Bohtan Neo-Aramaic
| Bohtan Neo-Aramaic | |
|---|---|
| ܣܘܪܬ Sôreth | |
| Native to | Georgia, formerly Russia |
| Region | mainly in Krymsk and Novopavlosk |
|
Native speakers
|
less than 500 (2009) |
|
Afro-Asiatic
|
|
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | |
| Glottolog | boht1238 |
Bohtan Neo-Aramaic is a modern Eastern Neo-Aramaic language. Originally, Bohtan Neo-Aramaic was spoken on the Plain of Bohtan in Şırnak Province of southeastern Turkey as well in the village of Gardabani, near Rustavi in Georgia. However it is now spoken in Krymsk and Novopavlosk, Russia.
Before World War I, there were around 30,000 speakers of Bohtan Neo-Aramaic on the Plain of Bohtan, around the town of Cizre in Turkey's Sirnak Province. Mostly Assyrian Christians, their language was a northern dialect of Chaldean Neo-Aramaic, but already somewhat more conservative than the standard Alqosh dialect. With the Assyrian Genocide that hit the Assyrians in eastern Turkey at the end of the war, many were forced from their homes.
A decimated population travelled from Bohtan and eventually resettled in Garbadani in southeastern Georgia, 530 km from their original home. Many of the speakers of Bohtan Neo-Aramaic are over sixty year of age. The younger generations tend to use Georgian or Russian instead. According to recent studies, these communities have moved to Southern Russia, in the towns of Krymsk and Novopavlosk
This dialect is derived from the Northeastern Neo-Aramaic (NENA) languages, which is made up by Bohtan Neo-Aramaic, Assyrian Neo-Aramaic, Chaldian Neo-Aramaic, Hertevin, Senaya and Koy Sanjat Surat. Bohtan refers to the area between the Tigris and Bohtan river . The dialect mostly spoken by Christian communities.
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