West Aramaic

West Aramaic is a subgroup of the Aramaic language, a Semitic language historically spoken in Syria and Palestine. It was closely related to Hebrew and Phoenician and written using a script derived from the Phoenician alphabet.12

Aramaic first appeared around the late 11th century BCE and became a lingua franca in the Middle East by the 7th and 6th centuries BCE, eventually being adopted as the official language of the Persian Achaemenian dynasty. While Greek later replaced it as the official language, Aramaic dialects persisted, particularly in Palestine and Syria.1

West Aramaic dialects include Nabataean, Palmyrene, Palestinian-Christian, and Judeo-Aramaic. A West Aramaic dialect is still spoken in a few villages in Syria. The language of the Aramaic portions of the Bible and the Targums are also considered West Aramaic.12