Koy Sanjaq Surat
Encyclopedia
Koy Sanjaq Surat is a modern Eastern Aramaic
or Syriac
language. Speakers of the language call it simply Surat, or 'Syriac'. It is spoken in the town of Koy Sanjaq
and its nearby village of Armota
in the province of Arbil
as well as in Ankawa
. The speakers of Koy Sanjaq Surat are traditionally Chaldean Catholics
.
Koy Sanjaq Surat seems to be related to Senaya
, which is spoken by Chaldean Christians who originally lived east of Koy Sanjaq, in the city of Sanandaj
in Iran
. Not enough is known about the language to make any definite comment, but it seems that Koy Sanjaq Surat may have developed as the language of Chaldean settlers from Sanandaj. The dialect also has much more Kurdish
influence then other dialects of Syriac. It does not appear to be intelligible with Chaldean Neo-Aramaic
, which is spoken by correligionists further north, or with the Jewish Neo-Aramaic language of Lishanid Noshan
which was traditionally spoken by the Jews of Koy Sanjaq.
The Madnhâyâ version of the Syriac alphabet
is used in writing, but most written material is in the Syriac language
used in worship.
Aramaic language
Aramaic is a group of languages belonging to the Afroasiatic language phylum. The name of the language is based on the name of Aram, an ancient region in central Syria. Within this family, Aramaic belongs to the Semitic family, and more specifically, is a part of the Northwest Semitic subfamily,...
or Syriac
Syriac language
Syriac is a dialect of Middle Aramaic that was once spoken across much of the Fertile Crescent. Having first appeared as a script in the 1st century AD after being spoken as an unwritten language for five centuries, Classical Syriac became a major literary language throughout the Middle East from...
language. Speakers of the language call it simply Surat, or 'Syriac'. It is spoken in the town of Koy Sanjaq
Koi Sanjaq
The town Koi Sanjaq is located in the Erbil Governorate of Iraqi Kurdistan, close to the Iranian border.Wallace Lyon, travelling through the town in 1923, compared it to Sulaimani and noted that it was a centre for tobacco...
and its nearby village of Armota
Armota
Armota is an Assyrian village that is outside the town of Koy Sinjaq in the Iraqi governorate of Arbil. It is a two-hour drive from Sulaimaniyah. The name Armota comes from the Syriac language, "Ar" meaning "land" and "mota" meaning "death"; hence "the land of death"...
in the province of Arbil
Arbil
Arbil / Hewlêr is the fourth largest city in Iraq after Baghdad, Basra and Mosul...
as well as in Ankawa
Ankawa
Ankawa , is an Iraqi Christian town of about 30,000 people, in practice a suburb of Arbil, Erbil Governorate in Iraqi Kurdistan, northern Iraq...
. The speakers of Koy Sanjaq Surat are traditionally Chaldean Catholics
Chaldean Catholic Church
The Chaldean Catholic Church , is an Eastern Syriac particular church of the Catholic Church, maintaining full communion with the Bishop of Rome and the rest of the Catholic Church...
.
Koy Sanjaq Surat seems to be related to Senaya
Senaya language
The Senaya language is a modern Eastern Aramaic or Syriac language. It is the language of Assyrians originally from Sanandaj in Iranian Kurdistan. Most Senaya speakers now live in California, United States and few families still live in Tehran, Iran...
, which is spoken by Chaldean Christians who originally lived east of Koy Sanjaq, in the city of Sanandaj
Sanandaj
Sanandaj , also Romanized as Senneh and Sinneh) is a city in and the capital of Kurdistan Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 311,446, in 81,380 families....
in Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
. Not enough is known about the language to make any definite comment, but it seems that Koy Sanjaq Surat may have developed as the language of Chaldean settlers from Sanandaj. The dialect also has much more Kurdish
Kurdish language
Kurdish is a dialect continuum spoken by the Kurds in western Asia. It is part of the Iranian branch of the Indo-Iranian group of Indo-European languages....
influence then other dialects of Syriac. It does not appear to be intelligible with Chaldean Neo-Aramaic
Chaldean Neo-Aramaic
Chaldean Neo-Aramaic is a Northeastern Neo-Aramaic dialect. Chaldean Neo-Aramaic is spoken on the plain of Mosul in northern Iraq, as well as by the Chaldean communities worldwide. Most speakers are Chaldean Catholics....
, which is spoken by correligionists further north, or with the Jewish Neo-Aramaic language of Lishanid Noshan
Lishanid Noshan
Lishanid Noshan is a modern Jewish Aramaic language, often called Neo-Aramaic or Judeo-Aramaic. It was originally spoken in southern and eastern Iraq, in the region of Arbil. Most speakers now live in Israel. Lishanid Noshan means 'the language of our selves'; speakers often also call it Lishana...
which was traditionally spoken by the Jews of Koy Sanjaq.
The Madnhâyâ version of the Syriac alphabet
Syriac alphabet
The Syriac alphabet is a writing system primarily used to write the Syriac language from around the 2nd century BC . It is one of the Semitic abjads directly descending from the Aramaic alphabet and shares similarities with the Phoenician, Hebrew, Arabic, and the traditional Mongolian alphabets.-...
is used in writing, but most written material is in the Syriac language
Syriac language
Syriac is a dialect of Middle Aramaic that was once spoken across much of the Fertile Crescent. Having first appeared as a script in the 1st century AD after being spoken as an unwritten language for five centuries, Classical Syriac became a major literary language throughout the Middle East from...
used in worship.
See also
- Aramaic languageAramaic languageAramaic is a group of languages belonging to the Afroasiatic language phylum. The name of the language is based on the name of Aram, an ancient region in central Syria. Within this family, Aramaic belongs to the Semitic family, and more specifically, is a part of the Northwest Semitic subfamily,...
. - Assyrian Neo-AramaicAssyrian Neo-AramaicAssyrian Neo-Aramaic is a Neo-Aramaic dialect, spoken by an estimated 220,000 people , formerly in the area between Lake Urmia, north-western Iran, and Siirt, south-eastern Turkey, but now more widely throughout the...
. - Chaldean Catholic ChurchChaldean Catholic ChurchThe Chaldean Catholic Church , is an Eastern Syriac particular church of the Catholic Church, maintaining full communion with the Bishop of Rome and the rest of the Catholic Church...
. - Chaldean Neo-AramaicChaldean Neo-AramaicChaldean Neo-Aramaic is a Northeastern Neo-Aramaic dialect. Chaldean Neo-Aramaic is spoken on the plain of Mosul in northern Iraq, as well as by the Chaldean communities worldwide. Most speakers are Chaldean Catholics....
. - Senaya languageSenaya languageThe Senaya language is a modern Eastern Aramaic or Syriac language. It is the language of Assyrians originally from Sanandaj in Iranian Kurdistan. Most Senaya speakers now live in California, United States and few families still live in Tehran, Iran...
. - Syriac alphabetSyriac alphabetThe Syriac alphabet is a writing system primarily used to write the Syriac language from around the 2nd century BC . It is one of the Semitic abjads directly descending from the Aramaic alphabet and shares similarities with the Phoenician, Hebrew, Arabic, and the traditional Mongolian alphabets.-...
. - Syriac languageSyriac languageSyriac is a dialect of Middle Aramaic that was once spoken across much of the Fertile Crescent. Having first appeared as a script in the 1st century AD after being spoken as an unwritten language for five centuries, Classical Syriac became a major literary language throughout the Middle East from...
.