View source for Chaldean Neo-Aramaic

{{Infobox language
|name=Chaldean Language
|nativename=<span dir="rtl">ܟܠܕܝܐ</span> ''Kaldāyâ'', <span dir="rtl">ܣܘܼܪܲܝܬ</span>&nbsp;''Sōreth''
|pronunciation={{IPA-sem|kalˈdɑjɑ], [sorɛθ|}}
|image= Sureth.png
|imagecaption= '''Sûret''' in written Syriac <br>(Madnkhaya script)
|imagesize=150px
|states=[[Iraq]], [[Iran]], [[Turkey]], [[Syria]]
|region=[[Iraq]]; [[Mosul]], [[Ninawa]],  also [[Baghdad]] and [[Basra]].
|speakers=3,100,000
|date=no date
|ref=e18
|speakers2=(300,000 in Iraq in 2015)
|familycolor=Afro-Asiatic
|fam2=[[Semitic languages|Semitic]]
|fam3=[[Central Semitic languages|Central Semitic]]
|fam4=[[Northwest Semitic languages|Northwest Semitic]]
|fam5=[[Aramaic language|Aramaic]]
|fam6=[[Eastern Aramaic languages|Eastern Aramaic]]
|fam7=[[Northeastern Neo-Aramaic|Northeastern]]
|script=[[Syriac alphabet|Syriac]] (Madenhaya alphabet)
|iso3=cld
|glotto=chal1275
|glottorefname=Chaldean Neo-Aramaic
}}
'''Chaldean Neo-Aramaic''' is a [[Northeastern Neo-Aramaic]] language<ref>[[Arthur John Maclean|Maclean, Arthur John]] (1895). ''Grammar of the dialects of vernacular Syriac: as spoken by the Eastern Syrians of Kurdistan, north-west Persia, and the Plain of Mosul: with notices of the vernacular of the Jews of Azerbaijan and of Zakhu near Mosul''. Cambridge University Press, London.</ref> spoken throughout a large region stretching from the plain of [[Urmia]], in northwestern Iran, to the [[Nineveh plains]], in northern Iraq, together with parts of southeastern Turkey.<ref>Beyer, Klaus; John F. Healey (trans.) (1986). The Aramaic Language: its distribution and subdivisions. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck und Ruprecht. p. 44. ISBN 3-525-53573-2.</ref>

As of the 1990s, the NENA group had an estimated number of speakers just below 1,500,000, spread throughout the Middle East and the Chaldean diaspora. More than 90% of these speak either the Chaldean Neo-Aramaic or Chaldean Neo-Aramaic variety, two varieties of Christian Neo-Aramaic or ''Sureth'' which, contrary to what their names suggest, are ''not'' divided among denominational Chaldean church/Chaldean church lines.<ref>Nordhoff, Sebastian; Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin, eds. (2013). "Northeastern Neo-Aramaic". Glottolog 2.2. Leipzig: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.</ref><ref>Blench, 2006. The Afro-Asiatic Languages: Classification and Reference List</ref><ref>Khan 2008, pp. 6</ref> A further number speak [[Central Neo-Aramaic]] dialects, with figures for these ranging from 112,000 to 450,000 speakers.<ref>Turoyo at Ethnologue (17th ed., 2013)</ref> Mutual intelligibility with Chaldean Neo-Aramaic and Chaldean Neo-Aramaic is considerable, but to a limited degree in some dialects.

It is extremely [[mutual intelligibility|closely related]] to [[Chaldean Neo-Aramaic]], both evolving from the same [[Aramaic language]], a distinct dialect which evolved in [[Mesopotamia]]<ref>Khan 2008, pp. 6</ref> between the 5th century BC and 1st century AD. The terms ''Syrian'' and thus ''Syriac'' were originally 9th century BC [[Indo-Anatolian]] .<ref>Tekoglu, R. & Lemaire, A. (2000). La bilingue royale louvito-phénicienne de Çineköy. Comptes rendus de l’Académie des inscriptions, et belleslettres, année 2000, 960-1006.</ref>

Despite the terms ''Chaldean Neo-Aramaic'' indicating a separate religious or even ethnic identity, both languages and their native speakers originate from and are indigenous to the same [[Upper Mesopotamia]]n region (between the 9th century BC and 7th century BC), and both originate directly from Aramaic, which was founded in that same region near Syria and Palestine.

== History ==
The Syriac language in turn, had evolved from [[Imperial Chaldean]], an [[Akkadian language|Akkadian]] infused dialect introduced as the [[lingua franca]] of Chaldea and the [[Neo-Babylonian Empire]] by [[Chaldean Kings]] in the 10th century BC. The term ''Syrian'' and thus its derivative ''Syriac'', had originally been 9th century BC [[Indo-Anatolian]] and [[Greek language|Greek]] corruptions of ''Nenivah".<ref>Rollinger, Robert (2006). "The terms "" (PDF). Journal of Near Eastern Studies 65 (4): 284–287. doi:10.1086/511103.</ref>

Chaldean Language is one or original languages also called the [[Babylonian language]] spoken by the [[Chaldean people]], native to the northern region of [[Iraq]] from [[Kirkuk]] through the [[Nineveh plains]], [[Irbil]] and [[Mosul]] to [[Dohuk]], [[Urmia]] in northwestern [[Iran]], northeastern [[Syria]] (particularly the [[Al Hasakah]] region) and in southeast [[Turkey]], particularly [[Hakkari]], [[Bohtan]], [[Harran]], [[Tur Abdin]], [[Mardin]] and [[Diyarbakir]]. The [[Chaldean Christian]] dialects have been heavily influenced by  [[Classical Babylonian]], the literary language of the [[Chaldean Church]] and Church of the EAST [[Christianity]] in antiquity.

Therefore, Christian Neo-Aramaic has a dual heritage: literary [[Chaldean]] and colloquial [[Chaldean]] [[Eastern Aramaic]]. The closely related dialects are often collectively called ''Soureth'', or ''Syriac ''in [[Iraqi Arabic]] which is inaccurate naming.

[[Jews]], [[Mandeans]] and [[Syriac]]-[[Aramean]] Christians speak different dialects of Aramaic that are often mutually unintelligible.

==Dialects==
Chaldean Neo-Aramaic and Soureth are dialects originating in the [[Nineveh Plains]] and [[Upper Mesopotamia]]{{citation needed|date=March 2015}}, a region which was an integral part of ancient Chaldea between the 9th century BC and 7th century BC. They have a number of identifiable dialects, each corresponding to one of the Chaldo-Chaldean Christian villages where the language is spoken. The village/dialects are: [[Ankawa]], [[Alqosh]], [[Aqrah]], Mangesh, [[Tel Kaif|Tel Keppe]], [[Bakhdida|Baghdeda]], [[Tel Skuf]], [[Baqofah]], [[Batnaya]], [[Bartella]], Sirnak-Cizre (Bohtan), [[Araden]] and [[Duhok, Iraq|Dahuk]]. {{citation needed|date=March 2015}}

==Phonology==

===Consonants===
{|class="wikitable"
|+ Table of Chaldean Neo-Aramaic consonant phonemes
|-
! rowspan=2 colspan=2|
! rowspan=2 colspan=2|[[Labial consonant|Labial]]
! colspan=4|[[Dental consonant|Dental]]/<br>[[Alveolar consonant|Alveolar]]
! rowspan=2 colspan=2|[[Palatal consonant|Palatal]] 
! rowspan=2 colspan=2|[[Velar consonant|Velar]]
! rowspan=2 colspan=2|[[Uvular consonant|Uvular]]
! rowspan=2 colspan=2|[[Pharyngeal consonant|Pharyngeal]]
! rowspan=2 colspan=2|[[Glottal consonant|Glottal]]
|-
! colspan=2|<small>plain</small> || colspan=2|<small>[[pharyngealization|emphatic]]</small>
|- align=center
! colspan="2" | [[Nasal consonant|Nasal]]
| style="border-right: 0;" | || style="border-left: 0;" | {{IPA|m}}
| style="border-right: 0;" | ||style="border-left: 0;" | {{IPA|n}}
| colspan=2|
| colspan=2|
| colspan=2|
| colspan=2|
| colspan=2|
| colspan=2|
|- align=center
! colspan="2" | [[Plosive consonant|Plosive]]
| style="border-right: 0;" | || style="border-left: 0;" | {{IPA|b}}
| colspan=2|
| style="border-right: 0;" | {{IPA|tˤ}} || style="border-left: 0;" |
| colspan=2|
| style="border-right: 0;" | {{IPA|k}} || style="border-left: 0;" | {{IPA|ɡ}}
| style="border-right: 0;" | {{IPA|q}} || style="border-left: 0;" |
| colspan=2|
| style="border-right: 0;" | {{IPA|ʔ}} || style="border-left: 0;" |
|- align=center
! rowspan="2" | [[Fricative consonant|Fricative]]
! <small>[[sibilant]]</small>
| colspan=2|
| style="border-right: 0;" | {{IPA|s}} || style="border-left: 0;" | {{IPA|z}}
| style="border-right: 0;" | {{IPA|sˤ}} || style="border-left: 0;" |
| style="border-right: 0;" | {{IPA|ʃ}} || style="border-left: 0;" |
| colspan=2|
| colspan=2|
| colspan=2|
|- align=center
! <small>non-sibilant</small>
| style="border-right: 0;" | {{IPA|f}} || style="border-left: 0;" |
| style="border-right: 0;" | {{IPA|θ}} || style="border-left: 0;" | {{IPA|ð}}
| colspan=2|
| colspan=2|
| style="border-right: 0;" | {{IPA|x}} || style="border-left: 0;" | {{IPA|ɣ}}
| colspan=2|
| style="border-right: 0;" | {{IPA|ħ}} || style="border-left: 0;" | {{IPA|ʕ}}
| style="border-right: 0;" | {{IPA|h}} || style="border-left: 0;" |
|- align=center
! colspan="2" | [[Approximant consonant|Approximant]]
| style="border-right: 0;" | || style="border-left: 0;" | {{IPA|w}}
| style="border-right: 0;" | || style="border-left: 0;" | {{IPA|l}}
| colspan=2|
| style="border-right: 0;" | || style="border-left: 0;" | {{IPA|j}}
| colspan=2|
| colspan=2|
| colspan=2|
| colspan=2|
|- align=center
! colspan="2" | [[Rhotic consonant|Rhotic]]
| colspan=2|
| style="border-right: 0;" | || style="border-left: 0;" | {{IPA|r}}
| colspan=2|
| colspan=2|
| colspan=2|
| colspan=2|
| colspan=2|
| colspan=2|
|}

*Most of the Chaldean dialects are characterised by the presence of the fricatives {{IPA|/θ/}} (''th'') and {{IPA|/ð/}} (''dh''), which correspond to, respectively, {{IPA|/t/}} and {{IPA|/d/}} in other Chaldean dialects.

*Most Chaldean Neo-Aramaic varieties would use the phoneme of {{IPA|/f/}}, which corresponds to {{IPA|/p/}} in Chaldean Neo-Aramaic (besides the Tyari dialect).

*In some Chaldean dialects {{IPA|/r/}} is realized as {{IPAblink|ɹ}}. In others, it's either a [[Tap consonant|tap]] {{IPAblink|ɾ}} or a [[Trill consonant|trill]] {{IPAblink|r}}.

*Unlike in Chaldean Neo-Aramaic, the [[guttural]] sounds of {{IPAblink|ʕ}} and {{IPAblink|ħ}} are used predominantly in Chaldean varieties - this is a feature also seen in other [[Northeastern Neo-Aramaic]] languages.<ref>*Beyer, Klaus (1986). ''The Aramaic language: its distribution and subdivisions''. Göttingen: Vandenhoeck und Ruprecht. ISBN 3-525-53573-2.</ref>

===Vowels===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center"
|-
!
! Front
! Central
! Back
|-
! Close
| {{IPA link|i}}
|
|
|-
|-
! Mid
| {{IPA link|ɛ}}
| {{IPA link|ə}}
| {{IPA link|ɔ}}
|-
! Open
|
| {{IPA link|ä|a}}
| {{IPA link|ɑ}}
|}

==Script==
Chaldean Neo-Aramaic is written in the ''Madenhaya'' version of the [[Syriac alphabet]], which is also used for classical Syriac. The ''School of Alqosh'' produced religious poetry in the colloquial Neo-Aramaic rather than classical Syriac in the 17th century prior to the founding of the Chaldean Catholic Church and the naming of the dialect as ''Chaldean Neo-Aramaic'', and the Dominican Press in [[Mosul]] has produced a number of books in the language.

==See also==
*[[Aramaic language]]
*[[Eastern Aramaic languages]]
*[[Chaldean language]]
*[[Chaldean Neo-Aramaic]]
*[[Chaldean Catholic Church]]
*[[Syriac Orthodox Church]]
*[[Syriac Christianity]]
*[[Syriac alphabet]]
*[[Terms for Syriac Christians]]
*[[Name of Syria]]
*[[Chaldea]]
*[[Babylonia]]

== Notes ==
{{Reflist}}

== References ==
* [[Wolfhart Heinrichs|Heinrichs, Wolfhart]] (ed.) (1990). ''Studies in Neo-Aramaic''. Scholars Press: Atlanta, Georgia. ISBN 1-55540-430-8.
* [[Arthur John Maclean|Maclean, Arthur John]] (1895). ''Grammar of the dialects of vernacular Syriac: as spoken by the Eastern Syrians of Kurdistan, north-west Persia, and the Plain of Mosul: with notices of the vernacular of the Jews of Azerbaijan and of Zakhu near Mosul''. Cambridge University Press, London.

==External links==
* [http://www.omniglot.com/writing/chaldeanneoaramaic.htm Eastern Syriac script for Chaldean Neo-Aramaic] at ''Omniglot''
* [http://semarch.uni-hd.de/dokumentgruppen.php4?ST_ID=5&DT_ID=42 Semitisches Tonarchiv: Dokumentgruppe "Aramäisch/Neuostaramäisch (christl.)" (text in German)].

{{Neo-Aramaic}}

[[Category:Neo-Aramaic languages]]
[[Category:Languages of Iraq]]
[[Category:Languages of Turkey]]
[[Category:Endangered Afro-Asiatic languages]]