The Aramaic language is the world's oldest alphabetic language through the Phoenician Aramaic, from which the Greeks borrowed their alphabet in the 7th-8th centuries BC and thus became the ancestor of the Western alphabet. From this period until the 4th century BC. Aramaic was the lingua franca,
the language of commerce and diplomacy, throughout the Middle East and the ancient known civilizations. Most famous is the Aramaic language as Jesus' mother tongue, as Aramaic was the spoken language in pretty much the entire Middle East.
Aramaic continued to flourish as the written language of the Christian Arameans, not least as the language of liturgy in the Syrian church but also the language of the academy, when several universities and schools in what is today Syria, Lebanon, northwestern Iraq and southeastern Turkey were founded and developed from the 3rd century and forward. The Aramaic language held a fairly high position until the 14th century AD. whereby it was gradually pushed back with the Islamic dominance in the area. The language was not allowed to be taught freely and universities and schools began to close one by one. Only within the walls of the church was the language allowed to be used. This development led to the Aramaic language being increasingly displaced as a written language, which led to various oral dialects being developed with loanwords from other languages in the immediate area.
In modern times and the emigration of the Aramaic people (now usually called Syriacs) from their core country, the written Aramaic language is in danger of dying out. It is because of this danger that several Aramaic academics have discussed for several years and concluded that an academy is needed which should aim to preserve, develop and strengthen the Aramaic language.
In collaboration with and under the umbrella of the World Council of Arameans (WCA), the Aramaic Language Academy was founded on February 21, 2023, on International Language Day.
The purpose of the academy is to establish a permanent organization which, through various methods, will promote the preservation and development of the Aramaic language for future generations and increase knowledge of Syriac-Aramaic literature.
The Academy for the Aramaic (Syriac) language is an independent foundation and has its own organization and statutes.