The Koy Sanjaq Surat Alphabet

Q: What is Koy Sanjaq Surat?

Koy Sanjaq Surat (also written Koy Sanjaq Surath, ISO 639-3: kqd) is a Jewish Neo-Aramaic (NENA) language spoken by descendants of the Jewish community of Koy Sanjaq (Koy Sinjaq) — a town in the Erbil Governorate of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq [1] . The word "Surat" is the community's own word for their language (meaning "dialect" or "speech" in Eastern Aramaic). Most speakers migrated to Israel after 1948. The dialect was comprehensively documented by Hezy Mutzafi in a 2004 monograph that serves as the primary reference for the language. Koy Sanjaq Surat belongs to the Southeastern NENA cluster alongside Hulaulá, Lishana Deni, Lishanid Noshan, and Lishan Didan.

Q: What script does Koy Sanjaq Surat use?

Koy Sanjaq Surat is written in the Hebrew square script — the 22-letter consonantal alphabet shared by Hebrew and all other Jewish Aramaic languages [2] . The script is read right to left, with traditional manuscripts written consonantally (unvowelled), vowels inferred from context. Unlike modern Israeli Hebrew, Koy Sanjaq Surat preserves the pharyngeal phonological values of Heth (ח = /ħ/) and Ayin (ע = /ʕ/) in actual pronunciation.

Q: Where is Koy Sanjaq located?

Koy Sanjaq (also spelled Koy Sinjaq, Kurdish: Koysinjaq or Koy) is a town in the Erbil Governorate of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq [1] , located approximately 75 km southeast of Erbil (Hawler). The town was home to a significant Jewish community before 1948, whose descendants now live primarily in Israel. The community's Neo-Aramaic dialect — Koy Sanjaq Surat — bears the name of this town.

Q: What language family does Koy Sanjaq Surat belong to?

Koy Sanjaq Surat belongs to the Afro-Asiatic → Semitic → Aramaic → Eastern Aramaic → Neo-Aramaic → North-Eastern Neo-Aramaic (NENA) → Jewish NENA branch [2] . It is a modern descendant of Imperial Aramaic and Classical Syriac — one of the oldest continuously spoken language families in the world. NENA dialects are the last living Eastern Aramaic languages.

Q: What is the ISO code for Koy Sanjaq Surat?

The ISO 639-3 code for Koy Sanjaq Surat is kqd [1] . The language is documented in Hezy Mutzafi's 2004 monograph (Tel Aviv University) and in the Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon (CAL) at Hebrew Union College. The CAL provides lexical data and grammatical forms for Koy Sanjaq Surat within the broader context of Aramaic language documentation.

Q: How does Koy Sanjaq Surat differ from Hebrew?

Although Koy Sanjaq Surat uses the Hebrew alphabet , it is an Aramaic language , not a form of Hebrew [1] . The key differences: • Language branch : Koy Sanjaq Surat is Aramaic (NENA); Hebrew is Canaanite — both are Semitic but diverged over 3,000 years ago • Pharyngeal consonants : Koy Sanjaq Surat preserves ח as /ħ/ and ע as /ʕ/ in actual pronunciation; modern Israeli Hebrew has largely merged these sounds • Grammar : Koy Sanjaq Surat has its own Aramaic verb system, including the "tiyari" (stream of consciousness) tense, distinct from Hebrew conjugation patterns • Vocabulary : Core vocabulary is Aramaic, with Kurdish, Persian, and Hebrew religious borrowings — not descended from Biblical Hebrew roots The relationship is similar to Spanish and Italian — same script tradition (Latin/Hebrew), related in a broader family, but distinct languages with over 3,000 years of separate development.

Q: Who documented Koy Sanjaq Surat?

Koy Sanjaq Surat was comprehensively documented by Hezy Mutzafi of Tel Aviv University, whose 2004 monograph remains the primary reference [1] . Mutzafi conducted fieldwork with elderly speakers in Israel, recording phonology, morphology, syntax, and an extensive lexicon. The monograph includes texts — stories, songs, and speech samples — preserving the oral tradition of the Koy Sanjaq Jewish community in its original Aramaic form. The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon (CAL) at Hebrew Union College provides additional lexical data, linking Koy Sanjaq Surat to the ancient Aramaic lexical tradition.

Q: Is Koy Sanjaq Surat still spoken?

Koy Sanjaq Surat is severely endangered , with fluent speakers now primarily elderly members of the diaspora community in Israel [2] . Most speakers migrated from Iraq after 1948. In Israel, the community integrated into Modern Hebrew-speaking society and intergenerational transmission largely ceased. The language is documented in the Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon (CAL) and Mutzafi's monograph, preserving a detailed record before the last fluent speakers are lost. No large-scale community revitalisation effort is currently underway.

Koy Sanjaq Surat Language at a Glance

Koy Sanjaq Surat (ISO 639-3: kqd) is a Jewish Neo-Aramaic (NENA) language spoken by the descendants of the Jewish community of Koy Sanjaq (Koy Sinjaq) in the Erbil Governorate, Kurdistan Region of Iraq ^[1]
The language was comprehensively documented in Hezy Mutzafi's 2004 monograph "The Jewish Neo-Aramaic Dialect of Koy Sanjaq (Iraqi Kurdistan)" — the authoritative grammatical description of this dialect ^[1]
Koy Sanjaq Surat uses the Hebrew square script in the Jewish Neo-Aramaic manuscript tradition; the 22 consonants preserve Classical Aramaic phonological values including pharyngeal Heth (ח = /ħ/) and Ayin (ע = /ʕ/) ^[2]
The language belongs to the Southeastern NENA cluster, placing it alongside Hulaulá, Lishana Deni, Lishanid Noshan, and Lishan Didan as a Jewish Neo-Aramaic dialect of Iraq and the broader region ^[2]
Most speakers migrated to Israel after 1948, where the language is maintained by a diaspora community; it is considered endangered due to limited intergenerational transmission ^[1]
The Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon (CAL) at Hebrew Union College documents the lexical and grammatical data of Koy Sanjaq Surat within the broader context of Aramaic language history ^[2]

Consonants (Hebrew Script):

[ʔ]

[b/v]

[g]

[d]

[h]

[w/v]

[z]

[ħ]

[tˤ]

[j]

[k/x]

[l]

[m]

[n]

[s]

[ʕ]

[p/f]

[sˤ]

[q]

[r]

[ʃ]

[t]

[ʔ]

Glottal stop /ʔ/ — Alap retains its consonantal value in Koy Sanjaq Surat, as in Classical Aramaic

[b/v]

Voiced bilabial stop /b/ or labiodental fricative /v/ — B as in "boat" or V as in "vase"

[g]

Voiced velar stop /g/ — G as in "go"

[d]

Voiced alveolar stop /d/ — D as in "dog"

[h]

Voiceless glottal fricative /h/ — H as in "house"

[w/v]

Labio-velar approximant /w/ or /v/; also used as mater lectionis for vowels

[z]

Voiced alveolar fricative /z/ — Z as in "zebra"

[ħ]

Voiceless pharyngeal fricative /ħ/ — guttural H; preserved in Koy Sanjaq Surat as in Classical Aramaic

[tˤ]

Pharyngealised (emphatic) /tˤ/ — emphatic T inherited from Proto-Semitic

[j]

Palatal approximant /j/ — Y as in "yes"; also mater lectionis for /i/

[k/x]

Voiceless velar stop /k/ or velar fricative /x/ — K as in "kite" or CH as in "loch"

[l]

Alveolar lateral approximant /l/ — L as in "lamp"

[m]

Bilabial nasal /m/ — M as in "mother"

[n]

Alveolar nasal /n/ — N as in "night"

[s]

Voiceless alveolar fricative /s/ — S as in "sun"

[ʕ]

Voiced pharyngeal fricative /ʕ/ — the guttural Ayin sound preserved in Koy Sanjaq Surat

[p/f]

Voiceless bilabial stop /p/ or labiodental fricative /f/ — P as in "pie" or F as in "fun"

[sˤ]

Pharyngealised (emphatic) /sˤ/ — emphatic sibilant

[q]

Voiceless uvular stop /q/ — deeper than K

[r]

Alveolar trill or approximant /r/ — R as in "rain"

[ʃ]

Voiceless postalveolar fricative /ʃ/ — SH as in "shoe"

[t]

Voiceless alveolar stop /t/ — T as in "time"

Vowels (Latin Transliteration):

[a]

[aː]

[e]

[i]

[iː]

[u]

[ə]

[a]

Short open vowel /a/; A as in "cat"

[aː]

Long open vowel /aː/; A as in "father"

[e]

Short mid front vowel /e/; E as in "met"

[i]

Short close front vowel /i/; I as in "bit"

[iː]

Long close front vowel /iː/; EE as in "machine"

[u]

Short close back rounded vowel /u/; U as in "put"

[ə]

Central reduced vowel /ə/ (schwa); characteristic of NENA phonology

[geresh]

[gershayim]

[dagesh]

[ḥad]

[trēn]

[tlātha]

[arbʿa]

[xamša]

[šitta]

[šbaʿ]

[tmānya]

[tšaʿ]

[ʿsara]

[ḥad]

One — Aramaic ḥad; cognate with Syriac ܚܕ (ḥad) and Hebrew אחד (eḥad)

[trēn]

Two — Aramaic trēn; cognate with Syriac ܬܪܝܢ (trēn)

[tlātha]

Three — Aramaic tlātha; cognate with Arabic ثلاثة (thalātha) and Syriac ܬܠܬܐ

[arbʿa]

Four — Aramaic arbʿa; cognate with Arabic أربعة (arbaʿa) and Hebrew ארבע

[xamša]

Five — Aramaic xamša; cognate with Arabic خمسة (khamsa) and Hebrew חמש

[šitta]

Six — Aramaic šitta; cognate with Arabic ستة (sitta) and Hebrew שש

[šbaʿ]

Seven — Aramaic šbaʿ; cognate with Arabic سبعة (sabʿa) and Hebrew שבע

[tmānya]

Eight — Aramaic tmānya; cognate with Arabic ثمانية (thamāniya) and Hebrew שמונה

[tšaʿ]

Nine — Aramaic tšaʿ; cognate with Arabic تسعة (tisʿa) and Hebrew תשע

[ʿsara]

Ten — Aramaic ʿsara; cognate with Arabic عشرة (ʿashara) and Hebrew עשר (ʿeser)

[ʔ]

[b/v]

[g]

[d]

[h]

[w/v]

[z]

[ħ]

[tˤ]

[j]

[k/x]

[l]

[m]

[n]

[s]

[ʕ]

[p/f]

[sˤ]

[q]

[r]

[ʃ]

[t]

[ʔ]

First letter — glottal stop /ʔ/

[b/v]

Second letter — /b/ or /v/

[g]

Third letter — voiced velar stop /g/

[d]

Fourth letter — voiced alveolar stop /d/

[h]

Fifth letter — voiceless glottal fricative /h/

[w/v]

Sixth letter — /w/ or /v/; also mater lectionis for vowels

[z]

Seventh letter — voiced alveolar fricative /z/

[ħ]

Eighth letter — voiceless pharyngeal fricative /ħ/

[tˤ]

Ninth letter — pharyngealised emphatic stop /tˤ/

[j]

Tenth letter — palatal approximant /j/; also mater lectionis for /ī/

[k/x]

Eleventh letter — /k/ or /x/

[l]

Twelfth letter — alveolar lateral /l/

[m]

Thirteenth letter — bilabial nasal /m/

[n]

Fourteenth letter — alveolar nasal /n/

[s]

Fifteenth letter — voiceless alveolar fricative /s/

[ʕ]

Sixteenth letter — voiced pharyngeal fricative /ʕ/

[p/f]

Seventeenth letter — /p/ or /f/

[sˤ]

Eighteenth letter — pharyngealised emphatic sibilant /sˤ/

[q]

Nineteenth letter — voiceless uvular stop /q/

[r]

Twentieth letter — alveolar rhotic /r/

[ʃ]

Twenty-first letter — voiceless postalveolar fricative /ʃ/

[t]

Twenty-second letter — voiceless alveolar stop /t/

Expand All Collapse All

What is Koy Sanjaq Surat?

What script does Koy Sanjaq Surat use?

Where is Koy Sanjaq located?

What language family does Koy Sanjaq Surat belong to?

What is the ISO code for Koy Sanjaq Surat?

How does Koy Sanjaq Surat differ from Hebrew?

Who documented Koy Sanjaq Surat?

Is Koy Sanjaq Surat still spoken?

References:

[1] Tel Aviv University — CRIS Research Repository. "The Jewish Neo-Aramaic Dialect of Koy Sanjaq (Iraqi Kurdistan)" — TAU's CRIS archives Hezy Mutzafi's comprehensive grammatical description of Koy Sanjaq Surat (ISO 639-3: kqd), a Jewish NENA dialect of Koy Sanjaq, Iraqi Kurdistan. Retrieved from Tel Aviv University — Koy Sanjaq Surat Research
[2] Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon (CAL) — Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion. "Koy Sanjaq Surat Lexical Data — Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon" — The CAL holds vocabulary and grammatical data for Koy Sanjaq Surat (ISO 639-3: kqd), a Jewish NENA dialect of Iraqi Kurdistan. Retrieved from Comprehensive Aramaic Lexicon — Hebrew Union College