Institutiones Fundamentales Linguae Aramaicae seu Dialectorum Chaldaicae ac Syriacae

Here theologian and scholar Hermann Zschokke (1838-1920), who had in the previous year published a similar work for Arabic, offers a brief Syriac grammar for students. The prolegomena helpfully and concisely shows how Syriac fits in among other Aramaic dialects, includes a few critical remarks on basic survey issues such as terminology, and gives a bibliography. All standard grammatical items—phonology and orthography, morphology, and basic syntax—are included, as well as an overview of Syriac meter and the reading of poetic texts. The paradigms and general presentation of the material throughout are unique for including Jewish Aramaic forms side by side with the Syriac.