We are COUNTERING THE NARRATIVE THAT ARAMAIC IS A DEAD LANGUAGE. Period.

"This isn't a matter of countering the technicalities of the evolution of Aramaic as a language. This is more countering the narrative that Aramaic is a dead language whether "ancient" or not. The overarching issue though is that the majority of people believe Aramaic is a dead language period. Many of whom watch shows like the one from the petition and believe that even our language the one we speak to each other doesn't exist. It's really a matter of awareness. A lot of effort is going into preserving the language. What constitutes being "ancient?" It's an ambiguous term, and that's where Assyrians lie in the ambiguity of our language, our history and our identity.

The overarching issue is that the majority of people believe Aramaic is a dead language period. Many of whom watch shows like the one from the petition and believe that even our language the one we speak to each other doesn't exist. It's really a matter of awareness." - Petition Supporter

WHAT ARE WE DOING?

We urge the creators "Vampire Diaries" and "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" to correct their statements on Aramaic.

Recently, the shows Vampire Diaries and the award-winning The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel have furthered the misconception that Aramaic is a "dead language." This is categorically false and yet has been often repeated.

While Aramaic is an "endangered" language and the people who speak it, like Assyrians, are threatened in their homelands in the Middle East, Aramaic it is still very much a spoken language. In fact, there has been a concerted effort by speakers of Aramaic and scholars in recent times to preserve and promote the language. See here: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/how-to-save-a-dying-language-4143017

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiUmTfm_ga0 > Aramaic is dead from Vampire Diaries.

___________________________________________________________________________

WHY SHOULD YOU CARE?

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/world/8-things-didnt-know-assyrian-christians

Thank you.