Syriac alphabet
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11th century book in Syriac Serto.
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.
ContentsGeneral 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). 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.Syriac alphabet Aleph (letter)>ܐ Beth (letter)>ܒ Gimel (letter)>ܓ Dalet>ܕ He (letter)>ܗ Waw (letter)>ܘ Zayin>ܙ Heth (letter)>ܚ Teth>ܛ Yodh>ܝ Kaph>ܟܟ Lamedh>ܠ Mem>ܡܡ Nun (letter)>ܢܢ Samekh>ܣ Ayin>ܥ Pe (letter)>ܦ Tsade>ܨ Qoph>ܩ Resh>ܪ Shin (letter)>ܫ Taw (letter)>ܬ Forms of the Syriac 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.History of the Alphabet Middle Bronze Age 19–15th c. BC
- Canaanite-Phoenician 14th 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
- **Din Dabireh 3rd c.
- **Arabic 4th c.
- *Greek 9th c. BC
- **Etruscan 8th c. BC
- ***Latin 7th c. BC
- ***Runes 2nd c.
- **Gothic 4th c.
- **Armenian 405
- **Glagolitic 862
- **Cyrillic 10th c.
- *Samaritan 6th c. BC
- *Iberian 6th c. BC
- South Arabian 9th c. BC
- *Ge'ez 5–6th c. BC
Meroitic 3rd c. BC Complete genealogy 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.
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 Letters of the Syriac alphabet
Syriac in Unicode
The Syriac Unicode range is U+0700 ... U+074F.
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 A B C D E F 700 ܀ ܁ ܂ ܃ ܄ ܅ ܆ ܇ ܈ ܉ ܊ ܋ ܌ ܍ 710 ܐ ܑ ܒ ܓ ܔ ܕ ܖ ܗ ܘ ܙ ܚ ܛ ܜ ܝ ܞ ܟ 720 ܠ ܡ ܢ ܣ ܤ ܥ ܦ ܧ ܨ ܩ ܪ ܫ ܬ ܭ ܮ ܯ 730 ܰ ܱ ܲ ܳ ܴ ܵ ܶ ܷ ܸ ܹ ܺ ܻ ܼ ܽ ܾ ܿ 740 ݀ ݁ ݂ ݃ ݄ ݅ ݆ ݇ ݈ ݉ ݊ ݍ ݎ ݏ HTML code table
Alaph Bet
ܕ ܓ ܒ ܐ ܕ ܓ ܒ ܐ ܚ ܙ ܘ ܗ ܚ ܙ ܘ ܗ ܠ ܟܟ ܝ ܜ ܠ ܟ ܝ ܛ ܥ ܣ ܢܢ ܡܡ ܥ ܤ ܢ ܡ ܪ ܩ ܨ ܦ ܪ ܩ ܨ ܦ ܬ ܫ ܬ ܫ Vowels and Unique Characters
ܲ ܵ ܲ ܵ ܸ ܹ ܸ ܹ ܼ ܿ ܼ ܿ ̈ ̰ ̈ ̰ ܀ ܂ ܀ ܂ ܄ ܄ See also
- Abjad
- Alphabet
- Aramaic alphabet
- Aramaic language
- Mandaic language
- Syriac language
- History of the alphabet
- List of writing systems
External links
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