The New Syriac Primer

302 Pages·2013·4.633 MB·English

by  George Kiraz

̈
ܐ(cid:383)ܘ(cid:430)(cid:419) ܐ(cid:408)(cid:372)(cid:391)(cid:383) (cid:392)(cid:378)(cid:393) ܐ(cid:384)(cid:383)ܪ(cid:372)(cid:399) ܐ(cid:397)(cid:420)(cid:390)

THE NEW SYRIAC PRIMER
Gorgias Handbooks
9
Series Editor
George Anton Kiraz
Gorgias Handbooks provides students and scholars with reference books, textbooks
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The N̈ ew Syriac Primer
ܐ(cid:383)ܘ(cid:430)(cid:419) ܐ(cid:408)(cid:372)(cid:391)(cid:383) (cid:392)(cid:378)(cid:393) ܐ(cid:384)(cid:383)ܪ(cid:372)(cid:399) ܐ(cid:397)(cid:420)(cid:390)

ܐܒ(cid:383)ܪܙ ܐ(cid:415)ܘܕ (cid:395)(cid:405) ܐ(cid:384)(cid:383)ܪ(cid:372)(cid:399) ܐ(cid:397)(cid:420)(cid:391)(cid:390) ܐ(cid:422)(cid:391)(cid:406)(cid:393)

ܙܐ(cid:418)(cid:384)(cid:387) (cid:422)(cid:384)ܒܕ ܢ(cid:372)(cid:378)(cid:396)ܐ (cid:418)ܒ (cid:385)ܓܪ(cid:372)ܓ(cid:390) (cid:395)(cid:384)(cid:399)

̈
ܐ(cid:383)ܘ(cid:430)(cid:419) ܐ(cid:408)(cid:372)(cid:391)(cid:383) (cid:392)(cid:378)(cid:393) ܐ(cid:384)(cid:383)ܪ(cid:372)(cid:399) ܐ(cid:397)(cid:420)(cid:390)

THE NEW SYRIAC PRIMER
George Anton Kiraz
9
34
2013
Gorgias Press LLC, 954 River Road, Piscataway, NJ, 08854, USA
www.gorgiaspress.com
Copyright © 2 0 1 3 by Gorgias Press LLC
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. No part
of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any
form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning or
otherwise without the prior written permission of Gorgias Press LLC.
2013 ܘ 9
ISBN 978-1-59333-325-6 ISSN 1935-6838
First edition (Syriac for Beginners) 1984.
Second edition (The Syriac Primer) 1990.
Third revised edition (The New Syriac Primer) 2007.
Second printing with corrections 2013.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Kiraz, George Anton.
The new Syriac primer / George Anton Kiraz. -- 1st
Gorgias Press ed.
p. cm.
Includes a glossary of grammatical terms and a
Syriac-English glossary.
ISBN 978-1-59333-325-6
1. Syriac language--Grammar. 2. Syriac
language--Composition and exercises. I. Title.
PJ5421.K57 2007
492’.38242--dc22
2007028646
Printed in the United States of America
(cid:357)(cid:360)(cid:449)(cid:298) (cid:357)(cid:397)(cid:387)(cid:372)(cid:419)
(cid:457)(cid:319)(cid:372)(cid:396) (cid:312)(cid:372)(cid:396)(cid:356)(cid:384)(cid:415)(cid:372)(cid:390)(cid:301) (cid:359)(cid:418)(cid:397)(cid:387) (cid:311)(cid:356)(cid:384)(cid:378)(cid:400)(cid:361)(cid:399)(cid:301) (cid:358)(cid:422)(cid:391)(cid:383)(cid:293)(cid:418)(cid:361)(cid:363) (cid:358)(cid:444)(cid:361)(cid:378)(cid:390)
To
Tabetha Gabriella, Sebastian Kenoro, and Lucian Nurono

Table of Contents
List of Tables..............................................................................................................xvi
Audio Tracks.............................................................................................................xvii
Preface........................................................................................................................xix
Note to the Second Printing........................................................................................xx
About Syriac...............................................................................................................xxi
1 Introduction to Reading and Writing....................................................................1
1.1 Olaph, Béth, Gomal, and Dolath..................................................................................................1
The Letters..............................................................................................................................1
Some Vowels..........................................................................................................................2
Reading for the Very First Time..........................................................................................3
Notes.......................................................................................................................................3
Phrases....................................................................................................................................4
Writing Syriac for the Very First Time...............................................................................4
Review.....................................................................................................................................6
Exercise 1.1.............................................................................................................................6
1.2 Hé, Waw, and Zayn.........................................................................................................................6
Another Vowel.......................................................................................................................7
Reading....................................................................................................................................7
Phrases....................................................................................................................................8
The Power of Waw................................................................................................................8
Writing....................................................................................................................................9
Review.....................................................................................................................................9
Exercise 1.2...........................................................................................................................10
1.3 Ḥéth, Ṭéth, and Yudh...................................................................................................................10
One Final Vowel..................................................................................................................12
Reading..................................................................................................................................12
Masculine and Feminine.....................................................................................................13
Beware of ܚ Next to ܝ.......................................................................................................13
Phrases..................................................................................................................................13
Writing..................................................................................................................................14
Review...................................................................................................................................14
Vocabulary Review..............................................................................................................15
Exercise 1.3...........................................................................................................................16
1.4 Koph, Lomadh, Mim, and Nun..................................................................................................16
Reading..................................................................................................................................17
Where Did the Waw Go?...................................................................................................18
Phrases..................................................................................................................................19
Writing..................................................................................................................................19
Review...................................................................................................................................20
Exercise 1.4...........................................................................................................................21
1.5 The ܠܘܽ͗͠ Letters.....ܰ.......................................................................................................................21
Inserting An ◌.....................................................................................................................22
Olaph is Too Lazy to Hold a Vowel!................................................................................22
ܽ
More than One ܠܘ(cid:369)ܒ.......................................................................................................23
Review...................................................................................................................................23
Exercise 1.5...........................................................................................................................23
1.6 Simkath, ‛é, Phé, and Ṣodhé.........................................................................................................23
vii
viii The New Syriac Primer
Reading..................................................................................................................................24
What are Those Two Dots?...............................................................................................26
Phrases..................................................................................................................................26
Writing..................................................................................................................................26
Review...................................................................................................................................27
Exercise 1.6...........................................................................................................................28
1.7 Qoph, Rish, Shin, and Taw..........................................................................................................28
Reading..................................................................................................................................29
Phrases..................................................................................................................................30
Writing..................................................................................................................................30
(cid:319) with Syomé.........................................................................................................................31
Review...................................................................................................................................32
Exercise 1.7...........................................................................................................................32
1.8 Review of the Alphabet................................................................................................................32
Rukokho and Qushoyo.......................................................................................................34
1.9 I Don’t Need Those Vow(cid:158) els, Do I?...........................................................................................36
Do I Really Need (cid:186)(cid:161)?...........................................................................................................36
When Can I Omit (cid:186)?............(cid:168)..............................................................................................37
How about D(cid:165) oing Without (cid:186)?..........................................................................................37
Can I Omit (cid:186) Now?............................................................................................................38
Review...................................................................................................................................38
2 Reading with Gender...........................................................................................39
2.1 Getting Our Feet Wet With Gender...........................................................................................39
New Words...........................................................................................................................39
Reading Sentences...............................................................................................................39
New Concepts......................................................................................................................39
Exercise 2.1...........................................................................................................................40
2.2 Gender and Verbs.........................................................................................................................40
New Words...........................................................................................................................40
Reading Sentences...............................................................................................................41
New Concepts......................................................................................................................41
Exercise 2.2...........................................................................................................................41
2.3 Review.............................................................................................................................................41
New Words...........................................................................................................................41
Reading Sentences...............................................................................................................41
Review...................................................................................................................................42
Exercise 2.3...........................................................................................................................42
2.4 Gender and Adjectives.................................................................................................................42
New Words...........................................................................................................................42
Reading Sentences...............................................................................................................42
New Concepts.(cid:325).....(cid:332)....(cid:328)............................................................................................................43
Bonus Word: (cid:358)(cid:444)(cid:340) (cid:416)(cid:397)(cid:408)..........................................................................................................43
Exercise 2.4...........................................................................................................................43
2.5 Gender and Body Parts................................................................................................................44
New Words...........................................................................................................................44
Reading Sentences...............................................................................................................44
New Concepts......................................................................................................................44
Exercise 2.5...........................................................................................................................45
2.6 Gender with Numerals.................................................................................................................45
New Words...........................................................................................................................45
Reading Sentences...............................................................................................................45
New Concepts......................................................................................................................46
Table of Contents ix
Punctuation Marks...............................................................................................................46
(cid:325) (cid:325) (cid:328)
Bonus Word: (cid:359)(cid:418)(cid:397)(cid:387)..........(cid:325)....(cid:328)..................................................................................................46
Another Bonus Word: (cid:359)(cid:319)(cid:369)(cid:399)...............................................................................................46
Exercise 2.6...........................................................................................................................46
2.7 Gender with Pronouns.................................................................................................................46
New Words...........................................................................................................................46
Reading Sentences...............................................................................................................47
New Concepts......................................................................................................................47
Underlined Silent Letters....................................................................................................47
(cid:325)
Bonus Word: (cid:306)(cid:244) (cid:418)(cid:393)...............................................................................................................48
Exercise 2.7...........................................................................................................................48
2.8 How Do I Recognize Masculine and Feminine Words?..........................................................48
3 Reading with Number.........................................................................................50
3.1 Getting Our Feet Wet With Number.........................................................................................50
New Words...........................................................................................................................50
Reading Sentences...............................................................................................................50
New Concepts.(cid:325)..(cid:322).................(cid:328)..(cid:242).(cid:325)..(cid:322)..........(cid:325)...(cid:242)(cid:325)...(cid:325)..(cid:322)...........................................................................50
Bonus Word: (cid:357)(cid:360)(cid:293) (plural (cid:358)(cid:371)(cid:360)(cid:293) and (cid:358)(cid:321)(cid:340)(cid:371)(cid:360)(cid:293)).........................................................................51
Exercise 3.1...........................................................................................................................51
3.2 Number and Verbs........................................................................................................................51
New Words...........................................................................................................................51
Reading Sentences...............................................................................................................51
New Concepts......................................................................................................................52
Exercise 3.2...........................................................................................................................52
3.3 Number and Adjectives................................................................................................................53
New Words...........................................................................................................................53
Reading Sentences...............................................................................................................53
New Concepts......................................................................................................................54
(cid:328)
Bonus Word: (cid:444)(cid:340) (cid:360)...............................................................................................................54
Exercise 3.3...........................................................................................................................55
3.4 How Do I Recognize Singular and Plural Words?....................................................................55
4 Reading With Tense............................................................................................56
4.1 The Present Tense.........................................................................................................................56
New Words...........................................................................................................................56
Reading Sentences...............................................................................................................57
New Concepts......................................................................................................................57
Exercise 4.1...........................................................................................................................58
4.2 The Past Tense..............................................................................................................................59
New Words...........................................................................................................................59
Reading Sentences...............................................................................................................59
New Concep(cid:161) ts......................................................................................................................60
Verbs with (cid:186) on th(cid:322) e Second Letter..................................................................................61
(cid:325) (cid:322)
Bonus Word: (cid:357)(cid:400)(cid:384)(cid:377)(cid:418)(cid:415)..........................................................................................................61
Exercise 4.2...........................................................................................................................61
4.3 Let’s Take a Break… and Chant.................................................................................................62
New Words...........................................................................................................................62
Reading Sentences...............................................................................................................62
New Concepts......................................................................................................................62
Present Tense Revisited......................................................................................................63
Exercise 4.3...........................................................................................................................64
4.4 The Future Tense..........................................................................................................................64