Turoyo | |
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Surayt | |
ܛܘܪܝܐ Ṭûrôyo ܣܘܼܪܲܝܬ Ṣurayt ܣܘܪܝܝܐ Suryoyo |
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Pronunciation | [tˤurˈɔjɔ], [sˤuˈrajt], [surˈjɔjɔ] |
Native to | Turkey, Syria |
Region | Mardin Province of southeastern Turkey; Al-Hasakah and Qamishli in northeastern Syria |
Native speakers
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62,000 (1994) |
Syriac (Serto alphabet); Latin has been modified for writing Turoyo in Sweden by Yusuf Ishaq and Germany by Silas Üzel | |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-3 |
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Glottolog | turo1239 |
Turoyo (also Suryoyo, Suroyo or Western Syriac) is an Eastern Aramaic language traditionally spoken in eastern Turkey and north-eastern Syria by Assyrian people of the Syriac Christian faith. Most speakers use the Classical Syriac language, which originated in 5th century BC Achaemenid Assyria for literature and worship.
Turoyo speakers are currently mostly members of the Syriac Orthodox Church, but there are also Turoyo-speaking members of the Chaldean Catholic Church, especially from the town of Midyat, and of the Assyrian Church of the East.
Turoyo is not mutually intelligible with Western Neo-Aramaic having been separated for over a thousand years, while mutual intelligibility with Assyrian Neo-Aramaic and Chaldean Neo-Aramaic is considerable, but to a limited degree.
Contrary to what these language names suggest, they are not specific to a particular church, with members of the Assyrian Church of the East and Chaldean Catholic Church speaking Turoyo, and members of the Syriac Orthodox Church speaking Assyrian or Chaldean Neo-Aramaic dialects.
From the word ṭuro, meaning 'mountain', Ṭuroyo is the mountain tongue of the Tur Abdin in southeastern Turkey.