Languages of Syria
Arabic is the official language of Syria and is the most widely spoken language in the country. Several modern Arabic dialects are used in everyday life, most notably Levantine in the west and Mesopotamian in the northeast.
| Languages of Syria | |
|---|---|
Road sign in Syria in Arabic and English | |
| Official | Modern Standard Arabic |
| Vernacular | Levantine Arabic and Mesopotamian Arabic |
| Minority | Kurdish, Turkish, Neo-Aramaic, Circassian, Chechen, Armenian, Greek, Domari |
| Foreign | English and French |
| Signed | Syrian Sign Language |
| Keyboard layout | |
According to The Encyclopedia of Arabic Language and Linguistics, in addition to Arabic, the following languages are spoken in the country, in order of the number of speakers: Kurdish, Turkish, Neo-Aramaic (four dialects), Circassian, Chechen, Armenian, and finally Greek. None of these languages has official status.
Historically, Aramaic was the lingua franca of the region before the advent of Arabic and is still spoken among Assyrians, and Classical Syriac is still used as the liturgical language of various Syriac Christian denominations. Most remarkably, Western Neo-Aramaic is still spoken in the village of Maaloula as well as two neighboring villages, 56 kilometres (35 mi) northeast of Damascus.
Syrian Sign Language is the principal language of the deaf community.