11.1 The short version
11 · If your family says it differently · a plain-language guide to Assyrian (Sureth) grammar
Six swaps carry most of it. Read down the middle column and say the right-hand one instead:
| this guide writes | you may say | example |
|---|---|---|
| t (in some words) | th as in thin | mata → matha "village" |
| d (in some words) | dh as in this | ida → idha "hand, arm" |
| v | w | taverta → tawerta "cow" |
| u | o | akhuna → akhona "brother" |
| k (in some words) | q, further back | kaddisha → qaddisha "holy" |
| the "heavy" words (§1.5) | a heavy t or s | besla → besla with a dark s, "onion" |
That's the whole mechanism. ktava "book" reads as kthawa, shenta "sleep" as shentha, setva "winter" as setwa.
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