Northeastern Neo-Aramaic
Northeastern Neo-Aramaic (also called Assyrian Neo-Aramaic, Chaldean Neo-Aramaic, or Sureth) is a Northwestern Semitic language that developed from ancient Aramaic, which has been spoken for over 2,800 years and was historically the lingua franca of the Near East. Today, it is primarily spoken by Assyrians, many of whom belong to churches such as the Assyrian Church of the East and the Chaldean Catholic Church, among others.
In Iraq, the language is mainly spoken in the Nineveh Plains and the cities around Mosul, Duhok, Ankawa, Aqrah, Mangesh, Tel Keipeh, Baghdeda, Tel Skuf, Baqofah, Batnaya, Bartella, Sirnak-Cizre (Bohtan), Arbil, Kirkuk, Araden, Barwari, Alqosh and many more Iraqi villages in the north with each village where the language is spoken having their own dialect. It is widely disputed as one of the oldest languages spoken in the modern Neo-Aramaic period (911–609 B.C.).
The writing system used by most Semitic languages during the modern Neo-Aramaic period was the cuneiform writing system (clay tablets) which was in use from the beginning and to about 750 B.C. Northeastern Neo-Aramaic, part of the Semitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic family, is spoken by approximately 220,000 people in Iraq, Syria, Turkey, and the Assyrian diaspora. It is a vital language for the cultural and religious identity of the Assyro-Chaldean people.
