There is the fear that the ancient language that Jesus Christ spoke will be lost to assimilation in the West. Teachers should be aware that most adult Assyrian immigrants speak three or more languages and usually prefer to speak Assyrian in the home, but may not read and write Assyrian. Instead they read and write most comfortably in the majority language of their school experience. In the US more adults are now enrolling in church and community language classes in order to maintain the language and pass it on to their children. Teachers should respect Assyrian names and be vigilant to children's teasing in this area.
Assyrian names fall into three general categories.
There are multicultural names, based on cultures the Assyrians have had contact with during various generations. These include names like Carmen, Linda, Irene, and Jennifer for females, and Albert, William, Robert, Ryan, and Kevin for males. Of course, there are many Biblical names such as Maryam, Shushan, Yosep, Youhana, Yonan, Esha, Daniel, Yacob, and Shimon. Many of these names were Assyrian before they were Hebrew. Family Traditions For Assyrians, the extended family is of major importance.