Assyrian Neo-Aramaic

The Assyrian Neo-Aramaic Language

Not to be confused with Aramaic, a non Assyrian dialect.

Assyrian Neo-Aramaic (Also called Chaldean Neo-Aramaic or Sureth) is a Semitic language that’s been spoken for more than 2,800 years, mostly spoken by the Chaldean Catholics and Assyrians, located in northern Iraq. In Iraq, the language is mainly spoken in the Nineveh Plains and the cities around Mosul, Duhok, Ankawa, Aqrah, Mangesh, Tel Keipeh, Baghdeda, Tel Skuf, Baqofah, Batnaya, Bartella, Sirnak-Cizre (Bohtan), Arbil, Kirkuk, Araden, Barwari, Alqosh and many more Iraqi villages in the north with each village where the language is spoken having their own dialect. It is widely disputed as one of the oldest languages spoken in the modern Neo-Aramaic period (911–609 B.C.). The writing system used by most Semitic languages during the modern Neo-Aramaic period was the cuneiform writing system (Clay tablets) which was in use from the beginning and to about 750 B.C. Assyrian Neo-Aramaic, part of the Semitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic family, is spoken by approximately 220,000 people in Iraq, Syria, Turkey, and the Assyrian diaspora. It is a vital language for the cultural and religious identity of the Assyrian people.