Also Known As: Lshan Sray,Christian Neo-aramaic,Shan Gyanan,Soray,Sena:ya,Shan Sray,Sray,Senaya
Description:
The Senaya language is a modern Eastern Aramaic or Syriac language. It is the language of Assyrians originally from Sanandaj in Iranian Kurdistan. Most Senaya speakers now live in California, United States and few families still live in Tehran, Iran. They are mostly members of the Chaldean Catholic Church.
The city of Sanandaj is at the southeastern periphery of the area of spoken modern Aramaic languages. Its geography makes the Neo-Aramaic of Sanandaj quite distinct from other dialects. Two different colloquial Aramaic dialects developed in Sanandaj: Jewish Hulaula and Christian Senaya. The two languages developed along different lines, so that the two are not mutually comprehensible. One distinctive difference between the two is the sound change associated with the Middle Aramaic fricative θ (th), often rendered as l in Hulaula, and s in Senaya. For example, mîθa, 'dead', is mîsa in Senaya, and mîla in Hulaula.
Most Senaya speakers are members of the Chaldean Catholic Church, which broke away from the Assyrian Church of the East in the 16th century and entered into communion with the Roman Catholic Church. However, Senaya is incomprehensible to speakers of Chaldean Neo-Aramaic,..... full article at Wikipedia |
Location of Senaya Language Speakers
<googlemap zoom="1" width=400 height=300 lat="41.759171" lon="78.494595" type="map">
33.680361, 51.168877, Iran
49.837982, 105.820313, Asia</googlemap>
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