Wikipedia

Syrian Arabic

(Redirected from Syrian arabic)
Not to be confused with Levantine Arabic.
This article contains Levantine written in Arabic characters. Without proper rendering support, you may see احنا‎ and احنا‎ appearing as two different characters. If so, apply this custom style in your user settings: 
[lang=apc] { font-family: 'Segoe UI', Tahoma; }
.

Syrian Arabic refers to any of the Arabic varieties spoken in Syria,[2] or specifically to Levantine Arabic.[3][4]

Syrian Arabic
Native toSyria
EthnicitySyrians
Native speakers
L1: 19 million (2023)[1]
L2: 2.0 million (2023)[1]
Arabic alphabet
Arabic chat alphabet
Language codes
ISO 639-3(covered by apc)
IETFapc-SY

Aleppo, Idlib, and Coastal dialects

edit

Aleppo and surroundings

edit

Characterized by the imperfect with a-: ašṛab ‘I drink’, ašūf ‘I see’,[2] and by a pronounced[5] ʾimāla of the type sēfaṛ/ysēfer, with subdialects:[5]

  1. Muslim Aleppine
  2. Christian Aleppine
  3. Rural dialects similar to Muslim Aleppine
  4. Mountain dialects
  5. Rural dialects
  6. Bēbi (əlBāb)
  7. Mixed dialects

Idlib and surroundings

edit

These dialects are transitional between the Aleppine and the Coastal and Central dialects.[5] They are characterized by *q > ʔ, ʾimāla of the type the type sāfaṛ/ysēfer[2] and ṣālaḥ/yṣēliḥ,[5] diphthongs in every position,[5][2] a- elision (katab+t > ktabt, but katab+it > katabit),[2] išṛab type perfect,[2] ʾimāla in reflexes of *CāʔiC, and vocabulary such as zbandūn "plow sole".[5]

Coast and coastal mountains[2]

edit

These dialects are characterized by diphthongs only in open syllables: bēt/bayti ‘house/my house’, ṣōt/ṣawti ‘voice/my voice’, but ā is found in many lexemes for both *ay and *aw (sāf, yām).[5][2] There is pronounced ʾimāla.[5] Unstressed a is elided or raised to i and u whenever possible: katab+t > ktabt, katab+it > katbit, sallam+it > sallmit, sallam+t > sillamt, ḥaṭṭ+ayt > ḥiṭṭayt, trawwaq+t > truwwaqt, *madrasa > madrsa > mádǝrsa ~ madírsi, *fallāḥ > fillāḥ.[2][5] The feminine plural demonstrative pronoun is hawdi, or haydi.[5] It can be divided into several subdialects:[5]

  1. Transitional between Idlib and the northern coastal dialects
  2. Northern coastal dialects (Swaydīye)
  3. Northern coastal dialects
  4. Latakia
  5. Central coastal dialects
  6. Mḥardi
  7. Banyās
  8. Southern coastal dialects
  9. Tartūs, Arwad
  10. Alawite and Ismaelite dialects

Central dialects

edit

In this area, predominantly *ay, aw > ē, ō. Mostly, there is no ʾimāla, and a-elision is only weakly developed. Word-final *-a > -i operates. Several dialects exist in this area:

Central-North

edit

Leans toward the Idlib and Coastal dialects. Preservation of *q, 2nd masc. inti, 2nd fem. inte, feminine forms in the plural intni katabtni, hinni(n) katabni.

Tayybet əlʔImām / Sōrān

edit

Preservation of interdentals. 2/3 pl. masc. ending -a: fatahta, falaha, tuktúba, yuktúba. 2nd plural m/f inta - intni. 3rd plural m/f hinhan - hinhin. The perfect of the primae alif verbs are ake, axe. In the imperfect, yāka, yāxa. The participle is mēke.

Hama

edit

Characterized by *q > ʔ; preservation of *ǧ; six short vowels: a, ǝ, e, i, o, u, and six long vowels: ā, ǟ, ē, ī, ō, ū.

Central-South w/ *q > q

edit

Preservation of *q.

Central-South w/ *q > ʔ

edit

Characterized by *q > ʔ.

Bedouin-Sedentary mixed dialect

edit

Preservation of interdentals and terms like alhaz "now".

Central Syrian dialect continuum, steppe dialects and steppe's edge[5]

edit

Suxni

edit

Characterized by *q > k, *g > c [ts], *k > č, and ʾimāla of type *lisān > lsīn. Distinctive pronouns are 3PL.C aham and 2SG.F suffix -či. The suffix of the verbal 3SG a-Type is -at, and i-Type perfects take the form ʾílbis "he got dressed".[5]

Palmyrene

edit

Characterized by preserved *q, *g > č, and unconditioned ʾimāla in hēda. Distinctive pronouns are 3PL ahu - hinna, and 2SG.F suffix -ki. The suffix of the verbal 3SG a-Type is -at, and i-Type perfects take the form ʾílbis "he got dressed".[5]

Qarawi

edit

Characterized by preserved *q and unconditioned ʾimāla in hēda. Distinctive pronouns are 3PL hunni - hinni. The suffix of the verbal 3SG a-Type is -at, and i-Type perfects take the form lbīs "he got dressed".[5]

Saddi

edit

Characterized by preserved *q and pronouns 3PL hūwun - hīyin. The suffix of the verbal 3SG a-Type is -at.[5]

Rastan

edit

Characterized by preserved *q and the changes masaku > masakaw# and masakin > masake:n# in pause. Distinctive pronouns are 3PL.C hinne, and the suffix of the verbal 3SG a-Type is -at.[5]

Nabki

edit

Characterized by *q > ʔ, and *ay, *aw > ā. The shifts *CaCC > CiCC/CuCC and *CaCaC > CaCōC take place. The ʾimāla is of the i-umlaut type. Distinctive pronouns are 2SG.F suffix -ke. The a-Type perfects take the form ḍarōb and the i-type lbēs. The suffix of the verbal 3SG a-Type is -et, with allophony ḍarbet - ḍárbatu.[5]

Eastern Qalamūn

edit

Characterized by *q > ʔ and ʾimāla of the i-umlaut type. Distinctive pronouns are 3SG.M suffix -a/-e. The suffix of the verbal 3SG a-Type is -at.[5]

Mʿaḏ̣ḏ̣amīye

edit

Characterized by *q > ʔ and unconditioned ʾimāla in hēda. Distinctive pronouns are 2SG.F suffix -ki.[5] The 1SG perfect conjugation is of the type katabtu, similar to the qǝltu dialects of Iraq. Also like qǝltu dialects, it has lengthened forms like ṣafṛā "yellow [fem.]".[2]

Qalamūn

edit

The Qalamūn dialects have strong links to Central Lebanese.[5] The short vowels i/u are found in all positions. Pasual kbīr > kbeyr# and yrūḥ > yrawḥ#. The a-elision is not strongly pronounced. Shortening of unstressed long vowels is characteristic: *sakākīn > sakakīn ‘knives’, fallōḥ/fillaḥīn ‘peasant/peasants’, or fillōḥ/filliḥīn, as in Northwest Aramaic.[2] Conservation of diphthongs and *q > ʔ are common, as well as splitting of ā into ē and ō. As for negation, the type mā- -š is already attested along with the simple negation.

Qara

edit

No interdentals

Yabrūdi

edit

No interdentals

Central Qalamūn

edit

Conservation of interdentals, subdialects:

  1. Ain al-Tinah
  2. Central, tends to East Qalamūn
  3. Rās ilMaʿarra
  4. Gubbe
  5. Al-Sarkha (Bakhah) (Western Neo-Aramaic is also spoken in the village)
  6. Maʿlūla (Western Neo-Aramaic is also spoken in the village)
  7. Jubb'adin / GubbʿAdīn (Western Neo-Aramaic is also spoken in the village)

Southern Qalamūn

edit

Conservation of interdentals, a-elision katab+t > ktabt, distinctive pronouns are 3PL.C hunni. Subdialects are:

  1. ʿAssāl ilWard, ilHawš
  2. ʿAkawbar, Tawwane, Hile
  3. Hafīr ilFawqa, Badda
  4. Qtayfe
  5. Sēdnāya
  6. Maʿarrit Sēdnāya
  7. Rankūs
  8. Talfita
  9. Halbūn
  10. Hafīr itTahta
  11. itTall
  12. Mnin
  13. Drayj

Northern Barada valley

edit

No interdentals, conservation of diphthongs

  1. Sirgāya
  2. Blūdān
  3. izZabadāni
  4. Madāya

Damascus and surroundings

edit

Transitional Damascus - Qalamūn

edit

These dialects have no interdentals, no diphthongs, and a reflex of *g > ž. The suffix of the verbal 3SG a-Type is -it, ḍarab+it > ḍárbit.[5] The short vowels i/u are found in all positions. Demonstrative plural pronoun hadunke.

Damascus

edit
Main article: Damascus Arabic

Other dialects, accents, and varieties

edit

Horan dialects

edit

The Hauran area is split between Syria and Jordan and speak largely the same dialect

  1. Central dialects
  2. Gēdūri (transitional)
  3. Mountain dialects
  4. Zāwye (transitional)
  5. Mixed dialect Čanāčer/Zāčye

Mount Hermon and Jabal al-Druze area

edit

Dialects of Mount Hermon and Druze have a Lebanese origin[5]

  1. Autochthonous sedentary dialects
  2. Mount Hermon dialect
  3. Druze dialect

Sedentary East Syrian

edit

Mesopotamian (Turkey)

edit
  1. Qsōrāni
  2. Tall Bēdar
  3. Mardilli
  4. Azxēni (ǝlMālkīye)

Mesopotamian (Syria)

edit
  1. Deir ez-Zor
  2. Albū Kmāl

Autochthonous

edit
  1. Xātūnī

Bedouin dialects

edit

Shawi Arabic and Najdi Arabic are also spoken in Syria.

References

edit
  1. ^ a b Syrian Arabic at Ethnologue (27th ed., 2024)  
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Behnstedt, Peter (2011-05-30). "Syria". Encyclopedia of Arabic Language and Linguistics.
  3. ^ Stowasser, Karl (2004). A Dictionary of Syrian Arabic: English-Arabic. Georgetown University Press. ISBN 978-1-58901-105-2. OCLC 54543156.
  4. ^ Cowell, Mark W. (1964). A Reference Grammar of Syrian Arabic. Georgetown University Press. OCLC 249229002.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w Behnstedt, Peter (1997). Sprachatlas von Syrien (in German). Otto Harrassowitz Verlag. ISBN 978-3-447-04330-4.
edit
 
Levantine Arabic test of Wikipedia at Wikimedia Incubator
 
Wikibooks has a book on the topic of: Levantine Arabic
 
For a list of words relating to Syrian Arabic, see the North Levantine Arabic language category of words in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Syrian_Arabic&oldid=1253865895"