View source for Neo-Aramaic dialect of Bohtan

{{Short description|Modern Eastern Neo-Aramaic language}}
{{Infobox language
| name             = Bohtan Neo-Aramaic
| nativename       = {{lang|bhn|ܣܘܪܬ|rtl=yes}} {{Transliteration|bhn|Sôreth}}
| states           = [[Russia]], [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]]
| region           = [[Krymsk]], [[Novopavlovsk]], [[Kvemo Kartli]]
| speakers         = 760
| date             = 2020
| ref              = e27
| familycolor      = Afro-Asiatic
| fam2             = [[Semitic languages|Semitic]]
| fam3             = [[Central Semitic languages|Central Semitic]]
| fam4             = [[Aramaic language|Aramaic]]
| fam5             = [[Eastern Aramaic]]
| fam6             = [[Northeastern Neo-Aramaic|Northeastern]]
| fam7             = Bohtan–[[Neo-Aramaic dialect of Hertevin|Hertevin]]
| iso3             = bhn
| glotto           = boht1238
| glottorefname    = Gardabani Bohtan Neo-Aramaic
| map2             = Lang Status 40-SE.svg
| mapcaption2      = {{center|{{small|Bohtan Neo-Aramaic is classified as Severely Endangered by the [[UNESCO]] ''[[Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger]]''}}}}
}}
{{Assyrian culture}}

'''Bohtan Neo-Aramaic''' is a dialect of [[Northeastern Neo-Aramaic]] originally spoken by ethnic Assyrians on the plain of [[Bohtan]] in the [[Ottoman Empire]]. Its speakers were displaced during the [[Assyrian genocide]] in 1915 and settled in [[Gardabani]], near [[Rustavi]] in [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]], [[Goygol (city)|Göygöl]] and [[Ağstafa]] in [[Azerbaijan]]. However it is now spoken in [[Moscow]], [[Krymsk]] and [[Novopavlovsk|Novopavlosk]], [[Russia]]. It is considered to be a dialect of [[Assyrian Neo-Aramaic]] since it is a northeastern Aramaic language and its speakers are ethnically Assyrians.

The closest related dialect is [[Neo-Aramaic dialect of Hertevin|Hertevin]], and Bohtan also shares many similarities with the peripheral [[Qaraqosh dialect]].{{sfn|Fox|2009|p=5}}

== Genealogy ==
This dialect is derived from the Northeastern Neo-Aramaic (NENA) languages, which is made up by Bohtan Neo-Aramaic, [[Sureth]] (Assyrian/Chaldean Neo-Aramaic), Hertevin, Senaya and Koy Sanjat Surat. Bohtan refers to the area between the Tigris and Bohtan river . The dialect mostly spoken by Christian communities.<ref>[http://www.ethnologue.com/language/bhn ethnologue]</ref>

The Neo-Aramaic language is classified under Afroasiatic and the Bohtan dialect is more specifically one of the NENA dialects which are found south-eastern Turkey, northern Iraq and western Iran<ref>Heinrichs, W. 1991: "Studies in Neo-Aramaic". ''Journal of the American Oriental Society'' 111, 191-192</ref> Due to the dislocation of NENA speakers, neighboring languages have influenced the dialects, such as [[Kurdish language|Kurdish]].<ref>Khan, G. 2010. "The Debate on Ergativity in Neo-Aramaic" ''Proceedings of IATL''</ref>

==Phonology==
Bohtan's consonant inventory is typical of other NENA dialects. Unlike Hertevin, it merges /[[voiceless pharyngeal fricative|ħ]]/ and /[[voiceless velar fricative|x]]/ into /x/.{{sfn|Fox|2009|p=7}}

{| class="wikitable"
|+ Consonant phonemes
|-
! rowspan=2 | 
! rowspan=2 colspan=2 | [[Labial consonant|Labial]]
! colspan=4 | [[Dental consonant|Dental]]/[[Alveolar consonant|Alveolar]]
! rowspan=2 colspan=2 | [[Palatoalveolar consonant|Palato-<br />alveolar]]
! rowspan=2 colspan=2 | [[Velar consonant|Velar]]
! rowspan=2 colspan=2 | [[Uvular consonant|Uvular]]
! rowspan=2 colspan=2 | [[Glottal consonant|Glottal]]
|-
!  colspan=2 | <small>plain</small> ||   colspan=2 | <small>[[pharyngealization|emphatic]]</small> 
|- align=center
! [[Stop consonant|Stop]]
| style="border-right: 0;" | {{IPA link|p}} || style="border-left: 0;" | {{IPA link|b}}
| style="border-right: 0;" | {{IPA link|t}} || style="border-left: 0;" | {{IPA link|d}}
| style="border-right: 0;" | {{IPA link|tˤ}} || style="border-left: 0;" |
| colspan=2 |
| style="border-right: 0;" | {{IPA link|k}} || style="border-left: 0;" | {{IPA link|ɡ}}
| style="border-right: 0;" | {{IPA link|q}} || style="border-left: 0;" |
| style="border-right: 0;" | {{IPA link|ʔ}} || style="border-left: 0;" |
|- align=center
! [[Fricative consonant|Fricative]]
| style="border-right: 0;" | {{IPA link|f}} || style="border-left: 0;" | {{IPA link|v}}
| style="border-right: 0;" | {{IPA link|s}} || style="border-left: 0;" | {{IPA link|z}}
| style="border-right: 0;" | {{IPA link|sˤ}} || style="border-left: 0;" |
| style="border-right: 0;" | {{IPA link|ʃ}} || style="border-left: 0;" |{{IPA link|ʒ}}
| style="border-right: 0;" | {{IPA link|x}} || style="border-left: 0;" | {{IPA link|ɣ}}
| colspan=2 | 
| style="border-right: 0;" | {{IPA link|h}} || style="border-left: 0;" |
|- align=center
! [[Nasal consonant|Nasal]]
| colspan=2 | {{IPA link|m}}
| colspan=2 | {{IPA link|n}}
| colspan=2 | 
| colspan=2 | 
| colspan=2 | 
| colspan=2 |  
| colspan=2 | 
|- align=center
! [[Approximant consonant|Approximant]]
| colspan=2 | 
| colspan=2 | 
| colspan=2 | 
| colspan=2 | {{IPA link|j}}
| colspan=2 | {{IPA link|w}} 
| colspan=2 | 
| colspan=2 | 
|- align=center
! [[Trill consonant|Trill]]
| colspan=2 | 
| colspan=2 | {{IPA link|r}}
| colspan=2 | 
| colspan=2 | 
| colspan=2 | 
| colspan=2 | 
| colspan=2 | 
|- align=center
! [[Lateral consonant|Lateral]]
| colspan=2 | 
| colspan=2 | {{IPA link|l}}
| colspan=2 | 
| colspan=2 | 
| colspan=2 | 
| colspan=2 | 
| colspan=2 | 
|}
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+Vowel phonemes
!
![[Front vowel|Front]]
![[Central vowel|Central]]
![[Back vowel|Back]]
|-
![[High vowel|High]]
| {{IPA link|i}}
|
| {{IPA link|u}}
|-
![[Low vowel|Low]]
|
| {{IPA link|a}}
|
|}

== Status ==
Bohtan Neo-Aramaic is considered as a severely endangered language as it is estimated to have less than 500 speakers, mostly found in the former Soviet Union. Due to migration and intermarriage, younger generations speak the language less fluently and are expected to know Russian or Turkish as their first language.{{sfn|Fox|2009}}{{page needed|date=February 2023}}

== See also ==
* [[Assyria]]
* [[Assyrian people]]
* [[Aramaic language]]
* [[Assyrian Church of the East]]
* [[Assyrian Neo-Aramaic]]
* [[Turoyo]]
* [[Syriac language]]
* [[Syriac alphabet]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* [[Wolfhart Heinrichs|Heinrichs, Wolfhart]]. 1990. "Studies in Neo-Aramaic". ''Scholars Press: Atlanta, Georgia''.{{ISBN|1-55540-430-8}}.
* [[Arthur John Maclean|Maclean, Arthur John]]. 1895: "Grammar of the dialects of vernacular Syriac: as spoken by the Eastern Syrians of Kurdistan, north-west Persia, and the Plain of Mosul: with notices of the vernacular of the Jews of Azerbaijan and of Zakhu near Mosul". ''Cambridge University Press: London.''
* Greenfield, Jonas. 1978. “The Dialects of Early Aramaic". ''Journal of Near Eastern Studies, Colloquium on Aramaic Studies 37: 93-99''
*Fox, Samuel. 2002. "A Neo-Aramaic Dialect of Bohtan", in W. Arnold and H. Bobzin, ''„Sprich doch mit deinen Knechten aramäisch, wir verstehen es!“ 60 Beiträge zur Semitistik Festschrift für Otto Jastrow zum 60''. ''Geburtstag, Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz 165–180.''
*Takashina, Yoshiyuki.1990. "Some Remarks on Modern Aramaic of Hertevin." ''Journal of Asian and African Studies 40: 85-132''
*Jastrow, Otto. 1988. "Der neuaramäische Dialekt von Hertevin" (Provinz Siirt). ''Wiesbaden:L Harrassowitz''.
*{{cite book |last1=Fox |first1=Samuel Ethan |title=The Neo-Aramaic Dialect of Bohtan |date=2009 |publisher=Gorgias Press |isbn=978-1-4632-1732-7 |language=en}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.endangeredlanguages.com/lang/3912 Bohtan Neo-Aramaic] at the Endangered Languages Project
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20140505195608/http://lingweb.eva.mpg.de/numeral/Bohtan-Neo-Aramaic.htm Numbers in Bohtan Neo-Aramaic]

{{Neo-Aramaic}}
{{Syriacs}}
{{Languages of the Caucasus}}
{{Assyrian topics}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Central Semitic languages]]
[[Category:Eastern Aramaic languages]]
[[Category:Christian Northeastern Neo-Aramaic dialects]]
[[Category:Languages of Russia]]
[[Category:Languages of Georgia (country)]]
[[Category:Endangered Afroasiatic languages]]
[[Category:Languages of Kurdistan]]