mrzurnaci
Active member
Sharukinu said:It's not a suicidal idea, it's exactly the opposite. We can lose knowledge of the script and regain it easily in a single generation but if we lose knowledge of the language, we have no hope. We need to maximise the number of Assyrians who can speak Assyrian, their fluency, and the amount that the language is used in practice. If you want to keep the language alive, the Latin alphabet is the way to get the largest number of Assyrians communicating to each other in writing in Assyrian and therefore, keep the language alive.
Mrzurnachi, we have to stick with the most practical solution. If every Assyrian was like me or you, we wouldn't have much of a need to use the Latin script - although it would still be technologically convenient. We need to keep the language alive - the script is secondary. In this case, sticking to the traditional Assyrian scripts will actually reduce the amount of time Assyrians spend writing in Assyrian. We are stateless and scattered, we need to keep our language alive and the Latin script is the most effective way to do that because it is the most convenient way to do that and people don't just lean towards convenience, their addicted to it.
Let's take this forum as an example. Guess how many users here can hold a conversation in Assyrian - I'm guessing 60-80%. Now guess how many of them know how to read and write in our any of our traditional scripts; now guess how many of those have access, or are bothered, to install the script on their computer, maybe buy an Assyrian-Latinate keybaord etc. ..Sticking to our traditional script will certainly reduce the amount that Assyrian is communicated through writing.
Now imagine we used the Latin script to express ourselves; of that 60-80%, we might actually get half to regularly speak to each other in Assyrian online. This is not to devalue or forsake our Script, it is to keep our language alive. Try having a written conversation here, with our users, in Surit - it won't happen except among a very small group of individuals. That's preventing us from using our language and, if you don't use it, you lose it.
No the script is not necessary, we have places like Beth Mardutho keeping the language alive but the only way to keep it alive is FOR PEOPLE TO SPEAK IT. What difference does it make to have different alphabet if nobody is speaking the language?
Secondly, you do know there's Syriac keyboards now for iPhone right? You can literally message people IN SURETH.
We have typing fonts and keyboard layout FOR SURETH, All this hard work was done by George Kiraz to help preserve the language and you ghasheemeh want to use Latin?
how about MY CHART that I spent weeks working on? Apparently I've been wasting my time, I should've been working on a Latin-Sureth chart instead...
http://assyrianic.deviantart.com/art/Syriac-Aramaic-Diagram-Chart-479930235
We have sooo many resources in teaching and reading the alphabet. It is not my fault or problem lazy parents don't teach their kids the alphabet. Most parents don't even know the alphabet themselves but they still don't even take the time to make sure their kids learn it...
You guys are putting your focus on the wrong area.