Mandaic language
Language of the Mandaean religion and community / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Mandaic, or more specifically Classical Mandaic, is the liturgical language of Mandaeism and a South Eastern Aramaic variety in use by the Mandaean community, traditionally based in southern parts of Iraq and southwest Iran, for their religious books. Mandaic, or Classical Mandaic is still used by Mandaean priests in liturgical rites.[3] The modern descendant of Mandaic or Classical Mandaic, known as Neo-Mandaic or Modern Mandaic, is spoken by a small group of Mandaeans around Ahvaz[4]: XXXVI–XXXVIII, 1–101 and Khorramshahr[5] in the southern Iranian Khuzestan province.
Mandaic | |
---|---|
ࡋࡉࡔࡀࡍࡀ ࡖ ࡌࡀࡍࡃࡀࡉࡉࡀ Lishāna’d Mandāyì | |
Native to | Iraq and Iran |
Region | Iraq – Baghdad, Basra Iran – Khuzistan |
Ethnicity | Mandaeans |
Native speakers | 5,500 (2001–2006)[1] |
Early forms | |
Mandaic alphabet | |
Language codes | |
ISO 639-3 | Either:mid – Mandaicmyz – Classical Mandaic |
mid Neo-Mandaic | |
myz Classical Mandaic | |
Glottolog | mand1468 nucl1706 clas1253 |
Mandaic is classified as Critically Endangered by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger (2010)[2] |
Liturgical use of Mandaic or Classical Mandaic is found in Iran (particularly the southern portions of the country), in Baghdad, Iraq and in the diaspora (particularly in the United States, Sweden, Australia and Germany). It is an Eastern Aramaic language notable for its abundant use of vowel letters (mater lectionis with aleph, he only in final position, ‘ayin, waw, yud) in writing, so-called plene spelling (Mandaic alphabet)[6] and the amount of Iranian[7] and Akkadian[8] language influence on its lexicon, especially in the area of religious and mystical terminology. Mandaic is influenced by Jewish Palestinian Aramaic, Samaritan Aramaic, Hebrew, Greek, Latin,[9][10] in addition to Akkadian[8] and Parthian.[11]