ABSTRACT
The Northeastern Neo-Aramaic dialects form the largest branch of the Aramaic language family surviving. They are traditionally allocated to the eastern branch of the family. Northeastern Neo-Aramaic (NENA) is spoken by both Christian and Jewish communities, but not by Muslim communities. Most dialects of NENA are severely endangered and some have already died out, due to the persecutions, wars and ethnic cleansing the various communities have endured, especially since the early 20th century; there are most likely many more speakers in the world-wide diaspora than in the homeland. The NENA dialect of Alqosh is spoken by the inhabitants of the town of that name and by the extensive diaspora of Alqoshnaye to be found in the cities of Iraq, as well as in the West. Like other dialects spoken by Christians it is known to its speakers as Surath. The scripts used for writing Northeastern Neo-Aramaic depend most of all on who is writing.
