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Mandaic language

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Mandaic
ࡋࡉࡔࡀࡍࡀ ࡖ ࡌࡀࡍࡃࡀࡉࡉࡀ‎
Lishāna’d Mandāyì
Native toIraqandIran
RegionIraq –Baghdad,BasraIran –Khuzistan
EthnicityMandaeans
Native speakers
5,500 (2001–2006)[1]
Early forms
Mandaic Alpha bet
Language codes
ISO 639-3Either:
mid– Mandaic
myz– Classical Mandaic
midNeo-Mandaic
myzClassical Mandaic
Glottologmand1468
nucl1706
clas1253
Mandaic is classified as Critically Endangered by theUNESCOAtlas of the World's Languages in Danger(2010)[2]
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Incantation bowlfrom Mesopotamia dated between the 5th and the 8th century, inscribed in Mandaic, in the collection of theJewish Museum of Switzerland.

Mandaic,or more specificallyClassical Mandaic,is the liturgical language ofMandaeismand a SouthEastern Aramaicvariety in use by the Mandaean community, traditionally based in southern parts ofIraqand southwestIran,for their religious books. Mandaic, or Classical Mandaic is still used byMandaean priestsin liturgical rites.[3]The modern descendant of Mandaic or Classical Mandaic, known asNeo-MandaicorModern Mandaic,is spoken by a small group of Mandaeans aroundAhvaz[4]: XXXVI–XXXVIII, 1–101 andKhorramshahr[5]in the southern IranianKhuzestan province.

Liturgical use of Mandaic or Classical Mandaic is found inIran(particularly the southern portions of the country), inBaghdad,Iraqand in thediaspora(particularly in theUnited States,Sweden,AustraliaandGermany). It is anEastern Aramaic languagenotable for its abundant use of vowel letters (mater lectioniswithaleph,heonly in final position,‘ayin,waw,yud) in writing, so-calledplenespelling (Mandaic Alpha bet)[6]and the amount ofIranian[7]andAkkadian[8]language influence on its lexicon, especially in the area of religious andmysticalterminology. Mandaic is influenced byJewish Palestinian Aramaic,Samaritan Aramaic,Hebrew,Greek,Latin,[9][10]in addition toAkkadian[8]andParthian.[11]

Classification[edit]

Classical Mandaic belongs to the Southeastern group of Aramaic and is closely related to theJewish Babylonian Aramaicdialect in the major portions of theBabylonian Talmud,[12][13]but less to the various dialects of Aramaic appearing in the incantation texts on unglazed ceramic bowls (incantation bowls)[14]found mostly in central and southIraqas well as theKhuzestan provinceofIran.[15]It is considered a sister language to the northeastern Aramaic dialect ofSuret.

Usage[edit]

This southeastern Aramaic dialect is transmitted through religious, liturgical, and esoteric texts,[16][17]most of them stored today in theDrower Collection,Bodleian Library(Oxford),[18]and in theBibliothèque Nationale(Paris), theBritish Library(London) and in the households of various Mandaeans asreligious texts.More specific written objects and of linguistic importance on account of their early transmission (5th – 7th centuries CE) are the earthenwareincantation bowlsandMandaic lead rolls(amulets) (3rd–7th centuries CE),[19]: 4 including silver and gold specimens[20]that were often unearthed in archaeological excavations in the regions of their historical living sites between Wasiṭ andBaṣra,[21][22]and frequently in centralIraq,for example (Bismaya,[23]Kish,[24]Khouabir,[25]Kutha,[26]Uruk,[27]Nippur[28]), north and south of the confluences of theEuphratesandTigris(Abu Shudhr,[29]al-Qurnah[30]), and the adjacent province ofKhuzistan(Hamadan).[31][32]

Phonology[edit]

Consonants[edit]

Labial Dental Alveolar Palato-
alveolar 		Palatal Velar Uvular Pharyngeal Glottal
plain emphatic
Nasal m n
Stop/
Affricate 		voiceless p t tˤ (t͡ʃ) k q (ʔ)
voiced b d (dˤ) (d͡ʒ) g
Fricative voiceless f θ s sˤ ʃ x (ħ) h
voiced v ð z (zˤ) (ʒ) ɣ (ʕ)
Approximant w l j
Trill r
  • The glottal stop[ʔ]is said to have disappeared from Mandaic.
  • /k/and/ɡ/are said to be palatal stops, and are generally pronounced as[c]and[ɟ],but are transcribed as /k,ɡ/, however; they may also be pronounced as velar stops [k,ɡ].
  • /x/and/ɣ/are noted as velar, but are generally pronounced as uvular[χ]and[ʁ],however; they may also be pronounced as velar fricatives [x,ɣ].
  • Sounds [tʃ,dʒ,ʒ] only occur in Arabic and Persian loanwords.
  • Both emphatic voiced sounds [dˤ,zˤ] and pharyngeal sounds [ħ,ʕ] only occur in Arabic loanwords.[33]

Vowels[edit]

Front Central Back
Close iiː uuː
Mid eeː ə (o)oː
ɔ
Open æ a ɑː
  • A short[o]is often replaced by the short/ɔ/sound.[33][34]

Alphabet[edit]

Main article:Mandaic Alpha bet

Mandaic is written in theMandaic Alpha bet.It consists of 23 graphemes, with the last being a ligature.[35]Its origin and development is still under debate.[36]Graphemes appearing onincantation bowlsand metalamuletrolls differ slightly from the latemanuscriptsigns.[37]

Lexicography[edit]

Lexicographers of the Mandaic language includeTheodor Nöldeke,[38]Mark Lidzbarski,[39]Ethel S. Drower,Rudolf Macúch,[40]andMatthew Morgenstern.

Neo-Mandaic[edit]

Main article:Neo-Mandaic

Neo-Mandaic represents the latest stage of the phonological and morphological development of Mandaic, a Northwest Semitic language of theEastern Aramaicsub-family. Having developed in isolation from one another, most Neo-Aramaic dialects are mutually unintelligible and should therefore be considered separate languages. Determining the relationship between Neo-Aramaic dialects is difficult because of poor knowledge of the dialects themselves and their history.[5]

Although no direct descendants ofJewish Babylonian Aramaicsurvive today, most of the Neo-Aramaic dialects spoken today belong to the Eastern sub-family of Jewish Babylonian Aramaic and Mandaic, among them Neo-Mandaic that can be described with any certainty as the direct descendant of one of the Aramaic dialects attested in Late Antiquity, probably Mandaic. Neo-Mandaic preserves a Semitic "suffix" conjugation (or perfect) that is lost in other dialects. Thephonologyof Neo-Mandaic is divergent from other Eastern Neo-Aramaic dialects.[41]

Three dialects of Neo-Mandaic were native toShushtar,Shah Vali,andDezfulin northernKhuzestan Province,Iranbefore the 1880s. During that time, Mandeans moved toAhvazandKhorramshahrto escape persecution. Khorramshahr had the most Neo-Mandaic speakers until theIran–Iraq Warcaused many people to leave Iran.[5]Ahvazis the only community with a sizeable portion of Neo-Mandaic speakers in Iran as of 1993.[4]

The following table compares a few words in Old Mandaic with three Neo-Mandaic dialects. The Iraq dialect, documented byE. S. Drower,is now extinct.[42]

Meaning Script Old Mandaic Iraq dialect Ahvazdialect Khorramshahrdialect
house ࡁࡀࡉࡕࡀ‎ baita bejθæ b(ij)eθa/ɔ bieθɔ
in, ins ࡁ b- gaw; b- gu gɔw
work ࡏࡅࡁࡀࡃࡀ‎ ebada wad wɔd əwɔdɔ
planet ࡔࡉࡁࡉࡀࡄࡀ‎ šibiaha ʃewjæ ʃewjɔha ʃewjɔhɔ
come! (imp.pl) ࡀࡕࡅࡍ atun doθi d(ij)ɵθi doθi

Sample Text[edit]

The following is a sample text in Mandaic of Article 1 of theUniversal Declaration of Human Rights.[43]

Mandaic:".ࡊࡅࡋ ࡀࡍࡀࡔࡀ ࡌࡀࡅࡃࡀࡋࡇ ࡀࡎࡐࡀࡎࡉࡅࡕࡀ ࡅࡁࡊࡅࡔࡈࡂࡉࡀࡕࡀ ࡊࡅࡉ ࡄࡃࡀࡃࡉࡀ. ࡄࡀࡁ ࡌࡅࡄࡀ ࡅࡕࡉࡓࡀࡕࡀ ࡏࡃࡋࡀ ࡏࡉࡕ ࡓࡄࡅࡌ ࡅࡆࡁࡓ ࡁࡄࡃࡀࡃࡉࡀ‎ "

Transliteration:"kul ānāʃā māudālẖ āspāsiutā ubkuʃᵵgiātā kui hdādiā. hāb muhā utirātā ʿdlā ʿit rhum uzbr bhdādiā."

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."

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^MandaicatEthnologue(18th ed., 2015)(subscription required)
    Classical MandaicatEthnologue(18th ed., 2015)(subscription required)
  2. ^"Atlas of the world's languages in danger".unesdoc.unesco.org.p. 42.Retrieved2023-03-02.
  3. ^Ethel Stefana Drower,The Mandaeans of Iraq and Iran(Leiden: Brill, 1937; reprint 1962); Kurt Rudolph,Die Mandäer II. Der Kult(Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht; Göttingen, 1961; Kurt Rudolph,Mandaeans(Leiden: Brill, 1967); Christa Müller-Kessler, Sacred Meals and Rituals of the Mandaeans”, in David Hellholm, Dieter Sänger (eds.),Sacred Meal, Communal Meal, Table Fellowship, and the Eucharist: Late Antiquity, Early Judaism, and Early Christianity,Vol. 3 (Tübingen: Mohr, 2017), pp. 1715–1726, pls.
  4. ^abRudolf Macuch,Neumandäische Texte im Dialekt von Ahwaz(Wiesbaden: Harrasowitz, 1993).
  5. ^abcCharles Häberl,The Neo-Mandaic Dialect of Khorramshahr,(Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 2009).
  6. ^Theodor Nöldeke,Mandäische Grammatik(Halle: Waisenhaus, 1875), pp. 3–8.
  7. ^No comprehensive and individual study exists yet except for some word discussions inGeo Widengren,Iranisch-semitische Kulturbegegnung in parthischer Zeit(Köln: Westdeutscher Verlag, 1960) and the etymological sections inEthel Stefana DrowerandRudolf Macuch,A Mandaic Dictionary(Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1963).
  8. ^abStephen A. Kaufman,The Akkadian Influences on Aramaic(Assyriological Studies 19; Chicago: The University of Chicago: 1974).
  9. ^Häberl, Charles (3 March 2021),"Hebraisms in Mandaic",YouTube,retrieved25 April2022
  10. ^Häberl, Charles (2021)."Mandaic and the Palestinian Question".Journal of the American Oriental Society.141(1): 171–184.doi:10.7817/jameroriesoci.141.1.0171.ISSN0003-0279.S2CID234204741.
  11. ^Häberl, Charles G. (February 2006)."Iranian Scripts for Aramaic Languages: The Origin of the Mandaic Script".Bulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research(341): 53–62.doi:10.7282/T37D2SGZ.
  12. ^Theodor Nöldeke,Mandäische Grammatik(Halle: Waisenhaus, 1875), pp. XXVI–XXVII
  13. ^Franz Rosenthal,Das Mandäische, inDie aramaistische Forschung seit Th. Nöldeke’s Veröffentlichungen(Leiden: Brill 1939), pp. 228–229.
  14. ^Tapani Harvaianen, An Aramaic Incantation Bowl from Borsippa. Another Specimen of Eastern Aramaic “Koiné”,Studia Orientalia53.14, 1981, pp. 3–25.
  15. ^Christa Müller-Kessler, "Zauberschalen und ihre Umwelt. Ein Überblick über das Schreibmedium Zauberschale," in Jens Kamran, Rolf Schäfer, Markus Witte (eds.),Zauber und Magie im antiken Palästina und in seiner Umwelt(Abhandlungen des Deutschen Palästina-Vereins 46; Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 2017), pp. 59–94, figs. 1–2, 5, pls. 2, 4, 7–8, map.
  16. ^Ethel Stefana Drower,The Mandaeans of Iraq and Iran(Leiden: Brill, 1937; reprint 1962).
  17. ^Ethel Stefana Drower,The Book of the Zodiac (sfar Malwašia) D.C. 31(Oriental Translation Fund XXXVI; London: The Royal Asiatic Society, 1949).
  18. ^Ethel Stefana Drower,"A Mandaean Bibliography", inJournal of the Royal Asiatic Society1953, pp. 34–39.
  19. ^Buckley, Jorunn Jacobsen (2002),The Mandaeans: ancient texts and modern people(PDF),Oxford:Oxford University Press,ISBN9780195153859
  20. ^Christa Müller-Kessler, "A Mandaic Gold Amulet in the British Museum," inBulletin of the American Schools of Oriental Research311, 1998, pp. 83–88.
  21. ^M. Thevenot,Relations de divers voyages curieux, première partie(Paris, 1663–1672), map with Mandaean villages.
  22. ^J. Heinrich Petermann,Reisen im Orient,Vol. II (Leipzig: Veit, 1861), pp. 66, 83–123, 447–465.
  23. ^Henri Pognon,"Une incantation contre les génies malfaisantes, en Mandaite," inMémoires de la Soceté de Linguitiques de Paris8, 1892, p. 193
  24. ^Peter R. S. Moorey,Kish Excavation 1923 – 1933(Oxford: Oxford Press, 1978), pp. 123–124.
  25. ^Henri Pognon,Inscriptions mandaïtes des coupes de Khouabir(Paris: H. Wetter, 1898; reprint Amsterdam: Philo Press, 1979), pp. 1–5.
  26. ^Christopher WalkerapudJehudah B. Segal,Catalogue of the Aramaic and Mandaic Incantation Bowls in the British Museum(London: British Museum Press, 2000), pp. 35–39.
  27. ^Rudolf Macuch,"Gefäßinschriften," in Eva Strommenger (ed.),Gefässe aus Uruk von der Neubabylonischen Zeit bis zu den Sasaniden(Ausgrabungen der deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft in Uruk-Warka 7; Berlin 1967), pp. 55–57, pl. 57.1–3.
  28. ^J. P. Peters,Nippur or Explorations and Adventures on the Euphrates,Vol. II (New York, 1897); Hermann V. Hilprecht,Explorations in Bible Lands During the Nineteenth Century(Philadelphia: A. J. Molman and Company, 1903), p. 326; James A. Montgomery,Aramaic Incantation Texts from Nippur(Publications of the Babylonian Section 3; Philadelphia, 1913), pp. 37–39, 242–257; Christa Müller-Kessler (ed.),Die Zauberschalentexte der Hilprecht-Sammlung, Jena und weitere Nippur-Texte anderer Sammlungen(Texte und Materialen der Frau Professor Hilprecht-Collection 7; Wiesbaden 2005), pp. 110–135, 143–147.
  29. ^François Lenormant,Essai sur la propagation de l’ Alpha bet phénicien dans l’ancien monde,vol. II (Paris, 1872), pp. 76–82, pls. X–XI; Edmund Sollberger, "Mr. Taylor in Chaldaea," inAnatolian Studies22, 1972, pp. 130–133.
  30. ^Christa Müller-Kessler, "Interrelations between Mandaic Lead Rolls and Incantation Bowls," in Tzvi Abusch, Karel van der Toorn (eds.),Mesopotamian Magic. Textual, Historical, and Interpretative Perspectives(Ancient Magic and Divination 1; Groningen: STYX, 1999), pp. 197–198, pl. 209.
  31. ^Cyrus H. Gordon, "Two Magic Bowls in Teheran," inOrientalia20, 1951, pp. 306–311.
  32. ^Christa Müller-Kessler, "Zauberschalen und ihre Umwelt. Ein Überblick über das Schreibmedium Zauberschale," n Jens Kamran, Rolf Schäfer, Markus Witte (eds.),Zauber und Magie im antiken Palästina und in seiner Umwelt(Abhandlungen des Deutschen Palästina-Vereins 46; Wiesbaden, 2017), pp. 59–94, pls. 1–8, map,ISBN978-3-447-10781-5.
  33. ^abMacuch, Rudolf (1965).Handbook of Classical and Modern Mandaic.Berlin: Walter de Gruyter.
  34. ^Malone, Joseph (1967).A Morphologic Grammar of the Classical Mandaic Verb.University of California at Berkeley.
  35. ^Rudolf Macuch,Handbook of Classical and Modern Mandaic(Berlin: De Gruyter, 1965), p. 9.
  36. ^Peter W. Coxon, “Script Analysis and Mandaean Origins,” inJournal of Semitic Studies15, 1970, pp. 16–30; Alexander C. Klugkist, “The Origin of the Mandaic Script,” in Han L. J. Vanstiphout et al. (eds.),Scripta Signa Vocis. Studies about scripts, scriptures, scribes and languages in the Near East presented to J. H. Hospers(Groningen: E. Forsten, 1986), pp. 111–120; Charles G. Häberl, “Iranian Scripts for Aramaic Languages: The Origin of the Mandaic Script,” inBulletin for the Schools of American Oriental Research341, 2006, pp. 53–62.
  37. ^Tables and script samples in Christa Müller-Kessler, “Mandäisch: Eine Zauberschale,” in Hans Ulrich Steymans, Thomas Staubli (eds.),Von den Schriften zur (Heiligen) Schrift(Freiburg, CH: Bibel+Orient Museum, Stuttgart Katholisches Bibelwerk e.V., 2012), pp. 132–135,ISBN978-3-940743-76-3.
  38. ^Theodor Nöldeke.1964.Mandäische Grammatik,Halle: Waisenhaus; reprint Darmstadt: Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft with Appendix of annotated handnotes from the hand edition of Theodor Nöldeke by Anton Schall.
  39. ^In his masterful translations of several Mandaic Classical works: 1915.Das Johannesbuch.Giessen: Töpelmann; 1920. Mandäische Liturgien(Abhandlungen der königlichen Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften zu Göttingen. Phil.-hist. Kl. NF XVII,1) Berlin: Weidmannsche Buchhandlung; 1925:Ginza: Der Schatz oder das grosse Buch der Mandäer.Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht.
  40. ^Ethel S. DrowerandRudolf Macuch.1963.A Mandaic Dictionary.Oxford: Clarendon Press. This work is based on Lidzbarski’s lexicrographical files, today in the University of Halle an der Saale, and Drower’s lexical collection.
  41. ^Rudolf Macuch,Neumandäische Chrestomathie(Wiesbaden: Harrasowitz, 1989).
  42. ^Häberl, Charles G. (2019). "Mandaic". In Huehnergard, John (ed.).The Semitic languages.Abingdon, Oxfordshire; New York, NY: Routledge. pp. 679–710.doi:10.4324/9780429025563-26.ISBN978-0-367-73156-4.OCLC1060182406.S2CID241640755.
  43. ^"OHCHR | Universal Declaration of Human Rights – Mandaic".OHCHR.Retrieved2023-01-31.

Literature[edit]

  • Theodor Nöldeke.1862. "Ueber die Mundart der Mandäer,"Abhandlungen der Historisch-Philologischen Classe der königlichen Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften zu Göttingen10: 81–160.
  • Theodor Nöldeke.1964.Mandäische Grammatik,Halle: Waisenhaus; reprint Darmstadt: Wissenschaftliche Buchgesellschaft with Appendix of annotated handnotes from the hand edition of Theodor Nöldeke by Anton Schall.
  • Svend Aage Pallis. 1933.Essay on Mandaean Bibliography.London: Humphrey Milford.
  • Franz Rosenthal.1939. "Das Mandäische," inDie aramaistische Forschung seit Th. Nöldeke’s Veröffentlichungen.Leiden: Brill, pp. 224–254.
  • Ethel S. DrowerandRudolf Macuch.1963.A Mandaic Dictionary.Oxford: Clarendon Press.
  • Rudolf Macuch.1965.Handbook of Classical and Modern Mandaic.Berlin: De Gruyter.
  • Rudolf Macuch.1989.Neumandäische Chrestomathie.Wiesbaden: Harrasowitz.
  • Macuch, Rudolf (1993).Neumandäische Texte im Dialekt von Ahwaz.Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz.ISBN3447033827.
  • Joseph L. Malone. 1997.Modern and Classical Mandaic Phonology,inPhonologies of Asia and Africa,edited by Alan S. Kaye. Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns.
  • Rainer M. Voigt. 2007. "Mandaic," inMorphologies of Asia and Africa,inPhonologies of Asia and Africa,edited by Alan S. Kaye. Winona Lake: Eisenbrauns.
  • Kim, Ronald (2008). "Stammbaum or Continuum? The Subgrouping of Modern Aramaic Dialects Reconsidered".Journal of the American Oriental Society.128(3): 505–510.
  • Müller-Kessler, Christa (2009)."Mandaeans v. Mandaic Language".Encyclopaedia Iranica.
  • Charles G. Häberl.2009.The Neo-Mandaic Dialect ofKhorramshahr.Wiesbaden:Harrassowitz.
  • Häberl, Charles G. (2012)."Neo-Mandaic".The Semitic Languages: An International Handbook.Berlin-Boston: Walter de Gruyter. pp. 725–737.ISBN9783110251586.
  • Burtea, Bogdan (2012)."Mandaic".The Semitic Languages: An International Handbook.Berlin-Boston: Walter de Gruyter. pp. 670–685.ISBN9783110251586.
  • Al-Mubaraki, Brayan Majid (2001).A Mandaean Language Teaching Book.Sydney.ISBN0-9585705-9-0.{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  • Al-Mubaraki, Brayan Majid; Mubaraki, Brayan; Al-Mubaraki, Majid Fandi (2006).A Mandaic Dictionary.Sydney: Mandaic Aramaic.ISBN1-876888-10-5.

External links[edit]

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