Characteristics of the writing system |
1. In Syriac-Aramaic script all words that begin in Latin script with a vowel are written with /Olaf ܐ/ at the beginning of the word.
aṯro | homeland, place, land | ܐܰܬ݂ܪܐ |
ono | I | ܐܳܢܐ |
ëšmo | name | ܐܷܫܡܐ |
emo | mother | ܐܶܡܐ |
iḏo | hand | ܐܝܕ݂ܐ |
ucdo | now | ܐܘܥܕܐ |
2. The vowel /o/ at the end of a word will consistently be expressed as /Olaf ܐ/, without the vowel sign /Zqofo ܳ /. See examples above under 1.
3. The vowels /a/ and /e/ at the end of a word will be likewise expressed through /Olaf ܐ/ followed by the vowel signs /Ftoḥo ܰ / for /a/ and /Rboṣo ܶ / for /e/ respectively:
The vowels /a/ und /e/ at the end of a word can also stand for a personal ending or pronominal suffix. In this case in the current writing system the letter /He ܗ/ with the respective vowel sign will be used.
4. Placement of stress
In Surayt as a rule the penultimate (second to the last) syllable in the word is stressed. The article works together with the noun with which it belongs to create a unified tone, thereby it carries the main tone.
5. Capitalization
In the Syriac script there is no capitalization of letters. In the Latin script the first letter of any word following a period or a colon will be capitalized. Other than that, as in English, only names will be capitalized.
6. Ligatures
The Syriac script possesses several connections of letters that are called ligatures, which need to be learned. The most common are:
L + Olaf | ܠܐ | ـܠـ + ܐ |
L + L | ܠܠـ / ـܠܠ | ܠ + ܠ |
Olaf + L | ܐܠـ | ܐ + ܠ |