The neo-Aramaic dialect of Bohtan

About this book

This volume describes the Neo-Aramaic dialect that is spoken by the descendants of the inhabitants of a cluster of villages in the Siirt province of South-East Turkey. The speakers of this dialect fled their homes in 1915, during a period of massacres that claimed the lives of most of the Christians of their district. After a lengthy period in Azerbaijan and seven years in Siberian exile, the members of the community now live in Russia on the Northern fringes of the Caucasus. The number of remaining speakers does not exceed a few hundred. This volume is based on fieldwork carried out by the author with speakers of the dialect in Russia, Georgia, and the United States. The dialect differs strikingly from all other attested forms of Neo-Aramaic in its phonology, its morphology, and its syntax. The influence of Kurdish is pervasive, and is felt particularly strongly in the syntax and the vocabulary. The volume contains a general introduction with information on the speakers and their history, a grammatical description, transcribed and translated texts, and a glossary with etymological notes.