Aramaic alphabet

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Aramaic alphabet
Type:	Abjad
Languages:	Aramaic, Hebrew, Syriac, Mandaic
Time period:	600 BCE to 600 CE
Parent writing systems:	Proto-Canaanite alphabet Phoenician alphabet Aramaic alphabet
Child writing systems:	Hebrew, Nabataean, Syriac, Palmyrenean and Mandaic
Note: This page may contain IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. See IPA chart for English for an English-based pronunciation key.

Bilingual inscription (Greek and Aramaic) by the Indian emperor Ashoka the Great, 3rd century BC.

History of the Alphabet
Middle Bronze Age 19–15th c. BC Canaanite-Phoenician 14th c. BC Paleo-Hebrew 10th c. BC Aramaic 9th c. BC Brāhmī & Indic 6th c. BC Tibetan 7th c. Khmer/Javanese 9th c. Hebrew 3rd c. BC Syriac 2nd c. BC Nabatean 2nd c. BC Arabic 4th c. Avestan 4th to 6th c. Greek 9th c. BC Etruscan 8th c. BC Latin 7th c. BC Runes 2nd c. Ogham 4th c. Gothic 4th c. Armenian 405 Glagolitic 862 Cyrillic 10th c. Samaritan 6th c. BC Iberian 6th c. BC Epigraphic South Arabian 9th c. BC Ge'ez 5–6th c. BC
Meroitic 3rd c. BC
Complete genealogy

History of the Alphabet

Middle Bronze Age 19–15th c. BC

Canaanite-Phoenician 14th c. BC
- Paleo-Hebrew 10th c. BC
- Aramaic 9th c. BC
  - Brāhmī & Indic 6th c. BC
    - Tibetan 7th c.
    - Khmer/Javanese 9th c.
  - Hebrew 3rd c. BC
  - Syriac 2nd c. BC
    - Nabatean 2nd c. BC
      - Arabic 4th c.
  - Avestan 4th to 6th c.
- Greek 9th c. BC
  - Etruscan 8th c. BC
    - Latin 7th c. BC
    - Runes 2nd c.
    - Ogham 4th c.
  - Gothic 4th c.
  - Armenian 405
  - Glagolitic 862
  - Cyrillic 10th c.
- Samaritan 6th c. BC
- Iberian 6th c. BC
Epigraphic South Arabian 9th c. BC
- Ge'ez 5–6th c. BC

Meroitic 3rd c. BC

Complete genealogy

The Aramaic alphabet is an abjad alphabet designed for writing the Aramaic language. As with other abjads, the letters all represent consonants; a few matres lectionis are consonants that also represent long vowels.

The earliest inscriptions in the Aramaic language use the Phoenician alphabet. In time, the alphabet developed into the form shown below. The use of Aramaic as a lingua franca throughout the Middle East from the 8th century BCE led to the gradual adoption of the Aramaic alphabet for writing Hebrew. Formerly, Hebrew had been written using an alphabet closer in form to that of Phoenician (the Paleo-Hebrew alphabet).

The Hebrew and Nabataean alphabets are little changed in style from the Aramaic alphabet. The development of cursive versions of Aramaic led to the creation of the Syriac, Palmyrenean and Mandaic alphabets. These scripts formed the basis of the Arabic, Sogdian, Orkhon and Mongolian alphabets. Controversially, it is claimed that the Aramaic alphabet may be the forebear of the Indic alphabets.

Today, Biblical Aramaic, Jewish Neo-Aramaic dialects and the Aramaic language of the Talmud are written in the Hebrew alphabet. Syriac and Christian Neo-Aramaic dialects are written in the Syriac alphabet. Mandaic is written in the Mandaic alphabet.

[edit] Imperial Aramaic alphabet

Redrawn from A Grammar of Biblical Aramaic, Franz Rosenthal; forms are as used in Egypt, 5th century BCE. Names are as in Biblical Aramaic.

Letter name	Letter form	Equivalent Hebrew	Pronunciation
Aleph		א	glottal stop; ā, ē
Beth		ב	b, v
Gimel		ג	g, gh
Daleth		ד	d, dh
Heh		ה	h
Vav		ו	w; ō, ū
Zayin		ז	z
Heth		ח	[ħ] (voiceless pharyngeal fricative)
Teth		ט	emphatic [tˁ]
Yodh		י	y; ī, ē
Kaph		ך / כ	k
Lamed		ל	l
Mem		ם / מ	m
Nun		ן / נ	n
Samekh		ס	s
Ayin		ע	voiced pharyngeal fricative
Pe		ף / פ	p, f
Tsadi	,	ץ / צ	emphatic Ts
Qoph		ק	q (voiceless uvular plosive)
Resh		ר	r
Sin/Shin		ש	usually sh; in some words s (probably originally from a Proto-Semitic voiceless lateral fricative)
Tav		ת	t, t