https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e50qiS-IjJM THANKS for this documentary. The Aramaic language sounds very "distinctive" to my ears. It would appear to be an "older" language than Arabic. Syriac is also spoken in the region: "an Aramaic language that emerged during the first century AD from a local Aramaic dialect", "The dialects of Syriac spoken today include Assyrian Neo-Aramaic, Chaldean Neo-Aramaic, ... ." By the way, I've studied Arabic for two (2) years at the University of Ottawa and first year Hebrew. Now, I'm MORE INTERESTED THAN EVER in Aramaic - thanks to this documentary. :D Mel Gibson, an Australian like you guys, deserves credit for using Aramaic in his movie "The Passion of the Christ": I learned thanks to this documentary that his movie is "well-known" by the people of Malula. (It's a small world, indeed.) He contributed in "A BIG WAY" to popularizing/resurrecting Aramaic. CONGRATS to Australia. THANKS - again. Ken Christians speak this language in Iraq too. In Northern Iraq, Kurdistan, Christians have schools where the language of instruction is Aramaic. Kenneth Selin SO GOOD TO KNOW. So there is HOPE for Aramaic after all: it is NOT a lost cause. Thank you, Jesus. (Ha! Ha!) Ken I'm from Kerala, India. In our language ,Malayalam there are so many words that have origin in Aramaic used by Christians in Kerala. We are also called Syrian Christians because we use Syriac language in our church services and was actually converted by Syrian missionaries and traders who had come and settled here, married and converted the locals here. "we use Syriac language in our church services and was actually converted by Syrian missionaries and traders " THAT IS AMAZING. I have met the nicest people from Kerala at the University of Ottawa: all Ph.D. students with NO EGO. One of the most difficult things is to get rid of the ego. They came all the way from Syria, eh? WOW! THAT'S SO INTERESTING. :D Ken Aramaic has preserved the “th” sound that Ancient Phonecian had. So fascinating 💖 Kenneth Selin GOOD to know. The sound exists in Arabic and English. :D Ken As an Arabic myself, I can say Aramaic and Arabic are very similar. And as an Arabic-Lebanese, I can say that the Lebanese dialect contains words in Aramaic. We spoke a mix of languages here in Lebanon with Arabic as a base mixed with Aramaic, Armenian, Syriac and even a little bit Turkish. And I can tell you that is awesome! Kenneth Selin My Arabic professors at the University of Ottawa were from Lebanon: Mrs. Haddad and Mrs. Gharzouzi (?). I had NO IDEA the Lebanese dialect of Arabic was so rich in words from Aramaic, Armenian, Syriac, and Turkish. WOW! FASCINATING. :D Ken Maronite priests around the world are also familiar with Aramaic, also known as Syriac. I believe learning Aramaic is mandatory for the priesthood of the Maronite church which has its biggest presence in Lebanon, but is also present in Syria, Jordan, and Iraq. In fact, Syriac verses are still used throughout Maronite mass rituals in Lebanon (and possibly elsewhere). Kenneth Selin We have a Maronite church in Ottawa. I did NOT know the priest had to be familiar with Aramaic and Syriac (a derivative of Aramaic). Nice to know. :D Ken Aramaic is also spoken by mostly Christians in the Southeast of Turkey, where Christians, Muslims, Jews, Ezidis and others have lived together for nearly a thousand years. If this interests you definitely visit Mardin, a melting pot of Turks, Kurds, Armenians and Syriacs. You will feel mesmerized, the soil there has a different smell, the landscapes tell stories, the architecture and interlinking of identities is so beautiful. Türkiyem ❤️ Kenneth Selin Mardin (in the Southeast of Turkey), a melting pot of Turks, Kurds, Armenians and Syriacs. I loved to visit. I'm looking forward to visiting Turkey. Visiting Mardin will be A MUST for me. :D Ken