Syrian Arabic refers to any of the Arabic varieties spoken in Syria, or specifically to Levantine Arabic.
Aleppo, Idlib, and Coastal dialects
Aleppo and surroundings Characterized by the imperfect with a-: ašṛab ‘I drink’, ašūf ‘I see’, and by a pronounced ʾimāla of the type sēfaṛ/ysēfer, with subdialects:
Muslim Aleppine Christian Aleppine Rural dialects similar to Muslim Aleppine Mountain dialects Rural dialects Bēbi (əlBāb) Mixed dialects
Idlib and surroundings These dialects are transitional between the Aleppine and the Coastal and Central dialects. They are characterized by *q > ʔ, ʾimāla of the type sāfaṛ/ysēfer and ṣālaḥ/yṣēliḥ, diphthongs in every position, a- elision (+t > , but +it > ), type perfect, ʾimāla in reflexes of *CāʔiC, and vocabulary such as "plow sole".
Coast and coastal mountains Source:
These dialects are characterized by diphthongs only in open syllables: bēt/bayti ‘house/my house’, ṣōt/ṣawti ‘voice/my voice’, but ā is found in many lexemes for both *ay and *aw (sāf, yām). There is pronounced ʾimāla. Unstressed a is elided or raised to i and u whenever possible: +t > , +it > , +it > , +t > , +ayt > , +t > , * > > , * > . The feminine plural demonstrative pronoun is , or . It can be divided into several subdialects:
Transitional between Idlib and the northern coastal dialects Northern coastal dialects (Swaydīye) Northern coastal dialects Latakia Central coastal dialects Mḥardi Banyās Southern coastal dialects Tartūs, Arwad Alawite and Ismaelite dialects
Central dialects In this area, predominantly *ay, aw > ē, ō. Mostly, there is no ʾimāla, and a-elision is only weakly developed. Word-final *-a > -i operates. Several dialects exist in this area:
Central-North Leans toward the Idlib and Coastal dialects. Preservation of *q, 2nd masc. inti, 2nd fem. inte, feminine forms in the plural , .
Tayybet əlʔImām / Sōrān Preservation of interdentals. 2/3 pl. masc. ending -a: , , , . 2nd plural m/f inta - . 3rd plural m/f hinhan - . The perfect of the primae alif verbs are ake, axe. In the imperfect, yāka, yāxa. The participle is mēke.
Hama Characterized by *q > ʔ; preservation of *ǧ; six short vowels: a, ǝ, e, i, o, u, and six long vowels: ā, ǟ, ē, ī, ō, ū.
Central-South w/ *q > q Preservation of *q.
Central-South w/ *q > ʔ Characterized by *q > ʔ.
Bedouin-Sedentary mixed dialect Preservation of interdentals and terms like alhaz "now".
Central Syrian dialect continuum, steppe dialects and steppe's edge Source:
Suxni Characterized by *q > k, *g > c [ts], *k > č, and ʾimāla of type *lisān > lsīn. Distinctive pronouns are . aham and . suffix -či. The suffix of the verbal a-Type is -at, and i-Type perfects take the form ʾílbis "he got dressed".
Palmyrene Characterized by preserved *q, *g > č, and unconditioned ʾimāla in hēda. Distinctive pronouns are ahu - hinna, and . suffix -ki. The suffix of the verbal a-Type is -at, and i-Type perfects take the form ʾílbis "he got dressed".
Qarawi Characterized by preserved *q and unconditioned ʾimāla in hēda. Distinctive pronouns are hunni - hinni. The suffix of the verbal a-Type is -at, and i-Type perfects take the form lbīs "he got dressed".
Saddi Characterized by preserved *q and pronouns hūwun - hīyin. The suffix of the verbal a-Type is -at.
Rastan Characterized by preserved *q and the changes masaku > masakaw# and masakin > masake:n# in pause. Distinctive pronouns are . hinne, and the suffix of the verbal a-Type is -at.
Nabki Characterized by *q > ʔ, and *ay, *aw > ā. The shifts *CaCC > CiCC/CuCC and *CaCaC > CaCōC take place. The ʾimāla is of the i-umlaut type. Distinctive pronouns are . suffix -ke. The a-Type perfects take the form ḍarōb and the i-type lbēs. The suffix of the verbal a-Type is -et, with allophony ḍarbet - ḍárbatu.
Eastern Qalamūn Characterized by *q > ʔ and ʾimāla of the i-umlaut type. Distinctive pronouns are . suffix -a/-e. The suffix of the verbal a-Type is -at.
Mʿaḏ̣ḏ̣amīye Characterized by *q > ʔ and unconditioned ʾimāla in hēda. Distinctive pronouns are . suffix -ki. The perfect conjugation is of the type , similar to the qǝltu dialects of Iraq. Also like qǝltu dialects, it has lengthened forms like ṣafṛā "yellow [fem.]".
Qalamūn The Qalamūn dialects have strong links to Central Lebanese. The short vowels i/u are found in all positions. Pasual kbīr > # and yrūḥ > yrawḥ#. The a-elision is not strongly pronounced. Shortening of unstressed long vowels is characteristic: *sakākīn > sakakīn ‘knives’, fallōḥ/fillaḥīn ‘peasant/peasants’, or fillōḥ/filliḥīn, as in Northwest Aramaic. Conservation of diphthongs and *q > ʔ are common, as well as splitting of ā into ē and ō. As for negation, the type mā- -š is already attested along with the simple negation.
Qara No interdentals
Yabrūdi No interdentals
Central Qalamūn Conservation of interdentals, subdialects:
Ain al-Tinah Central, tends to East Qalamūn Rās ilMaʿarra Gubbe Al-Sarkha (Bakhah) (Western Neo-Aramaic is also spoken in the village) Maʿlūla (Western Neo-Aramaic is also spoken in the village) Jubb'adin / GubbʿAdīn (Western Neo-Aramaic is also spoken in the village)
Southern Qalamūn Conservation of interdentals, a-elision +t > , distinctive pronouns are . . Subdialects are:
ʿAkawbar, Tawwane, Hile Hafīr ilFawqa, Badda Qtayfe Sēdnāya Maʿarrit Sēdnāya Rankūs Talfita Halbūn Hafīr itTahta itTall Mnin Drayj
Northern Barada valley No interdentals, conservation of diphthongs
Sirgāya Blūdān izZabadāni Madāya
Damascus and surroundings
Transitional Damascus - Qalamūn These dialects have no interdentals, no diphthongs, and a reflex of *g > ž. The suffix of the verbal a-Type is -it, ḍarab+it > ḍárbit. The short vowels i/u are found in all positions. Demonstrative plural pronoun .
Damascus
Other dialects, accents, and varieties
Horan dialects The Hauran area is split between Syria and Jordan and speak largely the same dialect Central dialects Gēdūri (transitional) Mountain dialects Zāwye (transitional) Mixed dialect Čanāčer/Zāčye
Mount Hermon and Jabal al-Druze area Dialects of Mount Hermon and Druze have a Lebanese origin Autochthonous sedentary dialects Mount Hermon dialect Druze dialect
Sedentary East Syrian
Mesopotamian (Turkey) Qsōrāni Tall Bēdar Mardilli Azxēni (ǝlMālkīye)
Mesopotamian (Syria) Deir ez-Zor Albū Kmāl
Autochthonous Xātūnī
Bedouin dialects Shawi Arabic and Najdi Arabic are also spoken in Syria.
References
External links