To me, it depends. When I want to boast about speaking the language Jesus spoke, or when I’m discussing it in a religious context, I’ll say that I speak modern Aramaic.

But normally, I just say that I speak Assyrian. If someone asks more about it, I explain that it’s a modern dialect of Aramaic.

Shlama everyone,

I'm learning Assyrian as an adult. I wanted to create a free resource that could help people learn the way I enjoy learning. So I started making an app. You can use it at the link below. It works on phones, ipads, and larger screens too.

https://alapbet.dmartuk.com

Please treat the app as a work in progress. I'm a learner, and as I learn more I will update the app to improve it.

What it does

• Covers all 22 letters in the Eastern script, then the vowels, then the softened letters and special marks.
• Each letter has several learning activities. Learn how the letter works, find it inside real words, trace it with your finger, and record yourself saying it
• What's missing is audio right now. I'm not a native speaker, so I didn't add this to the app yet.

Requests for feedback

1. If you see a wrong spelling, a wrong vowel or a bad example word, please let me know so I can fix it.
2. "Show me" on the app draws each letter stroke by stroke. If you were taught to write a letter differently, which ones?
3. Would any native speaker be willing to record the 22 letter names? It takes about ten minutes on a phone, and it would switch on the listening part for everyone. I'm happy to compensate you for your time, too.

Thank you so much, everyone!

why do we have so many dialects ? like, literally every single village in the nineveh plains has a slightly diffrent dialect, like i could swear to god i can tell the diffrence between a telkepnaya and an alqoshnaya's dialect even though they live like 30 kilometers apart. i dont know much about the dialects of non-chaldean assyrians but from the songs i listen to i can also tell a diffrence between urmian and idk nuhadra/zakho. is it because we dont have like a standardized school system to teach kids so every village basically develops independantly ?

and, why the hell does nobody take interest in the history of the language itself? ive seen friends asked "what language do you speak" by arabs or others only for them to reply with "christian"

many people dont know what we speak. even on the internet i see people constantly arguing that its simply assyrian and not related to aramaic. like, dude, its a north eastern neo aramaic dialect, get it right

Does anyone know Assyrians from Iraq say words with “th” and Assyrians from Iran say “t”. Which one did we originally say? And what caused this difference?

For example, the word for sweet is khleta in Irani Assyrian and khletha in Iraqi Assyrian.

This is a question I’ve had for a while and just felt dumb to ask anyone in person as I never learned to read/write Assyrian. What does the writing above the altar say in our churches? Specifically asking for the writing in St Andrew’s in Chicagoland

Basima!

Im Assyrian. I was born and raised in America and was only really taught English and Assyrian growing up. As far as I know, most other Assyrians in my area are the same way.

Im wondering was it the same for you guys?

Personally, I actually hate the fact that my parents did teach me Arabic (on top of Assyrian ofc) growing up. I've always really been into history, linguistics, and hearing opinions from people who live in another country or have a different culture. Other than that, I think it's just a huge disadvantage to not be taught Arabic given the sheer amount of speakers it has just because you have some weird nationalistic pride/beef.

I even tried learning Arabic on my own for a year. People around me were actually kinda supportive of this idea, but no one really wanted to practice with me. I eventually just gave up and moved on to learning another language middle eastern that isn't even from the middle east.

Some may argue that I can learn it on my own; however, I don't think that it's the same as learning it growing up. Do you guys have the same outlook on things?

Also, I'm not saying that one language is better than the other. Nor am I saying that my parents should have only taught me Arabic. I know we got the tendency to be a little defensive so keep the responses civil please.

Are there any rules that govern which gender to use when speaking? This is something I've struggled with my entire life.

Examples:

You'll put one over there.

• When talking to a female: matwaht kha tamah.
• When talking to a male: matweht kha tamah.

This boy/girl.

• When talking about the boy: awa yallah.
• When talking about the girl: aya bratah.

This light.

• Female: aya birqah
• Male: awa birqah

I assume the first two examples are correct since the targets of the conversation have a gender, but what about the last example? It's an inanimate object with no gender, so how do I refer to it? "aya" or "awa"?

Are there any other situations where the rules might differ?

Hey guys i wondered about the word "Orzo". I heard that it means "tomboy" in assyrian and is short for "urzambook" and that it has a connection to the word "Urza", which means male. Is this true?

There is another similar word tho: "Arzo", which means cedarwood. Could "Arzo" also be pronounced "Orzo" depending on the dialect?

Hi, I am from an Assyrian family that got Arabised. Syriac in our branch of the family has been lost (I have extended family that I barely see that speak at least some of the language but yeah..)

I think that's a shame and I am thinking about learning the language, but I don't know where to start. I know this might be taboo for some people here but I haven't been religious in a very long time and I think I am interested in the Classical version, but I don't know.

The thing is, so far I did teach myself Garshuni but only in the Estrangelo Script because I prefer it out of the big three (Although the more obscure Melkite script seems interesting).

Do you guys recommend that I learn the language? The only reasons why I ask and there's reluctance is because of my atheism and the fact that I have no one else to speak it with.

I like languages and I am learning French and Esperanto right now and it kind of feels like I'm taking the piss by learning a literal constructed language over my ancestral one, it feels wrong, so I am coming to you for advice. Thank you!

Hey guys. I'm a Syrian myself and I LOVE the assyrian script (letters).

When I looked into the language, I got a bit lost.

What is the dialect that is spoken in Syria? Does Syria have multiple Assyrian dialects? Or Aramaic dialects?

I want to learn the letters and how to write in assyrian, maybe learn a few phrases on the way.

I met the teacher for these classes during the Assyrian National Conference in Chicago. I will be doing these classes as well. Here is the link if people are interested:

https://sureth.org/sureth-online-course/

Just curious if anyone has used it. It seems the most polished app out there. Wondering if people have used it & whats their experience. Thanks in advance

Hello I come from switzerland and I speak German, I am very interested in the Assyrian history and culture so now I would like to learn sureth which dialect should I learn ? and what tools could I use?

Akkadian:

Father — Abu

Mother — Ummu

Earth — Ersitu

Water — Mū

Dog — Kalbu

House — Bitu

Tree — İşu

I'm iraqi and I'm really interested in learning this beautiful language, I started learning the alphabet, but I can't find enough resources to learn anything else. any help is appreciated!

No major question, just what the title is asking. I would like to know how many of yall lnow how to read either script. I am also wondering which script is better to learn.

Syriac is the main script used by assyrians in real life however imperial aramaic is much better for texting online sinces its the only script available on keyboard.

Shlama friends! I am looking for romantic, cute, lovely sayings to write for Valentines day. I would appreciate any input. This would be for a man saying to a woman. If there are any popular sayings, please share.

I had one idea to write “i love you forever” & i know I love you is “Ana ki makhibinakh”, but i dont know how to say forever. Can you help me out with that one?

Hello to all Chaldean and Assyrian friends, and to anyone familiar with their languages.

What does "قوماخا" mean?

In English, the "neutral" accent is often associated with the upper-class accent of southern England, particularly Received Pronunciation (RP), and is traditionally regarded as a prestigious variety of the language.

What is the equivalent in Assyrian Neo-Aramaic? Is there a particular accent or dialect that is considered neutral or prestigious? Also, what accent do Assyrian singers generally adopt when they sing?