Lebanese is a dialect of Arabic, however, Arabic consists of many different dialects and languages as well. Speaking in colloquial Lebanese, one may actually be speaking Syriac without even knowing it.
Mario Kozah, professor of Syriac language and literature at the American University of Beirut, stated, "Aramaic is a little bit like saying Arabic. When you say Arabic, you could mean Morrocan, Egyptian or Lebanese. In the same way, Aramaic is a general word that includes many different dialects."
A school of translation, Beit al-Hikma, located in Baghdad translated philosophical texts from Syriac into Arabic or from Greek into a Syriac draft and then from Syriac into Arabic. Syriac was the language of choice because it contained the technical terminology that assisted the translation of Greek philosophy. Furthermore, Arabic and Syriac have a similar vocabulary, but after Arabic established its own philosophical terminology, translations using Syriac became obsolete.
Syriac is also present in Lebanese poetry and Kozah finds the current interest in the ancient language to be refreshing. Classes in Syriac are being offered at the university level and are becoming more and more popular.
25 November 2008
