Turoyo

TRU

threatened

Alternate Names: Surayt, Süryani, Suryoyo, Syryoyo, Turani

Dialects: Anhil, ’Iwardo, Kfarze, Midin, Midyat, Raite. Turoyo subdialects divided between Town Turoyo (Midyat Turoyo), Village Turoyo, and Mixed (Village-Town) Turoyo.

Genealogy:

Afro-Asiatic
Semitic
Central
Aramaic
Eastern
Central
Northwestern

Demographics: 3,000 in Turkey (1994 H. Mutzafi). Population total all countries: 62,000. Ethnic population: 50,000 (1994).

Language Use: Mixed Turoyo, outside Tur ’Abdin, the language’s original location, is increasingly used mainly by youth throughout the Jacobite diaspora. All also use their national languages or local lingua francas, and some are multilingual.

Language Development: NT: 1992.

Writing System: Latin, Syriac

Nation of Origin: Turkey

Other Comments: Glossonym: Tûrôyo, known among scholars almost exclusively; Suryoyo, is popular. Western Syriac, refers to the Classical Western Syriac , liturgy and orthography used by Turoyo speakers. Christian (Jacobite).