The Neo-Aramaic variety of Telkepe

The task for this sabbatical is to complete a grammatical description of the endangered North-Eastern Neo-Aramaic (NENA) variety of Telkepe and to publish this in two volumes: a grammar (covering phonology, morphology, syntax and information structure) and a collection of glossed texts and lexicon. These will be based on my own fieldwork. While the field of study has been enriched over recent decades by grammars of different varieties of NENA, we are still far from an adequate documentation of these diverse languages.

This branch of NENA (the dialects of the northern Nineveh Plain) still lacks a monograph-size grammar, likewise a text corpus and glossary. The variety of Telkepe is increasingly at risk, especially since the village was overrun by ISIL in 2014.

Telkepe is of particular interest for studies of the historical development of Aramaic, a language with a written record going back 3000-years. The earliest texts in Neo-Aramaic languages were composed in this region around 400-years ago and bear a relationship to the modern dialects similar to that between Shakespearean and Modern English. A full description of a modern variety is needed in order to fully exploit the potential of these resources.

It would also allow comparison with neighbouring dialects, to ascertain the extent of variation within a small region. The open-access publication will be of use to Semitists, general linguists, and members of the Telkepe community.