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The Neo-Aramaic Dialects of Iran

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 January 2022

Geoffrey Khan
Geoffrey Khan*
Affiliation:
University of Cambridge
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Abstract

Spoken vernacular dialects of Aramaic, generally known as Neo-Aramaic dialects, have survived down to modern times in various regions of the Middle East and can be divided into various subgroups. There are some islands of Neo-Aramaic in the West of Iran, which are situated on the eastern periphery of the Neo-Aramaic area. These include dialects spoken by Christians and Jews belonging to the North-Eastern Neo-Aramaic subgroup in the West Azerbaijan, Kordestan and Kermanshah provinces and Neo-Mandaic spoken by Mandaeans in the Khuzestan province. This paper examines a number of distinctive features of the Neo-Aramaic dialects of Iran, including those that have been induced by contact with other languages in the area.

Keywords

AramaicNeo-AramaicNorth-Eastern Neo-AramaicNeo-MandaicChristiansJewsMandaeansUrmiSalamasGawilanJamlawaTergawarMargawarMawanaBalulanK̭allaTazacandŠəno (Ushnuye)Solduz (Naghade)Sablah (Mahabad)SainqalaBokanSaqəzSanandajBījārQasr-e ShīrīnKerendKhorramshahrAhvāzErgativity
Type
Aramaic and Arabic linguistic islands
Information
Iranian Studies , Volume 53 , Issue 3-4: Commemorating Ehsan Yarshater Endangered Iranian Languages: Language Contact and Language Islands in Iran , August 2020 , pp. 445 - 463
Copyright
Copyright © Association For Iranian Studies, Inc 2020

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