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 (+t > , but +it > ), type perfect, ʾimāla in reflexes of *CāʔiC, and vocabulary such as "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: +t > , +it > , +it > , +t > , +ayt > , +t > , * > > , * > . The feminine plural demonstrative pronoun is , or . 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 , .
Tayybet əlʔImām / Sōrān
Preservation of interdentals. 2/3 pl. masc. ending -a: , . 2nd plural m/f inta - . 3rd plural m/f hinhan - . 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 , 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 > # 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:
ʿĒn itTīne
Central, tends to East Qalamūn
Rās ilMaʿarra
Gubbe
Baxʿa
Maʿlūla
GubbʿAdīn
Southern Qalamūn
Conservation of interdentals, a-elision +t > , distinctive pronouns are 3pl.c. . Subdialects are:
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 .
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 idDrūz 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)
Dēr izZōr
Albū Kmāl
Autochthonous
Xātūnī
Bedouin dialects
Shawi Arabic and Najdi Arabic are also spoken in Syria.
References
External links
Arabic
Mashriqi Arabic