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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.
General 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. ’Ālaph (), the first letter, represents a glottal stop, but it can also indicate a vowel at the beginning or the end of a word. The letter Waw () is the consonant 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. In addition to the sounds of the language, the letters of the Syriac alphabet can be used to represent numbers in a system similar to Hebrew and Greek numerals. Forms of the Syriac alphabet There are three major variations of the Syriac alphabet. The oldest and classical form of the alphabet is (; 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. The West Syriac dialect is usually written in the ( 'line') form of the alphabet, also known as the Maronite or the Jacobite script (although the term Jacobite is considered derogatory). Most of the letters are clearly derived from Estrangelā, but are simplified, flowing lines. The Nabatean alphabet (which gave rise to the Arabic alphabet) 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: The East Syriac dialect is usually written in the ( '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, based on an older system, 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. (Note that the table arranges the letters in order from left to right). Letters of the Syriac alphabet Ligatures Syriac in Unicode The Syriac Unicode range is U+0700 ... U+074F. Alaph Bet Vowels and unique characters See also | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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