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7th century AD magic bowel from Seleucia, located 40 miles north of the ancient Babyon with Syriac writing Ancient Assyrian scribes
Assyrian Language Past and Present
by William Warda The ancient Assyrian language is classified as Akkadian, the language of a people who together with Sumerians became the predecessors of the ancient Assyrians and Babylonians. To facilitate administrative tasks of the Assyrian Empire long before the fall of Nineveh the use of the Aramaic was sanctioned by the government because in distant part of the empire the Aramaic language was far better known than the Akkadian.
The empire chancelleries adopted a simple standard form of the Aramaic for correspondence with such areas " In the hearth of the Empire "Aramaic "dockets" were attached to the cuneiform tablets. Such dockets gave brief indication of names and dates and a summary of the contents which were useful to merchants. This is classified as "Official Aramaic". Many Assyrian tablets have been found with Aramaic incised on them. Assyrian scribes are often depicted in pairs. One writing in Akkadian on the cuneiform tablet, the other writing in Aramaic on the parchment or papyrus.
Among several bronze lion-weights found at Nineveh some had both the Akkadian and Aramaic text inscribed on them . They bore the names of the Assyrian kings at the time of use which included Shalmansser III (858-824), Sargon (721-705), Sennacherib (704-681) .The Official Aramaic later became accepted as the standard form of literary communication by the Aramaic speaking people in various part of the Empire.
Bronze Lion weight inscribed in Assyrian; "palace of Shalmanser, King of Assyria , two third of a mina of the king' , and in Aramaic "Two thirds ( of a mina) of the Land".
According to the Old Testament, "in 701 B.C. when official of Sennacherib appeared before the walls of Jerusalem, and the Rab-Shakeh spoke in Hebrew to the officers of King Hezekiah, these latter begged him to speak rather in Aramaic, for they understood this official tongue and did not want the populace to hear the humiliating demand for submission made in Hebrew." In later centuries Aramaic replaced Hebrew even in Israel. During their exile years in Babylon the Jews adopted the Square Assyrian script which was commonly known to them as Ketav Ashuri or the Assyrian text. The law demands that a Torah scroll be written with the " ketav Ashuri" so called after its place of origin.
In time Aramaic became spoken in Mesopotamia also and gradually replacing the Akkadian language. The transition was made possible because the 22 letters Aramaic alphabet was much easier to master than the 600 or so signs of the cuneiform. The evidence of side by side existance of the two langauges at 4th century B.C. is an Aramic document from Urk which has been written in cuneiform. The Akkadian Language continued to be used for astronomical texts down to the time of christ. Administrative text in Akkadian language from Babylon about the activities of Mardukh temple continued till 92 B.C., astronomical chronicles have been found which date to 76 A.D.. The 2nd century A.D. novelist Iamblichus reported that the Akkadian language was spoken along with the Aramaic at his time.
Most old langauges for different reasons have gone through drastic changes from time to time. For example the Old English language has changed greatly from what it was at early Christian centuries. Present day English reader will have dificaulty reading and undrestanding the Lord's prayer as written at that time as seen below.
"Feder Ure bu be eart on hefonum, si bin nama gehalgod. To becume bin rice. Gewurbe Oin willa on Eoroan swa swa on heoronum. ..."
Today's Persian language has no similarity to what was spoken by the Achaemenian Persians. The Greek and the Armenian languages have changed greatly since the ancient times.
The contemporary Assyrians use thousands of word in their daily conversation which are clearly Akkadian . The Syriac, another name for the Christian Assyrian language, was perhaps in use as a literary language in northern Mesopotamia before the Christian era but only a few written examples of it have survived from the first century A.D. It developed as a literary language of some importance in Edessa after a christian school succeeded a pagan learning center. Gradually it was accepted as the ecclesiastical and cultural language of Assyrian Christians. It is often wrongly called Aramaic but in reality it is a different langauge though related to it just as the European langauges are related to Latin but are not exactly the same. Currently there are two slightly different dialects of the Syriac language called Eastern and Western, i.e. Suryaye and Suryoye.
Some differences in pronunciation between the ancient and the present day Assyrian words may be due to mispronunciation of the Cuneiform signs by the translators. Some Akkadian signs can be vocalized in more than one way. The same word is often ponounced slightly differently by different scholars. Some Syriac words have gone through varriation in pronounciation because of peuliarity of how the Syriac words are accented compared to the Akkadian language, also during the last two thousand years some words have gone through slight modification. In some words the letter B is pronounced as V. For example the Akkadian Abu for father is pronounced as Ava-ha for parent. The Akkadian Q at times is softened into khap [a kap with a dot under] in the Syriac language. The contemporary Eastern Syriac words presented here belong to the Urmi Dialect which may be slightly different than that of the northern Iraq or the north of Mosul Mountain accents still spoken in some places.
The presence of the Akkdian Words in Syriac does not seem accidental because of their greater number, and that they are scattered evenly along the entire alphabet and all sorts of subjects. Because the present Syriac to English and vs-versa dictionaries are inadequate, the extent of the Akkadian words in this language is difficult to ascertain.It should be noted that while the ancient Assyrian words universaly ended in "U" the contemporary Eastern Assyrian words in their basic form end in "A". The vowel "A" of Eastern dialect in all cases is pronounced as "O" in the western Assyrian/Syriac speech of today.
The vocabulary presented here consists mostly of single words without their usual derivatives and inflected forms such as verb tense, adjectives, adverbs , plural and gender forms and others. With the addition of these variations and further finds this list can grow into thousands of entries.
One hundred words of this concordance was compiled by Peter Bet Basso from the "State Archives of Assyria, Volume III: Court Poetry and Literary Miscellanea", by Alasdair Livingstone, Helsinki University Press.The balance was added by Wm Warda from the glossaries contained in the following sources.
Samuel A.B. Mercer, "Assyrian Grammar with Chrestomathy and Glossary" Frederick Ungar Publishing, New York, 1961
Simo Parpola ed. "Neo-Assyrian Dictionary, English Assyrian, Assyrians English", Mesopotamian Museum of Chicago, 2002
Samuel A.B. Mercer, "Assyrian Grammar" London 1921
Only the first two pages of this list has been updated to include a greater number of words common between the two languages but these are by no mean all.
The Eastern Assyrian Dictionary used to verify the pronunciation and the meaning of the contemporary Assyrian words is : Orhaham's Dictionary of the stabilized and enriched Assyrian Language and English, Chicago Ill. 1943
The western Assyrian/Syriac pronunciation of these words was provided by Gowriel.
Common Vocabulary in ancient and today's Assyrian Languges
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Akkadian/ Assryian Contemporary Assyrian Eastern Dialect Contemporary Assyrian Western Dialect Meaning Pronounce A's as in Ant
Before R or L pronouce A as in fatherAbalu Labuli Mobel to carry, to take Abatu Evada To do Abi Abi or Babi My father Abu Aba or Baba Father Abu Ab August Abudanaiu Avudanaia Subjective, pertianing to performance Abu-Kku-Nu Babokhun or Abokun Your father (plural) Abura Avura fleeting, transiant Addamaiutu Haddamauta membership Addamu Haddama body organ Adamu Dimma Blood Adannu dana Edono appointed time, deadline Addaru Addar march A-ddu adi now Adi Hal Adi up to now Aga aha this agappu gulpa Gepo wing Ago Eigo or Eiguta grim, somber Aggu-bbu Guv-va Kosso Cup agrabu agirva Eqarbo scorpion Aharru Kharraya To be the last Aha Aha Kha Kha one by one Airu Iyaar may Akhana Lakha here Akhalu Khalla To eat Aklu Shatu Kala Shtaya dine Akhiltu Khalta eating Akhatu Khatta Hotho Sister Akhatuti Khatuta sisterhood Akhirtu Kharaita the last female Aksu Asga Dangerous or difficulat Akhu Akha- Akhuna Brother Akhutu Akhuta Brotherhood Aladu yilada or dyala give birth Aladu Yalda Boy Ala'aiu Alahaia god like, godly Alapu Alpa a thousand Almaiu Almaia secular, worldy Alulu Alula street Amni shapiruti Amni shapiri fine arts Ammani Manni dishes Ammtu amtta Amtho handmaid, female servant Anaiu anaya egoist Anaiutu Anaiuota ego selfishness Ana-hu Ta-nu-hee Enohu to sigh Annaku Tannika tin Annu Anni These Anutee Annee Atoon these Apen Apen even though, even if Apiu Yipa to bake Appupu Tupa fold Arabayu Arabaya Arab Arbasar Arbasar fourteen Arba'u Arba Four Arbi Arbi forty Ardikhalu Ardikhla Ardikhlo Builder, Architect Ardekhlutu Ardikhluta architecture Arkhu Yarkha Yarho Month Arkhisham Yarkhaya monthly Arku Yarikha tall, long Arkhutu Arkita Guest female Arku Yarga green, greenery Armelu Armela widowed Armaltu Arrmilta widow Armannu Arminta pomegranate Arnubu Arnva hare, rabit Arratu Saartaa curse Arzazu Arza Cidar Askupatu Sgupta Treshold Aspatu Spadita Pillow Asqu Asqa arduos Asqutu Asquta dififculty Asrantu Yasratna fastener Asru Gassra Palace Asu As-ya Osyo Physician Asharu Shara Shara Begin Assirtu Assirta Slave woman Ashu-raitu Ashu-raita , Atturaita, Suraita Othuroyo Assyrian female Ashu-rayu Ashuraya
Aturaya
Ashuro-yo
Aturo-yo
Assyrian male Asuto Asiuta medicine Asuriu yesura bond Asu sha Kaki Asya d' Kiki dentist Atta At you Attiru Attirra opulent, rich Attu Atta flag Attu-nu Ah-tune Atun you plural Attunu Attuna furnace Atutatti Atutaeit verbatim, literally Awu Hawa air Awaiu Hawaya aerial Aykani Ayka Where Azlantu Azlanta spinster Babilu Babil Babylon Babilaju Babilaya Babylonian Babbu Babba dad Baduqtu Badugta girl scout Badugu Baduga explorer Balbatu Balbata spark Baqqalu Baggal grocer Baqqaritu Boograita cow girl Bakhiu Bakhaya weeper Ba-khu Bkha Bokhe to weep, Sob Balkhudaiu Balkhud alone, by himslef Ballutu Balluta Oak tree, acorn Ba-nu Bna-ya or Bnna Bone to build Banuiu Banuia constructive Bar-atri Bar-atri compatriot Baragu Mabragta gilmer Bariu Baruia creative Bar-marriti Maretti parishioner Bargalu Bargala echo Ba-ra-qu Bra-qa to flash Bararu Barra Boreq glimer, to shine Barruku Barukha congratulate Bar tegurit Bar Tagra trading partner Bashalu Bshala = cooking
Bashooli
to cook Basmu= sweet odour Bisma =
Basama =
incense
perfumer
Battibatti Bat-va-tti Beytoye neighbourhood, households Batultu Btulta virgin Bazu Bza to drill Behiru Bhira adept, careful Beldababi Bal-dva-vi Eledbobo adverseries, enemies Berataiu Brataia girlish Besirtu Bsirota shrotcoming Besranaiu Besranaia fleshy Besranu Besrana chubby Bet-apie Bet-yipa bakery Bet libshi Bet lvasha dressing room Bet-shamshi Bet-shimsha solarium Bet-shamshi Bet-shimsha solarium Bibu Beiva drainage Bi-khi-tu Bkhay-ta Bkhotho weeping Binianaiu Binianaia structural Birinni billan Beynayn between us Bir-gu bir-qa Barqo lightning, elecricity Blasu Blasa squeez, to bruize Bur-ku bir-ka Barco knee Bi-shu Bi-sha Bisho evil, sinister Bish dubari Bish dubari misconduct, evil conduct Bish-gaddu Bishgada ill fated Bi-ituBintu Bai-ta Beyto house Brara daughter Birtu = fort Birta = palace residence of bishop Bit-etgi Bit-etgi Museum Bizu sha gdili Biza d' gdila keyhole Bnenashu bnenashi folks, people Battalu Bttala voiding, annul Bulbalu Bolbala confusion, perplexity Bu-ru bee-ra Biro water well Buhuru Bukhra first born son Bukhurtu Bukhurta first born daughter Bulbalu Bulbala commotion, Buqagu Bagta mosquito Buqtu = toy Bugta = doll Busamu Busama enjoyment Dahhubu Dahva gold Daggalu Dugglla lie, sham Daia-nu dai-ana Dayono judge Daia-nu-tu daia-nu-ta Dayonutho judgeship Dakru Dkhara rememberance Dalapu dlapa leak Damanaiu Dimmanaia related to blood Dmikhu Dmikha asleep Damiu Dmaya resemble Damiutau Damiuta likeness, analogy Dam-mu dim-ma Dmo blood Dammi Dimme teers Dangu Tugniga neat Dannu Dannana strong, mighty, vigilant Danu Dna/ Dnaya to try a case Daqqaqu daqiqa Daqiqo tiny, small Daqqu Dayga minute, small, short Daru Dora era, cnetury Darrugu Darrga grade, rank Darasu Doosh Dras push away Darshu Drasha expound, argue Darziqu Darzi dress maker Dayyanu Dayyana Judge Dayyanutu Dayyanuta Judgeship Debu Deba bear Demut Dimyout quasi Deru Derra monastery Deraiu Deraia monk of monastery Detu Daata chewing gum Deyutu Deyuta ink Diashu Diasha trample Dilanaiu Dilania special, characteristic Dilpu Dlapa leakage Diletu Dilaiuta trait Dimtu Dim-ei-ta Demítho tear Dinu Dya-na Doen to judge Dishpu Doosha Debsho honey Dubaraiu Dubaraia related to moral, conduct, Dubaraiutu Dubaraiuta behaviour Dugelta Dagalta to lie Dukranu Dukhrana rememberance Duppa Darppa page Duraiu Doraia periodical, realted to century Durashu Durasha debate, discussion