Lesson 02
The 7 vowel marks that bring Sureth letters to life. Placing dots above or below a consonant transforms it into a vowel sound.
Sureth has 22 consonant letters but no standalone vowel letters. Instead, vowel sounds are created by placing small dots (diacritical marks) above or below consonants. These marks are called Zow'e (ܙܘܼܥܹ̈ܐ).
The first four vowels are dot patterns placed directly on any consonant. The last three use the carrier letters Waw (ܘ) and Yodh (ܝ) with a dot to form their sound.
About 85% of Assyrian words are spelled phonetically — they are spelled as they are pronounced, much like Spanish. Once you learn these 7 marks, reading becomes natural.
The Seven Vowels — Zow'e (ܙܘܼܥܹ̈ܐ)
Two dots placed diagonally above the letter. Produces an open "AA" sound, as in "father" or "car."
One dot above and one dot below the letter. Produces a short "UH" sound, as in "verb" or "but."
Two dots placed horizontally below the letter. Produces a short "IH" sound, as in "sit" or "bit."
Two dots placed at an angle below the letter. Produces an "EH" sound, as in "bed" or "bear."
A dot placed above the letter Waw (ܘ). Produces an "OH" sound, as in "phone" or "go."
A dot placed below the letter Waw (ܘ). Produces an "OO" sound, as in "moon" or "food."
A dot placed below the letter Yodh (ܝ). Produces an "EE" sound, as in "bee" or "see."
Vowels on Consonants — Quick Reference
How each vowel mark looks when applied to the first few letters of the alphabet.
| Letter | Zqapa "AA" |
Pthakha "UH" |
Zlama P. "IH" |
Zlama Q. "EH" |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ܐ | ܐܵAA | ܐܲUH | ܐܸIH | ܐܹEH |
| ܒ | ܒܵBAA | ܒܲBUH | ܒܸBI | ܒܹBEH |
| ܓ | ܓܵGAA | ܓܲGUH | ܓܸGI | ܓܹGEH |
| ܕ | ܕܵDAA | ܕܲDUH | ܕܸDI | ܕܹDEH |
| ܡ | ܡܵMAA | ܡܲMUH | ܡܸMI | ܡܹMEH |
| ܫ | ܫܵSHAA | ܫܲSHUH | ܫܸSHI | ܫܹSHEH |
How to Practice — The Mnemonic Method
This is the method used back home to memorize the vowels. Go through each letter of the alphabet, applying each vowel in order.
Example with Beth (ܒ):
"Beth — Zqapa — BAA"
ܒܵ
"Beth — Pthakha — BUH"
ܒܲ
"Beth — Zlama Psheeqa — BI"
ܒܸ
"Beth — Zlama Qashya — BEH"
ܒܹ
"Beth — Rwakha — BOH"
ܒܘܿ
"Beth — Rwasa — BOO"
ܒܘܼ
"Beth — Khwasa — BEE"
ܒܝܼ
Key Rules to Remember