Arman Akopian, Classical Syriac
(Piscataway, NJ: Gorgias Press, 2019)
Emmanuel
Aïm
Tel Aviv
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James E. Walters
Beth Mardutho: The Syriac Institute
2022
Volume 25.2
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https://hugoye.bethmardutho.org/article/hv25n2praim
Emmanuel Aïm
Arman Akopian, Classical Syriac
(Piscataway, NJ: Gorgias Press, 2019)
https://hugoye.bethmardutho.org/pdf/vol25/HV25N2PRAim.pdf
Hugoye: Journal of Syriac Studies
Beth Mardutho: The Syriac Institute, 2022
vol 25
issue 2
pp 485-489
Hugoye: Journal of Syriac Studies is an electronic journal
dedicated to the study of the Syriac tradition, published semi-annually (in
January and July) by Beth Mardutho: The Syriac Institute. Published since 1998,
Hugoye seeks to offer the best scholarship available in the field of Syriac
studies.
File created by James E. Walters
Arman Akopian, Classical Syriac
(Piscataway, NJ: Gorgias Press, 2019). Pp. xiv + 384; $98.00.
In addition to Robinson’s standard work (6th edition by
Coakley, 2013), other valuable Classical Syriac course books for English-speaking
learners are available, viz. Thackston (1999), Healey (2005), Kiraz (2013), Hallam
(2016), and Younansardaroud (2019). Gorgias Press recently added to this series the
book under review, whose Armenian original version was published by Yerevan State
University in 2005.
Akopian’s work follows the classical format already used in
most of these textbooks. Following an introductory course of eight lessons on Syriac
script and phonology, it provides a basic course of 40 lessons, each introducing
some elements of grammar followed by reading and translation exercises along with a
vocabulary list. Serto is used throughout, while Estrangelo and East Syriac script
are introduced later. The manual ends with useful appendices (on scripts, grammar,
the names of the biblical books in Syriac), paradigms, and keys to exercises. Its
comfortable trim size (7 x 10 inches), substantial length (399 pages), and clear and
beautiful typesetting (font size, Syriac characters, layout) are conducive to study
and can only make the student want to immerse himself in the study of Syriac.
The book opens with an overview of the history of the Syriac
language that the author calls ‘brief’. This is in fact a relatively long (28 pages)
and very well documented introduction to the history of the Aramaic language and its
dialects with, of course, a special emphasis on Syriac. Worth noting is the mention
of the Syriac Melkites (pp. 14–15, 20), who are too often disregarded in
introductions to Syriac (as in the aforementioned textbooks, but also in reference
grammars such as Costaz 1955 and Muraoka 1997). On page 5, Akopian states that
Hebrew ceased to be spoken in Palestine after the return of the exiles from Babylon
and was replaced by Aramaic. Yet, modern scholarship has almost unanimously
abandoned this view and agrees that Hebrew continued to be spoken, side by side with
Aramaic, until the end of the Mishnaic period approximately (see Bar-Asher 1999, pp.
29ff.). Also, on page 7, the author rightly states that the Arabic script is
believed to stem from the Nabatean Aramaic script. However, he should have added
that some scholars are, interestingly, of the opinion that it originates from the
Syriac script (see Briquel-Chatonnet 1997 and the references therein). Finally,
while it is not customary to present a bibliography in textbooks, some basic
references would have been welcome due to the rich content of the introduction.
The manual then provides a series of lessons that the author
designed so as to cover one academic year, or to be used for self-study. The main
strength of these lessons is their very progressive aspect. Contrary to Coakley
(2013), Hallam (2016), and Younansardaroud (2019) who present first the nominal
system and then the verbal system, Akopian gradually introduces – like Thackston
(1999) – aspects of both systems. This order seems more useful, allowing the student
to use and read sentences from the very beginning. Other notable instances of this
pedagogy are the progressive presentation of the genitive constructions, pronominal
suffixes attached to the verbs, numerals, and the Estrangelo and East Syriac
scripts.
The exercises are well conceived. They consist of readings and
translations both from and into Syriac. The author does not limit them to sentences
drawn or adapted from the classical Syriac literature. He also composed texts and
dialogues and added texts from Qarabashi (1986) to introduce the student to the
modern usage of Syriac (kthobonoyo). This allows the student
to practice on a wider range of vocabulary, content, and style. In addition, the
texts include many footnotes that refer to sections containing the relevant
grammatical material. If learners encounter some difficulties, they can quickly and
easily find the corresponding paragraphs within the book.
Besides, a significant merit of the textbook is the clarity
with which the author presents grammatical concepts and rules without going into
overly technical details. For example, during the introduction of the absolute state
(p. 85), he does not discuss the reasons why the vocalization of a noun may vary.
Rather than overload the description with a phonological rule (viz. the
retrogressive syncope of short vowels in open syllable) that may appear complex or
unnecessary at that point, the author simply refers the student to the glossaries
and the online dictionary in order to learn the possible various forms of a noun.
Finally, another virtue of Akopian’s work is the supplementary
documents available online at the Gorgias Press site
(https://www.gorgiaspress.com/arman-akopian-classical-syriac-download). The
Syriac–English and English–Syriac dictionaries will be particularly useful,
especially for doing the exercises. The downloadable reader contains various texts
in the three Syriac scripts, with or without vocalization. It allows the student to
progress significantly after completing the textbook.
Some minor aspects are nevertheless not completely
satisfactory. First, Akopian uses the Greek/West Syriac vowels with the Serto
script, but in a way that reflects the East Syriac vocalization (the real West
Syriac vocalization is given when relevant). In the case of o/u, the ambiguity is removed by the additional use of East Syriac ܘܿ and ܘܼ. However, in the
case of i/e, opacity remains in the verbal forms where West
Syriac ܺ corresponds
to East Syriac ܹ.
Here, the author employs ܶ, as for example in ܢܶܐܠܰܕ
and ܢܶܐܬܶܐ, which appear in West Syriac as ܢܺܐܠܰܕ
and ܢܺܐܬܶܐ, respectively. As a result, students learn and read spellings that
do not really exist and that they will never find in vocalized texts. My only
concern is that this artificial combination of the two vowel-systems may be
confusing for some.
Second, quššāyā and rukkā
k
ā are marked
inconsistently throughout the book. As for the combination of the two vowel-systems
mentioned above, this is not a major obstacle to learning. Yet, regular marking
would have been more suitable, especially to learn a correct pronunciation.
Third, the keys to exercises cover only the eight introductory
chapters and the first ten lessons, which means that the use of the manual for
self-study is limited since students cannot check themselves with certainty. Note
that minor errors appear at times in the keys to exercises. For instance, on page
370, the adjective ‘big’ is rendered as ܐܘܽܟܳܡܳܬܳܐ (sentence 10, key to exercise 5 on p. 79), and the adjective
‘great’ is not translated (sentence 13, key to exercise 5 on p. 79).
Finally, I found some typos among which are the recurrent
transliteration of spirantized ܟ as
ḥ (instead of k), e.g.,
arriḥe instead of arri
k
e (p.
76, §2.8.1), arriḥā
t
ā instead of arri
k
ā
t
ā (p.
76, §2.8.2), arriḥā instead of arri
k
ā (p.
80), b
ə
riḥā instead of b
ə
ri
k
ā (p. 123), g
ə
ḥaḥ/g
ə
ḥeḥ instead of g
ə
ḥa
k
/g
ə
ḥe
k (p. 158). In the same vein, we also find ܐܰܪܺܝܚܶܐ instead of
ܐܰܪܺܝܟܶܐ (p. 368, lesson 2, exercise 1). Some confusion occurs at time
between a and ā. Thus, ܳ is occasionally
transliterated as a instead of ā, for
instance harkā instead of
hārkā (p. 74), ʾakelqarṣā, hayden, m
ə
ṣi
d
ta, na
g
ū
d
a instead of ʾā
k
elqarṣā, hāyden, m
ə
ṣi
d
tā, nā
g
ū
d
ā, respectively (p. 202).
On page 191, §4.4, [ā] should be read as
[a] since it transcribes ܱ.
These minor problems do not undermine the value of Arman
Akopian’s work. Overall, the author wrote a highly valuable textbook. He has well
designed the sequence of lessons and the progression in grammar and vocabulary. With
its length of 399 pages, the book is the longest manual for English-speaking
learners. Moreover, the online additional reader (68 pages) significantly expands
the course. No doubt, students who go through the entire manual and online reader
will attain a respectable level that they cannot reach by using the other available
course books. Therefore, this textbook is highly recommended for learners who intend
to invest earnestly in the study of Syriac.
Bibliography
Bar-Asher, M. L’hébreu mishnique: études
linguistiques. Louvain: Peeters, 1999.
Briquel-Chatonnet, F. “De
l’araméen à l’arabe: quelques réflexions sur la genèse de l’écriture arabe.” In
Scribes et manuscrits du
Moyen-Orient, ed. F. Déroche and F. Richard. Paris: Bibliothèque nationale
de France, 1997, 135–149.
Coakley, J. F. Robinson’s Paradigms and
Exercises in Syriac Grammar (6th ed.). Oxford: University Press, 2013.
Costaz, L. Grammaire syriaque. Beyrouth: Librairie Orientale, 1955.
Hallam, S. C. Basics of Classical Syriac: Complete Grammar, Workbook, and
Lexicon. Grand Rapids, MI:
Zondervan, 2016.
Healey, J. F. Leshono Suryoyo: First Studies
in Syriac. Piscataway, NJ: Gorgias Press, 2005.
Kiraz, G. A. The New Syriac Primer (2nd
ed.). Piscataway, NJ: Gorgias Press, 2013.
Muraoka, T. Classical Syriac: A Basic Grammar
with a Chrestomathy. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 1997.
Qarabashi, A.-M. ܗܪܓܐ
ܕܩܪܝܢܐ. 6 vols. Losser: Bar-Hebraeus Verlag, 1985–1986.
Thackston, W. M. Introduction to Syriac: An
Elementary Grammar with Readings from Syriac Literature. Bethesda,
Maryland: IBEX, 1999.
Younansardaroud, H. Classical
Syriac Course Book. Translated by
G. Wetherall (2nd ed.). Berlin: Universitätsbibliothek der Freien Universität,
2019.