# Syrian Arabic

Syrian Arabic refers to any of the Arabic varieties spoken in Syria, or specifically to Levantine Arabic.

## Aleppo, Idlib, and Coastal dialects
### Aleppo and surroundings

Characterized by the imperfect with a-: ašṛab ‘I drink’, ašūf ‘I see’, and by a pronounced ʾimāla of the type sēfaṛ/ysēfer, with subdialects:
* Muslim Aleppine
* Christian Aleppine
* Rural dialects similar to Muslim Aleppine
* Mountain dialects
* Rural dialects
* Bēbi (əlBāb)
* Mixed dialects

### Idlib and surroundings

These dialects are transitional between the Aleppine and the Coastal and Central dialects. They are characterized by *q > ʔ, ʾimāla of the type the type sāfaṛ/ysēfer and ṣālaḥ/yṣēliḥ, diphthongs in every position, a- elision (katab+t > ktabt, but katab+it > katabit), išṛab type perfect, ʾimāla in reflexes of *CāʔiC, and vocabulary such as zbandūn "plow sole".

### Coast and coastal mountains

These dialects are characterized by diphthongs only in open syllables: bēt/bayti ‘house/my house’, ṣōt/ṣawti ‘voice/my voice’, but ā is found in many lexemes for both *ay and *aw (sāf, yām). There is pronounced ʾimāla. Unstressed a is elided or raised to i and u whenever possible: katab+t > ktabt, katab+it > katbit, sallam+it > sallmit, sallam+t > sillamt, ḥaṭṭ+ayt > ḥiṭṭayt, trawwaq+t > truwwaqt, *madrasa > madrsa > mádǝrsa ~ madírsi, *fallāḥ > fillāḥ. The feminine plural demonstrative pronoun is hawdi, or haydi. It can be divided into several subdialects:
* Transitional between Idlib and the northern coastal dialects
* Northern coastal dialects (Swaydīye)
* Northern coastal dialects
* Latakia
* Central coastal dialects
* Mḥardi
* Banyās
* Southern coastal dialects
* Tartūs, Arwad
* Alawite and Ismaelite dialects

## Central dialects

In this area, predominantly *ay, aw > ē, ō. Mostly, there is no ʾimāla, and a-elision is only weakly developed. Word-final *-a > -i operates. Several dialects exist in this area:

### Central-North

Leans toward the Idlib and Coastal dialects. Preservation of *q, 2nd masc. inti, 2nd fem. inte, feminine forms in the plural intni katabtni, hinni(n) katabni.

### Tayybet əlʔImām / Sōrān

Preservation of interdentals. 2/3 pl. masc. ending -a: fatahta, falaha, tuktúba, yuktúba. 2nd plural m/f inta - intni. 3rd plural m/f hinhan - hinhin. The perfect of the primae alif verbs are ake, axe. In the imperfect, yāka, yāxa. The participle is mēke.

### Hama

Characterized by *q > ʔ; preservation of *ǧ; six short vowels: a, ǝ, e, i, o, u, and six long vowels: ā, ǟ, ē, ī, ō, ū.

### Central-South w/ *q > q

Preservation of *q.

### Central-South w/ *q > ʔ

Characterized by *q > ʔ.

### Bedouin-Sedentary mixed dialect

Preservation of interdentals and terms like alhaz "now".

## Central Syrian dialect continuum, steppe dialects and steppe's edge
### Suxni

Characterized by *q > k, *g > c [ts], *k > č, and ʾimāla of type *lisān > lsīn. Distinctive pronouns are 3PL.C aham and 2SG.F suffix -či. The suffix of the verbal 3SG a-Type is -at, and i-Type perfects take the form ʾílbis "he got dressed".

### Palmyrene

Characterized by preserved *q, *g > č, and unconditioned ʾimāla in hēda. Distinctive pronouns are 3PL ahu - hinna, and 2SG.F suffix -ki. The suffix of the verbal 3SG a-Type is -at, and i-Type perfects take the form ʾílbis "he got dressed".

### Qarawi

Characterized by preserved *q and unconditioned ʾimāla in hēda. Distinctive pronouns are 3PL hunni - hinni. The suffix of the verbal 3SG a-Type is -at, and i-Type perfects take the form lbīs "he got dressed".

### Saddi

Characterized by preserved *q and pronouns 3PL hūwun - hīyin. The suffix of the verbal 3SG a-Type is -at.

### Rastan

Characterized by preserved *q and the changes masaku > masakaw# and masakin > masake:n# in pause. Distinctive pronouns are 3PL.C hinne, and the suffix of the verbal 3SG a-Type is -at.

### Nabki

Characterized by *q > ʔ, and *ay, *aw > ā. The shifts *CaCC > CiCC/CuCC and *CaCaC > CaCōC take place. The ʾimāla is of the i-umlaut type. Distinctive pronouns are 2SG.F suffix -ke. The a-Type perfects take the form ḍarōb and the i-type lbēs. The suffix of the verbal 3SG a-Type is -et, with allophony ḍarbet - ḍárbatu.

### Eastern Qalamūn

Characterized by *q > ʔ and ʾimāla of the i-umlaut type. Distinctive pronouns are 3SG.M suffix -a/-e. The suffix of the verbal 3SG a-Type is -at.

### Mʿaḏ̣ḏ̣amīye

Characterized by *q > ʔ and unconditioned ʾimāla in hēda. Distinctive pronouns are 2SG.F suffix -ki. The 1SG perfect conjugation is of the type katabtu, similar to the qǝltu dialects of Iraq. Also like qǝltu dialects, it has lengthened forms like ṣafṛā "yellow [fem.]".

## Qalamūn

The Qalamūn dialects have strong links to Central Lebanese. The short vowels i/u are found in all positions. Pasual kbīr > kbeyr# and yrūḥ > yrawḥ#. The a-elision is not strongly pronounced. Shortening of unstressed long vowels is characteristic: *sakākīn > sakakīn ‘knives’, fallōḥ/fillaḥīn ‘peasant/peasants’, or fillōḥ/filliḥīn, as in Northwest Aramaic. Conservation of diphthongs and *q > ʔ are common, as well as splitting of ā into ē and ō. As for negation, the type mā- -š is already attested along with the simple negation.

### Qara

No interdentals

### Yabrūdi

No interdentals

### Central Qalamūn

Conservation of interdentals, subdialects:
* Ain al-Tinah
* Central, tends to East Qalamūn
* Rās ilMaʿarra
* Gubbe
* Al-Sarkha (Bakhah) (Western Neo-Aramaic is also spoken in the village)
* Maʿlūla (Western Neo-Aramaic is also spoken in the village)
* Jubb'adin / GubbʿAdīn (Western Neo-Aramaic is also spoken in the village)

### Southern Qalamūn

Conservation of interdentals, a-elision katab+t > ktabt, distinctive pronouns are 3PL.C hunni. Subdialects are:
* ʿAssāl ilWard, ilHawš
* ʿAkawbar, Tawwane, Hile
* Hafīr ilFawqa, Badda
* Qtayfe
* Sēdnāya
* Maʿarrit Sēdnāya
* Rankūs
* Talfita
* Halbūn
* Hafīr itTahta
* itTall
* Mnin
* Drayj

### Northern Barada valley

No interdentals, conservation of diphthongs
* Sirgāya
* Blūdān
* izZabadāni
* Madāya

## Damascus and surroundings
### Transitional Damascus - Qalamūn

These dialects have no interdentals, no diphthongs, and a reflex of *g > ž. The suffix of the verbal 3SG a-Type is -it, ḍarab+it > ḍárbit. The short vowels i/u are found in all positions. Demonstrative plural pronoun hadunke.

### Damascus
## Other dialects, accents, and varieties
### Horan dialects

The Hauran area is split between Syria and Jordan and speak largely the same dialect
* Central dialects
* Gēdūri (transitional)
* Mountain dialects
* Zāwye (transitional)
* Mixed dialect Čanāčer/Zāčye

### Mount Hermon and Jabal al-Druze area

Dialects of Mount Hermon and Druze have a Lebanese origin
* Autochthonous sedentary dialects
* Mount Hermon dialect
* Druze dialect

### Sedentary East Syrian
#### Mesopotamian (Turkey)

* Qsōrāni
* Tall Bēdar
* Mardilli
* Azxēni (ǝlMālkīye)

#### Mesopotamian (Syria)

* Deir ez-Zor
* Albū Kmāl

#### Autochthonous

* Xātūnī

### Bedouin dialects

Shawi Arabic and Najdi Arabic are also spoken in Syria.