Syriac alphabet

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Syriac alphabet
Type:	Abjad
Languages:	Syriac, Aramaic, Arabic (Garshuni)
Time period:	~200 B.C. to the present
Parent writing systems:	Proto-Canaanite alphabet Phoenician alphabet Aramaic alphabet Syriac alphabet
Child writing systems:	Sogdian → Old Hungarian → Mongolian Nabataean → Arabic Georgian (disputed)
ISO 15924 code:	`Syrc`
Image:Syriac Estrangelo.PNG
Note: This page may contain IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. See IPA chart for English for an English-based pronunciation key.

Note: This article contains special characters.

The Syriac alphabet is a writing system used to write the Syriac language from around the 2nd century BC. It is one of the Semitic abjads directly descending from the Proto-Canaanite alphabet.

1 General remarks
2 Forms of the Syriac alphabet
3 Short table
4 Letters of the Syriac alphabet
- 4.1 Ligatures
5 Syriac in Unicode
6 HTML code table
- 6.1 Alaph Bet
- 6.2 Vowels and unique characters
7 See also
8 External links

[edit] General remarks

Syriac is written from right to left. It is a cursive (joined-up) script, where some, but not all, letters connect within a word. The alphabet consists of 22 letters, all of which are consonants. The vowel sounds are supplied by the reader's memory or by pointing (a system of diacritical marks to indicate the correct reading).

Syriac alphabet
	ܐ	ܒ	ܓ	ܕ
ܗ	ܘ	ܙ	ܚ	ܛ	ܝ
ܟܟ	ܠ	ܡܡ	ܢܢ	ܣ	ܥ
ܦ	ܨ	ܩ	ܪ	ܫ	ܬ

In fact, three letters act as matres lectionis: rather than being a consonant, they indicate a vowel. ’Ālaph (ܐ), the first letter, represents a glottal stop, but it can also indicate a vowel at the beginning or the end of a word. The letter Waw (ܘ) is the consonant w, but can also represent the vowels o and u. Likewise, the letter Yōdh (ܝ) represents the consonant y, but it also stands for the vowels i and e.

In addition to the sounds of the language, the letters of the Syriac alphabet can be used to represent numbers in a system similar to Hebrew and Greek numerals.

[edit] Forms of the Syriac alphabet

History of the Alphabet
Middle Bronze Age 19–15th c. BC Canaanite-Phoenician 14th c. BC Paleo-Hebrew 10th c. BC Aramaic 9th c. BC Brāhmī & Indic 6th c. BC Tibetan 7th c. Khmer/Javanese 9th c. Hebrew 3rd c. BC Syriac 2nd c. BC Nabatean 2nd c. BC Arabic 4th c. Avestan 4th to 6th c. Greek 9th c. BC Etruscan 8th c. BC Latin 7th c. BC Runes 2nd c. Ogham 4th c. Gothic 4th c. Armenian 405 Glagolitic 862 Cyrillic 10th c. Samaritan 6th c. BC Iberian 6th c. BC Epigraphic South Arabian 9th c. BC Ge'ez 5–6th c. BC
Meroitic 3rd c. BC
Complete genealogy

History of the Alphabet

Middle Bronze Age 19–15th c. BC

Canaanite-Phoenician 14th c. BC
- Paleo-Hebrew 10th c. BC
- Aramaic 9th c. BC
  - Brāhmī & Indic 6th c. BC
    - Tibetan 7th c.
    - Khmer/Javanese 9th c.
  - Hebrew 3rd c. BC
  - Syriac 2nd c. BC
    - Nabatean 2nd c. BC
      - Arabic 4th c.
  - Avestan 4th to 6th c.
- Greek 9th c. BC
  - Etruscan 8th c. BC
    - Latin 7th c. BC
    - Runes 2nd c.
    - Ogham 4th c.
  - Gothic 4th c.
  - Armenian 405
  - Glagolitic 862
  - Cyrillic 10th c.
- Samaritan 6th c. BC
- Iberian 6th c. BC
Epigraphic South Arabian 9th c. BC
- Ge'ez 5–6th c. BC

Meroitic 3rd c. BC

Complete genealogy

There are three major variations of the Syriac alphabet. The oldest and classical form of the alphabet is Esṭrangelā (ܐܣܛܪܢܓܠܐ; the name is derived from the Greek description στρογγυλη, strongylē, 'rounded'). Although Estrangelā is no longer used as the main script for writing Syriac, it has received a bit of a revival. It is often used in scholarly publications (for instance, the Leiden University version of the Peshitta), in titles and inscriptions.

The West Syriac dialect is usually written in the Serṭā (ܣܪܛܐ 'line') form of the alphabet, also known as the Maronite or the Jacobite script (although the term Jacobite is considered derogatory). Most of the letters are clearly derived from Estrangelā, but are simplified, flowing lines. The Nabatean alphabet (which gave rise to the Arabic alphabet) was based on this form of Syriac handwriting. The Western script is usually vowel-pointed with miniature Greek vowel letters above or below the letter which they follow:

Α (capital alpha) represents a (ܦܬܚܐ, 'Pṯāḥā'),
α (lowercase alpha) represents ā (ܙܩܦܐ, 'Zqāp̄ā'; pronounced as an o in the West Syriac dialect),
ε (lowercase epsilon) represents both e and ē (ܪܒܨܐ, 'Rḇāṣā'),
Ι (capital iota) represents ī (ܚܒܨܐ, 'Ḥḇāṣā),
and a combined symbol of Υ (capital upsilon) and ο (lowercase omicron) represents ū (ܥܨܨܐ, '‘Ṣāṣā').

The East Syriac dialect is usually written in the Madnḥāyā (ܡܕܢܚܝܐ 'Eastern') form of the alphabet. Other names for the script include 'Assyrian' (not to be confused with the traditional name for the Hebrew alphabet), Chaldean, and, inaccurately, 'Nestorian', a term that was originally used to disparage Christians living in the Persian Empire. The Eastern script resembles Estrangelā more closely than the Western script. The Eastern script uses a system of dots above or below letters, based on an older system, to indicate vowels: Image:Syriac Sertâ book script.jpg

A dot above and a dot below a letter represent a (ܦܬܚܐ, 'Pṯāḥā'),
Two diagonally-placed dots above a letter represent ā (ܙܩܦܐ, 'Zqāp̄ā'),
Two horizontally-placed dots below a letter represent e (ܙܠܡܐ ܦܫܝܩܐ, 'Zlāmā pšīqā'; often pronounced i;; in the East Syriac dialect),
Two diagonally-placed dots below a letter represent ē (ܙܠܡܐ ܩܫܝܐ, 'Zlāmā qašyā'),
A letter 'Yōdh' with a dot beneath it represents ī (ܚܒܨܐ, 'Ḥḇāṣā'),
A letter 'Waw' with a dot below it represents ū (ܥܨܨܐ ܐܠܝܨܐ, '‘Ṣāṣā allīṣā'),
A letter 'Waw' with a dot above it represents ō (ܥܨܨܐ ܪܘܝܚܐ, '‘Ṣāṣā rwīḥā').

When Arabic began to be the dominant spoken language in the Fertile Crescent, texts were often written in Arabic with the Syriac script. These writings are usually called Karshuni or Garshuni.

[edit] Short table

The Syriac alphabet consists of the following letters. Some letters have a different form used at the ends of words: these are shown in the table below the normal form. (Note that the table arranges the letters in order from left to right).

Ālaph	Bēth	Gāmal	Dāleth	Hē	Waw	Zain	Ḥēth	Ṭēth	Yōdh	Kāph
ܐ	ܒ	ܓ	ܕ	ܗ	ܘ	ܙ	ܚ	ܛ	ܝ	ܟܟ
										ܟ
Lāmadh	Mīm	Nūn	Semkath	‘Ē	Pē	Ṣādhē	Qōph	Rēsh	Shīn	Taw
ܠ	ܡܡ	ܢܢ	ܣ	ܥ	ܦ	ܨ	ܩ	ܪ	ܫ	ܬ
	ܡ	ܢ

[edit] Letters of the Syriac alphabet

Letter	Esṭrangelā (classical)			Madnḥāyā (eastern)			Unicode character	Pronunciation
Letter	Normal form	Final connected	Final unconnected	Normal form	Final connected	Final unconnected	Unicode character	Pronunciation
’Ālap̄				Image:SyriacAlaph.png	Image:SyriacAlaph2.png		ܐ	ʔ (glottal stop) or silent
Bēṯ				Image:SyriacBeth.png	Image:SyriacBeth2.png		ܒ	hard: b (voiced bilabial plosive) soft: v (voiced labiodental fricative) or w (labial-velar approximant)
Gāmal				Image:SyriacGamal.png	Image:SyriacGamal2.png		ܓ	hard: g (voiced velar plosive) soft: ɣ (voiced velar fricative)
Dālaṯ				Image:SyriacDalath.png			ܕ	hard: d (voiced alveolar plosive) soft: ð (voiced dental fricative)
Hē				Image:SyriacHe.png			ܗ	h (voiceless glottal fricative)
Waw				Image:SyriacWaw.png			ܘ	>consonant: w (labial-velar approximant) mater lectionis: u (close back rounded vowel) or o (close-mid back rounded vowel)
Zain				Image:SyriacZayn.png			ܙ	z (voiced alveolar fricative)
Ḥēṯ				Image:SyriacKheth.png	Image:SyriacKheth2.png		ܚ	ħ (voiceless pharyngeal fricative) or x (voiceless velar fricative)
Ṭēṯ				Image:SyriacTeth.png	Image:SyriacTeth2.png		ܛ	tˁ (pharyngealized voiceless alveolar plosive)
Yōḏ				Image:SyriacYodh.png	Image:SyriacYodh2.png		ܝ	consonant: j (voiced palatal approximant) mater lectionis: i (close front unrounded vowel) or e (close-mid front unrounded vowel)
Kāp̄				Image:SyriacKaph.png	Image:SyriacKaph2.png	Image:SyriacKaph3.png	ܟ	hard: k (voiceless velar plosive) soft: x (voiceless velar fricative)
Lāmaḏ				Image:SyriacLamadh.png	Image:SyriacLamadh2.png		ܠ	l (alveolar lateral approximant)
Mīm				Image:SyriacMeem.png	Image:SyriacMeem2.png		ܡ	m (bilabial nasal)
Nūn				Image:SyriacNun.png	Image:SyriacNun2.png	Image:SyriacNun3.png	ܢ	n (alveolar nasal)
Semkaṯ				Image:SyriacSimkath.png	Image:SyriacSimkath2.png / Image:SyriacSimkath3.png		ܣ / ܤ	s (voiceless alveolar fricative)
‘Ē				Image:Syriac'E.png	Image:Syriac'E2.png		ܥ	ʕ (voiced pharyngeal fricative)
Pē				Image:SyriacPe.png	Image:SyriacPe2.png		ܦ	hard: p (voiceless bilabial plosive) soft: f (voiceless labiodental fricative) or w (labial-velar approximant)
Ṣāḏē				Image:SyriacSadhe.png			ܨ	sˁ (pharyngealized voiceless alveolar fricative)
Qōp̄				Image:SyriacQop.png	Image:SyriacQop2.png		ܩ	q (voiceless uvular plosive)
Rēš				Image:SyriacResh.png			ܪ	r (alveolar trill)
Šīn				Image:SyriacSheen.png	Image:SyriacSheen2.png		ܫ	ʃ (voiceless postalveolar fricative)
Taw				Image:SyriacTaw.png			ܬ	hard: t (voiceless alveolar plosive) soft: θ (voiceless dental fricative)

[edit] Ligatures

Name	Esṭrangelā (classical)			Madnḥāyā (eastern)			Unicode character	Description
Name	Normal form	Final connected	Final unconnected	Normal form	Final connected	Final unconnected	Unicode character	Description
				Image:SyriacLamadhAlaph3.png				Lāmaḏ and 'Ālaf combined at end of word
				Image:SyriacAlaph.png Image:SyriacTaw.png	Image:SyriacTawAlaph.png	Image:SyriacTawAlaph2.png / Image:SyriacTawAlaph3.png		Taw and 'Ālaf combined at end of word
				Image:SyriacHeYodh.png				Hē and Yōḏ combined at end of word