Mandaic language

Mandaic, also known as Classical Mandaic, is the special language used in the religious practices of the Mandaean community. The Mandaeans have lived mainly in southern parts of Iraq and southwest Iran for a long time. Even today, Mandaean priests still use Mandaic during important religious ceremonies.

There is also a modern form of this language called Neo-Mandaic or Modern Mandaic. Only a small number of Mandaeans, living in places like Ahvaz and Khorramshahr in Khuzestan province, still speak this modern version.

Mandaic is an Eastern Aramaic language. It has many special ways of writing words with extra vowel letters. The language also includes many words from old Iranian and Akkadian languages, especially in topics about religion and deep spiritual ideas. People in Iran, Baghdad, Iraq, and in communities around the world such as the United States, Sweden, Australia, and Germany still use Mandaic in their religious life.

Classification

Classical Mandaic is a type of ancient Aramaic language from southern Mesopotamia. It is related to other Aramaic languages used in the same area, such as Babylonian Talmudic Aramaic, but it is different from Syriac and other Northern Aramaic languages. This language developed from the Aramaic spoken in Babylonia during the early Parthian period and has kept many features from that region. It also includes some words from Akkadian, showing it grew up locally in southern Mesopotamia. Neo-Mandaic, the modern form of the language, has only a few influences from Persian and mostly uses words borrowed later.

Usage

This old language is used in special religious books and ceremonies. Many of these important books are kept in big libraries around the world, like the Drower Collection, Bodleian Library in Oxford, the Bibliothèque Nationale in Paris, and the British Library in London. Some very old items, like special bowls and metal pieces, were found in places where people used to live a long time ago in Iraq and nearby areas.

Historical names

In the 1800s, some scholars called the Mandaic language "Zabian," shortened to "Zab." This name came from one of the many ways people described the Mandaen community, such as Mendæans, Nazareans, Galileans, and Christians of St. John. Scholars like Keil and Delitzsch used "Zab." in their book about the Old Testament to show Mandaic words next to Hebrew and Syriac words. Wilhelm Gesenius, a word expert, also wrote about "Zabian or Nazoraean" in an essay in 1823, which was later included in a updated version of his word book in 1886.

Phonology

Consonants

The Mandaic language has certain sounds that have changed over time. The glottal stop, a small pause in the voice, is no longer used in Mandaic. The sounds represented by /k/ and /ɡ/ are usually made higher in the mouth, but they are written as /k, ɡ/. They can also be made further back in the mouth. The sounds /x/ and /ɣ/ are typically made deeper in the throat, but they can also be made with the soft palate.

Some sounds like [tʃ, dʒ, ʒ] only appear in words borrowed from Arabic and Persian. Both strongly emphasized voiced sounds and certain throat sounds only come from Arabic loanwords.

Vowels

In Mandaic, a short sound often used is sometimes replaced by another similar short sound.

Alphabet

Main article: Mandaic alphabet

Mandaic uses a special writing system called the Mandaic alphabet. This alphabet has 23 symbols, and the last one is a special combined shape. Experts are still discussing where this alphabet came from and how it developed. The symbols on old magical bowls and metal charms look a little different from those used in later handwritten books.

Lexicography

People who have studied the Mandaic language include Theodor Nöldeke, Mark Lidzbarski, Ethel S. Drower, Rudolf Macúch, and Matthew Morgenstern.

Neo-Mandaic

Main article: Neo-Mandaic

Neo-Mandaic is the modern form of an ancient language used by a small community. It developed separately from other similar languages, making them hard to understand each other. Neo-Mandaic keeps some special features that other related languages lost.

There used to be three areas where Neo-Mandaic was spoken in Iran, but people moved to new places due to difficult times. Today, the city of Ahvaz has the most speakers of this language.

Sample text

Here is a small piece of writing in the Mandaic language. It shows the first idea from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Mandaic: "ࡊࡅࡋ ࡀࡍࡀࡔࡀ ࡌࡉࡕࡋࡉࡓ ࡔࡀࡅࡉࡀ ࡁࡏࡒࡀࡓࡀ ࡅࡀࡂࡓࡉࡀ࡞ ࡁࡉࡍࡕࡀࡅࡕࡉࡓࡕࡀ ࡏࡕࡄࡉࡁࡋࡅࡍ ���ࡋࡅࡀࡕ ࡄࡓࡀࡓࡉࡀ ࡈࡀࡁࡅࡕࡀ ࡀࡁࡓࡉࡍ ࡀࡊࡅࡀࡕ ࡖࡍࡉࡄࡅࡍ ࡀࡄࡉࡀ࡞‎"

Transliteration: "Kul anaša mitlir šauia b-ʿqara u-agria. Bintautirta ʿthiblun u-luat hraria ṭabuta abrin akuat ḏ-nihun ahia."

English original: "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood."