐܲܪܝܼܟ݂ܵܐ ( rḇāṣā ʾărīḵā) or ܙܠܵܡܵܐ ܦܫܝܼܩܵܐ (zlāmā pšīqā) [ɛ~ɪ] : ـܸ
ܪܒ݂ܵܨܵܐ ܟܲܪܝܵܐ ( rḇāṣā karyā) or ܙܠܵܡܵܐ ܩܲܫܝܵܐ (zlāmā qašyā) [e]: ـܹ
ܥܨܵܨܵܐ ܐܲܠܝܼܨܵܐ (ʿṣāṣā ʾălīṣā) or ܪܒ݂ܵܨܵܐ (rḇāṣā) [u] : ܘܼ
ܥܨܵܨܵܐ rwīḥā (ʿṣāṣā ʾălīṣā) or ܪܘܵܚܵܐ (rwāḥā) [o] : ܘܿ
ܚܒ݂ܵܨܵܐ (ḥḇāṣā) [i] : ܝܼ
ܐܲܣܵܩܵܐ (ʾăsāqā) [e] : ـܹܝ
The vowel signs in Eastern Syriac
| pṯāḥā | ܦܬ݂ܵܚܵܐ | ـܲ | /a/ | pethaha |
| zqāp̄ā | ܙܩܵܦ݂ܵܐ | ـܵ | /ā/ | zekapha |
| rḇāṣā ʾărīḵā/zlāmā pšīqā | ܪܒ݂ܵܨܵܐ ܐܲܪܝܼܟ݂ܵܐ , ܙܠܵܡܵܐ ܦܫܝܼܩܵܐ | ـܸ | /e/ | rebasa aricha, zelama pesika |
| rḇāṣā karyā/zlāmā qašyā | ܪܒ݂ܵܨܵܐ ܟܲܪܝܵܐ, ܙܠܵܡܵܐ ܩܲܫܝܵܐ | ـܹ | /e/ | |
| ḥḇāṣā, yod ḥḇāṣā | ܚܒ݂ܵܨܵܐ | ܝܼ | /i/ | hebasa, yod habasa |
| rwīḥā, waw rwīḥā | ܥܨܵܨܵܐ | ܘܿ | /o/ | rewiha, waw rewiha |
| waw ʾălīṣā, | ܥܨܵܨܵܐ | ܘܼ | /u/ | waw allisa |
The vowel signs in Western Syriac
| pṯāḥā | ܦܬ݂ܳܚܳܐ | ـܱܰ | Α | /a/ | pethaha |
| zqāp̄ā | ܙܩܳܦ݂ܳܐ | ـܴܳ | α | /ā/ | zekapha |
| rḇāṣā | ܪܒ݂ܳܨܳܐ | ـܷܶ | ε | /e/ | rebasa |
| ḥḇāṣā | ܚܒ݂ܳܨܳܐ | ـܻܺ | Η | /i/ | habasa |
| ʿṣāṣā | ܥܨܳܨܳܐ | ـܾܽ | ΟΥ | /o/ | asasa |
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