Classical Syriac is the third language of early Christian literature after Greek and Latin, and as a dialect of Aramaic it has a special relationship with the words of Jesus. This sixth edition of the classic textbook continues to provide a clear introduction to the language, with larger text and improved explanations.

1. Introduction ; 2. The script ; 3. Pronunciation ; 4. Pronouns. Particles. Simple sentences ; 5. Nouns and adjectives: gender, number, state ; 6. Pronominal suffixes ; 7. Prepositions ; 8. Verbs. The perfect tense ; 9. Nouns and adjectives with variable vowels ; 10. Participles ; 11. More nouns with variable vowels ; 12. Miscellaneous and irregular nouns ; 13. The imperfect tense ; 14. The imperative and infinitive. ; 15. The ethpe'el ; 16. The pa'el and ethpa'al ; 17. The aph'el and ettaph'al. Other conjugations ; 18. Objective pronominal suffixes, 1: attached to the perfect ; 19. Objective pronominal suffixes, 2: attached to other forms of the verb ; 20. Weak verbs. Pe-nun verbs ; 21. Pe-alaph verbs ; 22. Pe-yod verbs ; 23. 'E-alaph verbs ; 24. Hollow verbs ; 25. Geminate verbs ; 26. Lamad-yod verbs, 1: the pe'al ; 27. Lamad-yod verbs, 2: other conjugations ; 28. Pronominal suffixes attached to lamad-yod verbs ; 29. Numbers ; Appendices ; A. A. Pronunciation of the bgdkpt letters ; B. B. The estrangela script. Diacritical points ; C. C. East Syriac writing and phonology ; D. D. Dates ; Syriac-English glossary ; English-Syriac glossary

a touchstone for all English-speaking learners of Syriac during the past century ... To Coakley's great credit, he continues to find ways to improve the book for a new generation of students without drastically changing its tried and tested format ... run, do not walk, to buy Coakley's sixth edition ... [it] is a venerable and compelling textbook and should have a place in every university library as well as on the shelf of every Syriacist.

Short sequential lessons with selective paradigms to allow grammar to build systematically, gradually, and transparently Native script and vowel points used throughout set with attractive and sophisticated Syriac typography Exercises in Syriac-English and English-Syriac translation created with careful vocabulary control

Prior to his retirement in 2006, J. F. Coakley was an affiliated lecturer at Cambridge University, where he taught Syriac in the Faculty of Divinity. He was previously Senior Lecturer at Lancaster University and at Harvard University. His research interests include various areas of Syriac studies including biblical exegesis, modern church history, and Syriac letter-forms in manuscript and print.

Short sequential lessons with selective paradigms to allow grammar to build systematically, gradually, and transparently Native script and vowel points used throughout set with attractive and sophisticated Syriac typography Exercises in Syriac-English and English-Syriac translation created with careful vocabulary control