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It would be sheer folly to discuss "Aramaic language and the Assyrians" without first talking a little about Akkadian, Assyro-Babylonian, language and also saying one or two words about Sumerian language.
In many universities of the world Assyro-Babylonian, Akkadian, language is taught. It is 'notorious' for being, by comparison, a difficult language to learn, and particularly to have a command of it; but it is well known for being a 'cultured' language. It is the favourite of the students of the ancient Eastern languages, and perhaps more so of the Assyriologists; I presume they have to learn it as part of their studies. Akkadian is (most probably) the first Semitic language and was spoken (in diminishing extent) in Mesopotamia from before the third to well after the first millennium BC. Before 3000 BC Akkadian was also used by Sumerians, who had their own language (Sumerian language); however, as the name 'Assyro-Babylonian' suggests it was indigenous to the peoples of Assyria and Babylonia.
Sumerian language, known as the earliest language and also the oldest written (written in cuneiform) language, 'began its existence' around 7000 years ago. Sumeria is said to be the earliest civilization. Sumerian language was thought to be the root of Semitic languages, however, it does not seem to be so. In fact the origin or the emergence of this language (or simply its development) is not very clear. We know, however that it was a language fairly rich in myths, epics, hymns, and rituals. There has been without any doubt, culturally, some Sumerian influence in Mesopotamia.
Akkadian language was written in Cuneiform, containing about 700 word and syllable signs. It has a fairly proper grammar, but not an easy grammar. Doctor Brinkman, professor of Semitic languages, says probably the main reason that Assyrians 'switched' from Akkadian to Aramaic was that the former is by far more difficult to learn than the latter. I doubt if such notion or theory is true. This linguistic 'switching' process was mainly due to some important social and political factors. The truth is that Aramaic is by far richer, and probably in all linguistic aspects a 'better' language than Akkadian. There is something special about Aramaic. There is a beauty and a 'spiritual element' about it; perhaps it is the most spiritual language, particularly when it comes to metaphors, parables and so on. It is both holistic and mystical.
Aramaic language is the 'Linguistic Heritage' of the Assyrians'. They are the heirs to this precious language. They 'inherited' it from their 'cousins', the Arameans, who were the indigenous speakers of Aramaic language. Assyrian people love their language; it is the only thing, and a precious thing, that is left for them from the past. Despite the continual plight and persecutions over the centuries that they have been through, Assyrians have managed to take 'good care' of their language. Moreover, their scholars in the past have enriched its grammar and enhanced its philological beauty. Eshoo Msheekha (Jesus Christ) spoke this language; this is a blessing which has enabled them to persevere in life ----- a life filled with upheavals and so many tragedies.
The only speakers of Aramaic until around 950 BC were the Aramans. Aramean Kingdom consisted of tribal territories - around forty of them; this Kingdom was adjacent to Assyrian Empire. It was in the nineth century BC that Aramaic began gradually making its 'linguistic spreading' in Assyria; thus very soon it became the second language of the Assyrians. At this stage it was 'rivalling', in importance and in influence, the Akkadian language, in fact so much so that it became the language of administration in governmental departments of Assyria. By 750 BC (some sources say around 800 Bc) Aramaic supplanted Akkadian. However, though it was no longer spoken, Akkadian language in Mesopotamia was not extinct until around 150 BC.
The Aramaic 'imported' to Assyria was the 'old Aramaic'. And by the time it supplanted Akkadian as the first language in Assyria, Aramaic had already been through some 'linguistic refinement' -----refined by the Assyrians who inherently have a love for words and languages (philology). At this stage, this evolving language (Aramaic) was referred to as 'imperial Aramaic', or as later was called Aramayah d'Ashuraye (Assyrian Aramaic). Not immediately (as some scholars in this field think) but after some decades Aramaic began gradually spreading out from Assyria to Babylonia. It did not supplant the Akkadian language in Babylon as quickly as it did in Assyria; this took place not before 650 BC (I presume between 630 and 620 BC).
From around 600 BC Aramaic began to spread out beyond the boundaries of Mesopotamia. The whole process of this 'liguistic migration' was so fast that decades later, less than a century, Aramaic became the Lingua Franca of nearly all Middle Eastern countries; then gradually it was also welcomed in many other parts of the world. For a few centuries Aramaic also became the language of Persia.
Encyclopaedia Britannica says,
"Aramaic is thought first to have appeared among Arameans about the 11th century BC. By the 8th century BC it had become accepted by the Assyrians as a second language. The mass deportation of people by the Assyrians and the use of Aramaic as a Lingua Franca by Babylonian merchants served to spread the language so that in the 7th and 6th centuries BC, it gradually supplanted Akkadian as the lingua franca of Middle East. It subsequently became the official language of Achaemian Persian dynasty (559-330 BC)."
Not only was Aramaic language an international language but also it served as the source of helping many Eastern and Western languages in their development, particularly it played an important role in the development of the Arabic and Hebrew languages. In fact the present Hebrew alphabet is based on (or derived from) Aramaic alphabet, and this applies to many other languages too.
Paul Younan, who is an Aramaic scholar, says,
"Aramaic was the first lingua-franca. It also served as a basis for almost every Western-based alphabet in existence, from Greek to English and from Hebrew to Arabic as well as various Asian Scripts used in India and Mongolia."
Until 250 BC Aramaic had not been diversified into different versions or dialects. Around 100 BC there were two or possibly three versions of this language. The diversification of Aramaic took place between 500 and 1000 AD. Assyrians, the 'inheriters' of the original Aramaic, were still developing their language. Such development mostly was taking place in Edessa, which was the cultural centre and a city renowned for its schools and eminent scholars. In the West the Aramaic that was developed in Edessa is called 'Syriac' which is a misnomer;' it should be 'Assyriac'. The term 'Syrian' was coined by the Greeks when referring to 'Assyrian'. Edessan classic Assyriac is noted for its richness and spiritual quality. Perhaps these linguistic preparations had to take place ------- preparing the kind of language that was going to be spoken by Eshoo Msheekha (Jesus Christ); and indeed, this is what happened!
The biblical Aramaic is the classic Aramaic referred to as 'Pshitta' which is the 'Official Version' of the Assyrian Church of the East; it is 'the enriched original version'. It is the language that Christ spoke throughout his ministry on Earth; it is the language in which He conversed with His disciples and preached his 'Sermon on the Mount' and told His parables; and it is the language in which the Gospel of the Lord was preached. We are told, and we know that it is true, that Our Lord spoke the Galilean Aramaic. Indeed, both Pshitta Aramaic and Galilean Aramaic are 'Aramayah d'Ashurayeh (meaning 'Assyrian Aramaic'), but with a difference: Peshitta Aramaic is the 'Special Version, The Literary Form', and Galilean Aramaic was the 'Common Speech' (the vernacular) of the Galileans. Put another way, Galilean dialect was the colloquialism of the Version called Peshitta. Here it is noteworthy to mention, and it is also important to know, that the Galileans were Ashurayeh, Assyrians, who had moved, migrated, centuries before to that region of Palestine called Galilee. Jesus grew up and lived among Galileans in the city of Nazareth in Galilee.
The view that the New Testament was first penned in Aramaic, the Peshitta Version, is becoming more and more accepted even by the 'sceptic Western biblical scholars'. In His address to the Assyrians in America His Holiness Mar Eshai Shimun, the Patriarch of the Church of the East, said,
"Many of our Assyrian people in America unfortunately are unaware of the Key which we hold to the scriptures, and especially to the New Testament, through the Aramaic language, the language which our Lord Jesus Christ spoke and preached during His mission on Earth."
The treasure of Aramaic language available today is priceless. Most (at least seventy percent) of this literature is the product of the Assyrian writers including many of their eminent scholars and also some of the theologians of the Church of the East. Paul Younan says,
"Aramaic literature encompasses a treasure of nearly 3,000 years of Assyrian civilization including our versions of the Bible (The Peshitta), hymns and poems, translations of Greek works, biblical commentaries, historical works, laws, compilation of the lives of saints and works about philosophy, grammar, medicine and science."
Aramaic is divided into two main branches: Eastern Aramaic (which can be traced back to the original, old, Aramaic), and Western Aramaic. There are nearly, if not exactly, twenty 'kinds' of Aramaic; some of them are Versions and the rest, most of them, are Dialects. One or perhaps two of them are Western, the rest are all Eastern Aramaic. The terms 'Eastern' and 'Western' Aramaic refer to the geographical regions in Middle East that the language in question was spoken.
Today Assyrians, among themselves, usually refer to their language as Leeshana Ashuraya (or Atoraya), meaning 'Assyrian language'. Well, having spoken it for nearly 3000 years they have every right to think of it and to call it 'Assyrian language'. However, it should be referred to, by other peoples and in other languages as Aramaic, Assyrian Aramaic, or Assyriac Aramaic, but never Syriac or Syriac Aramaic.