Syriac alphabet

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Template:SpecialCharsNote Image:Serto.jpg

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
5 Syriac in Unicode
6 HTML code table
- 6.1 Alaph Bet
- 6.2 Vowels and Unique Characters
7 See also
8 External links

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General remarks

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

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Forms of the Syriac alphabet

Template:Alphabet There are three major variations of the Syriac alphabet. The oldest and classical form of the alphabet is Estrangelā (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 Sertā ('line') form of the alphabet, also known as the Maronite or the Jacobite script. Most of the letters are obviously derived from Estrangelā, but are simplified, flowing lines. The Arabic alphabet was based on the Nabatean alphabet, which 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, α (lowercase alpha) represents ā (pronounced as an o), ε (lowercase epsilon) represents e and ē, Ι (capital iota) represents ī, and a combined symbol of Υ (capital upsilon) and ο (lowercase omicron) represents ū.

The East Syriac dialect is usually written in the Madnhāyā ('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 to indicate vowels.

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.

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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.

Aleph	Beth	Gamal	Daleth	He	Waw	Zayin	Heth	Teth	Yodh	Kaph
ܐ ܐ	ܒ ܒ	ܓ ܓ	ܕ ܕ	ܗ ܗ	ܘ ܘ	ܙ ܙ	ܚ ܚ	ܛ ܛ	ܝ ܝ	ܟܟ ܟܟ
										ܟ ܟ
Lamedh	Mem	Nun	Simketh	Ayin	Pe	Sadhe	Qoph	Resh	Shin	Taw
ܠ ܠ	ܡܡ ܡܡ	ܢܢ ܢܢ	ܣ ܣ	ܥ ܥ	ܦ ܦ	ܨ ܨ	ܩ ܩ	ܪ ܪ	ܫ ܫ	ܬ ܬ
	ܡ ܡ	ܢ ܢ

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Letters of the Syriac alphabet

Letter	Estrangelā (classical)			Madnhāyā (eastern)			Unicode character	Pronunciation
Letter	Normal form	Final connected	Final unconnected	Normal form	Final connected	Final unconnected	Unicode character	Pronunciation
’Ālaf	Image:Aramaic alap.png			Image:SyriacAlaph.png	Image:SyriacAlaph2.png		ܐ	ʔ (glottal stop) or silent
Bēṯ	Image:Aramaic beth.png	Image:Aramaic beth c.png		Image:SyriacBeth.png	Image:SyriacBeth2.png		ܒ	hard: b (voiced bilabial plosive) soft: v (voiced labiodental fricative) or w (labial-velar approximant)
Gāmal	Image:Aramaic gamal.png	Image:Aramaic gamal c.png		Image:SyriacGamal.png	Image:SyriacGamal2.png		ܓ	hard: g (voiced velar plosive) soft: ɣ (voiced velar fricative)
Dālaṯ	Image:Aramaic daleth.png			Image:SyriacDalath.png			ܕ	hard: d (voiced alveolar plosive) soft: ð (voiced dental fricative)
Hē	Image:Aramaic heh.png			Image:SyriacHe.png			ܗ	h (voiceless glottal fricative)
Waw	Image:Aramaic waw.png			Image:SyriacWaw.png			ܘ	>consonant: w (labial-velar approximant) mater lectionis: u (close back rounded vowel) or o (close-mid back rounded vowel)
Zayn	Image:Aramaic zain.png			Image:SyriacZayn.png			ܙ	z (voiced alveolar fricative)
Ḥēṯ	Image:Aramaic kheth.png	Image:Aramaic kheth c.png		Image:SyriacKheth.png	Image:SyriacKheth2.png		ܚ	ħ (voiceless pharyngeal fricative) or x (voiceless velar fricative)
Ṭēṯ	Image:Aramaic teth.png	Image:Aramaic teth c.png		Image:SyriacTeth.png	Image:SyriacTeth2.png		ܛ	tˁ (pharyngealized voiceless alveolar plosive)
Yōḏ	Image:Aramaic yodh.png	Image:Aramaic yodh c.png		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)
Kāf	Image:Aramaic kap.png	Image:Aramaic kap c.png	Image:Aramaic kap f.png	Image:SyriacKaph.png	Image:SyriacKaph2.png	Image:SyriacKaph3.png	ܟ	hard: k (voiceless velar plosive) soft: x (voiceless velar fricative)
Lāmaḏ	Image:Aramaic lamadh.png	Image:Aramaic lamadh c.png		Image:SyriacLamadh.png	Image:SyriacLamadh2.png		ܠ	l (alveolar lateral approximant)
Mīm	Image:Aramaic meem.png	Image:Aramaic meem c.png		Image:SyriacMeem.png	Image:SyriacMeem2.png		ܡ	m (bilabial nasal)
Nūn	Image:Aramaic noon.png	Image:Aramaic noon c.png	Image:Aramaic noon f.png	Image:SyriacNun.png	Image:SyriacNun2.png	Image:SyriacNun3.png	ܢ	n (alveolar nasal)
Semkaṯ	Image:Aramaic simkath.png	Image:Aramaic simkath c.png		Image:SyriacSimkath.png	Image:SyriacSimkath2.png / Image:SyriacSimkath3.png		ܣ / ܤ	s (voiceless alveolar fricative)
‘Ē	Image:Aramaic ain.png	Image:Aramaic ain c.png		Image:Syriac'E.png	Image:Syriac'E2.png		ܥ	ʕ (voiced pharyngeal fricative)
Pē	Image:Aramaic payin.png	Image:Aramaic payin c.png		Image:SyriacPe.png	Image:SyriacPe2.png		ܦ	hard: p (voiceless bilabial plosive) soft: f (voiceless labiodental fricative) or w (labial-velar approximant)
Ṣāḏē	Image:Aramaic tsade.png			Image:SyriacSadhe.png			ܨ	sˁ (pharyngealized voiceless alveolar fricative)
Qōf	Image:Aramaic qoph.png	Image:Aramaic qoph c.png		Image:SyriacQop.png	Image:SyriacQop2.png		ܩ	q (voiceless uvular plosive)
Rēš	Image:Aramaic resh.png			Image:SyriacResh.png			ܪ	r (alveolar trill)
Šīn	Image:Aramaic sheen.png	Image:Aramaic sheen c.png		Image:SyriacSheen.png	Image:SyriacSheen2.png		ܫ	ʃ (voiceless postalveolar fricative)
Taw	Image:Aramaic taw.png			Image:SyriacTaw.png			ܬ	hard: t (voiceless alveolar plosive) soft: θ (voiceless dental fricative)
	Image:Aramaic lamadh alap.png			Image:SyriacLamadhAlaph3.png				Lāmaḏ and 'Ālaf combined at end of word
	Image:Aramaic taw alap.png			Image:SyriacAlaph.png Image:SyriacTaw.png	Image:SyriacTawAlaph.png	Image:SyriacTawAlaph2.png / Image:SyriacTawAlaph3.png		Taw and 'Ālaf combined at end of word