Loanwords in Assyrian Neo-Aramaic came about mostly due to the contact between Assyrian people and Arabs, Persians, Kurds and Turks in modern history, and can also be found in the other two major dialects spoken by the Assyrian people, these being Chaldean Neo-Aramaic and Turoyo.[1] Assyrian is one of the few languages where most of its foreign words come from a different language family (in this case, Indo-European).[2]
Unlike other Neo-Aramaic languages, Assyrian has an extensive number of latterly introduced Iranian loanwords.[3] Depending on the dialect, Arabic loanwords are also reasonably present.[4] Some Turkish loanwords are Turkified words that are of Arabic origin.[5] To note, some of the loanwords are revised (or "Assyrianized") and therefore would sound somewhat different to the original word.[6] Furthermore, some loanwords may also have a slightly different meaning from the original language.[7]
Below is a list of loanwords in Assyrian Neo-Aramaic, separated into sections based on the source language.
Notes:
| Assyrian Word | Original Word | Part of Speech | Meaning | Notes | Classical Syriac equivalent | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transliteration | Spelling | ||||||
| ʿáskari | عَسْكَرِيّ | noun | soldier | Middle Persian loanword. | pālḥā | ܦܠܚܐ | |
| ʿaskariya | عَسْكَرِيَّة | noun | military | gaysā | ܓܝܣܐ | ||
| ʾalasás | عَلَى الأَسَاس | adverb | as if; basically; allegedly | Some speakers. | šəʾīlāʾīṯ | ܫܐܝܠܐܝܬ | |
| bas | بس | conjunction; adverb | but; only | Persian loanword. Some speakers. | ʾellā | ܐܠܐ | |
| buri | بُورِي | noun | water pipe | Colloquial Iraqi Arabic. | zamrūrā | ܙܡܪܘܪܐ | |
| dunye, dunya | دُنْيَا | noun | world | ʿālmā | ܥܠܡܐ | ||
| fundiq | فُنْدُق | noun | hotel | Ancient Greek loanword. | puttəqā | ܦܘܬܩܐ | |
| ġarī́b | غريب | adjective | strange | Some speakers. | nūḵrāyā | ܢܘܟܪܝܐ | |
| ġassala | غَسَّالَة | noun | washing machine | ||||
| ḥukma, xukma | حُكُومَة | noun | government | məḏabbərānūṯā | ܡܕܒܪܢܘܬܐ | ||
| ʾishā́l | إِسْهَال | noun | diarrhea | Some speakers. | šərāytā | ܫܪܝܬܐ | |
| jizdán(a) | جزدان | noun | wallet | tarmālā | ܬܪܡܠܐ | ||
| majbur | مُجْبَر | adjective | forced, obliged | rəḇīṣā | ܪܒܝܨܐ | ||
| maymun | مَيْمُون | noun | monkey | qōp̄ā | ܩܘܦܐ | ||
| mŭḥami | مُحَامِي | noun | lawyer | Some speakers. | sāfrā | ܣܦܪܐ | |
| mustašfa | مُسْتَشْفًى | noun | hospital | bêṯ kərīhē | ܒܝܬ ܟܪ̈ܝܗܐ | ||
| qăṣitt | قَصْد | noun | story, tale | Cf. Kurdish qesd. | tūnnāyā | ܬܘܢܝܐ | |
| qiṣṣa | noun | forehead | bêṯ gəḇīnē | ܒܝܬ ܓܒܝܢ̈ܐ | |||
| ṣādra | صَدْر | noun | chest (anatomy) | ḥaḏyā | ܚܕܝܐ | ||
| ṣāḥ, ṣāx | صِحَّة | noun | health | ḥūlmānā | ܚܘܠܡܢܐ | ||
| ṣāḥḥi | صِحِّيّ | adjective | healthy | ḥūlmānāyā | ܚܘܠܡܢܝܐ | ||
| sijin | سِجْن | noun | jail; prison | Some speakers. | bêṯ ʾăsīrē | ܒܝܬ ܐܣܝܪ̈ܐ | |
| ṯallaja | ثَلَّاجَة | noun | refrigerator | Some speakers. | |||
| ṭiyara | طَيَّارَة | noun | aeroplane | ||||
| ʾuti | noun | clothes iron | Turkic loanword. | ||||
| yālla | ياالله | interjection | hurry up; let's go, come on | Some speakers. | baʿəḡal | ܒܥܓܠ | |
| Assyrian Word | Original Word | Part of Speech | Meaning | Notes | Classical Syriac equivalent | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transliteration | Spelling | ||||||
| biš, buš | بیش | adverb | more | yattīr | ܝܬܝܪ | ||
| čamča | چمچه | noun | spoon | tarwāḏā | ܬܪܘܕܐ | ||
| čangal | چنگال | noun | fork | mašləyā | ܡܫܠܝܐ | ||
| čanta, janta | چنته | noun | purse; backpack | kīsā | ܟܝܣܐ | ||
| čarikk | چارک | noun | quarter, fourth | rūḇʿā | ܪܘܒܥܐ | ||
| darde | درد | noun | sorrow, pain | kēḇā | ܟܐܒܐ | ||
| darmana | درمان | noun | medicine, drug | Also borrowed into Classical Syriac. | sammā, darmānā | ܕܪܡܢܐ, ܣܡܐ | |
| ʾerzan | ارزان | adjective | cheap, inexpensive | zəʿōr dəmayyā | ܙܥܘܪ ܕܡܝܐ | ||
| gĕran, gran, ʾagran | گران | adjective | expensive | saggī dəmayyā | ܣܓܝ ܕܡܝܐ | ||
| halbatte, halbat | البته | interjection; adverb | of course; naturally | ||||
| ham | هم | adverb | also | ʾāp̄ | ܐܦ | ||
| hič | هیچ | determiner | no, none; nothing | lā; lā meddem | ܠܐ
| ||
| mēs | میز | noun | table | pāṯūrā | ܦܬܘܪܐ | ||
| parda | پرده | noun | curtain | prāsā, pirsā | ܦܪܣܐ | ||
| penjar(a) | پنجره | noun | window | kawwəṯā | ܟܘܬܐ | ||
| rang(a) | رنگ | noun | colour | ṣeḇʿā | ܨܒܥܐ | ||
| razi | راضی | adjective | satisfied, content | Arabic loanword. | raʿyā | ܪܥܝܐ | |
| sabab | سبب | noun; conjunction | reason; because | Arabic loanword. | ʿelləṯā | ܥܠܬܐ | |
| sanā́y, ʾasanā́y, hasanā́y | آسان | adjective | easy | pəšīqā | ܦܫܝܩܐ | ||
| tambal | تنبل | adjective | lazy | ḥəḇannānā | ܚܒܢܢܐ | ||
| xyara | خیار | noun | cucumber | Also borrowed into Classical Syriac. | ḵəyārā | ܟܝܪܐ | |
| zahmat, zamit | زحمت | noun; adjective | trouble, difficulty; troublesome, difficult | Arabic loanword. | qašyā | ܩܫܝܐ | |
| zarda | زرد | noun; adjective | yellow; yellowish | Some speakers. | šāʿūṯā; šāʿūṯānāyā | ܫܥܘܬܐ
| |
| Assyrian Word | Original Word | Part of Speech | Meaning | Notes | Classical Syriac equivalent | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transliteration | Spelling | ||||||
| č̣aṗṗe, č̣aṗle | çep | noun | left | semmālā | ܣܡܠܐ | ||
| čŭ | çuh | determiner | no; not | Some speakers. | lā | ܠܐ | |
| hawar | hewar | noun | aid | ʿūḏrānā | ܥܘܕܪܢܐ | ||
| hiwi | hêvî | noun | hope | saḇrā | ܣܒܪܐ | ||
| jamikka | cêmik | noun | twin | Cognate with Latin geminus, French jumeau, Portuguese gêmeo. | tāmā | ܬܐܡܐ | |
| ḳuṗṗala | kopal | noun | staff, cane | Cf. Persian کوپال. | šaḇṭā | ܫܒܛܐ | |
| mra(z)zole | verb | lecturing, scolding | Arabic loanword. | gəʿar | ܓܥܪ | ||
| qonya | noun | drain; well | bālōʿtā; bērā | ܒܠܘܥܬܐ
| |||
| ṣola | sol | noun | shoe | Cognate with English sole, Latin solea. | məsānā | ܡܣܐܢܐ | |
| zăra | zer | noun; adjective | yellow; yellowish | Some speakers. | šāʿūṯā; šāʿūṯānāyā | ܫܥܘܬܐ
| |
| Assyrian Word | Original Word | Part of Speech | Meaning | Notes | Classical Syriac equivalent | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Modern | Ottoman | Transliteration | Spelling | |||||
| belki, balkit | belki | بلکه | adverb | maybe | From Persian balke (بلکه, "but"). | kəḇar | ܟܒܪ | |
| čakuč | çekiç | چكیچ | noun | hammer | From Persian čakoš (چکش, "hammer"). | marzap̄tā, ʾarzap̄tā | ܡܪܙܦܬܐ, ܐܪܙܦܬܐ | |
| dabanja | tabanca | طبانجه | noun | pistol, gun | ||||
| dūs, dus | düz | دوز | adjective | straight, flat; correct | tərīṣā | ܬܪܝܨܐ | ||
| gami | gemi | noun | boat, ship | ʾelpā, səp̄ī[n]tā | ܐܠܦܐ, ܣܦܝܢܬܐ | |||
| hazir | hazır | حاضر | adjective | ready | From Arabic ḥāḍir (حَاضِر, "present"). | ʿəṯīḏā | ܥܬܝܕܐ | |
| kismet | kısmet | قسمت | noun | fate | From Arabic qisma (قِسْمَة, "division"). | gaddā | ܓܕܐ | |
| pežgir | peşkir | پیشگیر | noun | towel | From Persian pišgir (پیشگیر). | šūšippā, šōšippā | ܫܘܫܦܐ | |
| rahat | rahat | راحت | adjective | comfortable | From Arabic rāḥa (رَاحَة, "relaxation"). | šalyā | ܫܠܝܐ | |
| saʾatt | saat | ساعت | noun | hour; clock | From Arabic sāʿa (سَاعَة), itself probably borrowed from Aramaic. | šāʿṯā | ܫܥܬܐ | |
| tammiz, tammis | temiz | تمیز | adjective | clean, tidy | From Arabic tamyīz (تَمْيِيز, "refinement"). | daḵyā | ܕܟܝܐ | |
| tōs, taws | toz | توز | noun | dust | ʾaḇqā | ܐܒܩܐ | ||
| zengin | zengin | زنگين | adjective | rich, wealthy | From Persian sangin (سنگين, "heavy"). | ʿattīrā | ܥܬܝܪܐ | |
These foreign words are borrowed from European languages:
| Assyrian Word | Original Word | Part of Speech | Meaning | Notes | Classical Syriac equivalent | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transliteration | Spelling | ||||||
| ʾatmabel, ʾatnabel | English, French: automobile | noun | automobile, car | Classical Syriac equivalent is a neologism. | rāḏāytā | ܪܕܝܬܐ | |
| benzin, benzil | German Benzin | noun | petrol/gasoline | ||||
| batri | French: batterie, English: battery | noun | battery | baṭrīṯā | ܒܛܪܝܬܐ | ||
| bāy | English: bye | interjection | bye | pōš ba-šəlāmā | ܦܘܫ ܒܫܠܡܐ | ||
| bira | Italian birra, from Latin: bibere | noun | beer | pezzā | ܦܙܐ | ||
| bomba | English: bomb, French: bombe | noun | bomb | From Ancient Greek bómbos (βόμβος). | |||
| glās | English: glass | noun | cup (not necessarily made of glass) | kāsā | ܟܣܐ | ||
| ha(l)lo | English: hello | interjection | hello, greetings | šəlāmā | ܫܠܡܐ | ||
| lori | English: lorry | noun | lorry/truck | ||||
| mašina | Russian mašína (маши́на) | noun | train; automobile | Meaning differs depending on the speaker, dialect and/or context. Ultimately from Ancient Greek mēkhanḗ (μηχανή). | qṭārā | ܩܛܪܐ | |
| mčayyoke | English: check | verb | checking, inspecting | The noun Old French eschec, from medieval Latin scaccus, via Arabic from Persian šāh (شاه, "king"). | bəḏaq | ܒܕܩ | |
| pakit(a) | English: packet | noun | packet | ||||
| stōp | English: stove | noun | stove; heater | təp̄ayyā, təp̄āyā | ܬܦܝܐ | ||
| stumka, ʾisṭumka | Ancient Greek stómakhos (στόμαχος) | noun | stomach | Also borrowed into Classical Syriac. Cognate with English stomach. | karsā, ʾesṭōmka | ܟܪܣܐ, ܐܣܛܘܡܟܐ | |
| tĭlifón | English: telephone | noun | telephone | Coined from Ancient Greek têle (τῆλε, “afar”) and phōnḗ (φωνή, “voice, sound”). | rūḥqqālā | ܪܘܚܩܩܠܐ | |
| tilvizyón | English: television | noun | television | Coined from Ancient Greek têle (τῆλε, “afar”) and Latin vīsiō ("vision, seeing"). Classical Syriac equivalent is a neologism. | pərās ḥezwā | ܦܪܣ ܚܙܘܐ | |