Western Neo-Aramaic

Primary tabs

ISO 639-3

Alternate Names

Loghtha Siryanoytha, Maalula, Neo-Western Aramaic, Siryon

Population

24,000 (2014 J. Leclerc).

Location

Rif Dimashq Governorate, Al-Qutayfah district; Qalamoun mountains, 50 km north of Damascus, Ma’lula, Bakh’a, and Jubb ’Adin villages.

Language Maps

Language Status

7 (Shifting).

Classification

Dialects

Ma’lula (Maaloula, Maalula, Ma’lu:la), Bakh’a (Bax’a), Jub-’adin (Jubb ’Adi:n). Little dialect variation.

Language Use

Home, and as literary and religious language. Also use North Levantine Spoken Arabic [apc].

Language Resources

Writing

Unwritten [Qaax], efforts to introduce a writing system with old Aramaic characters and with Hebrew were not successful.

Other Comments

Christian.