Chaldean Language Classes
Michael Antoon’s Elementary Chaldean Class
By Michael Antoon
Preserving our beautiful language is the responsibility of every person who has been blessed to be born into our Chaldean culture. The language is being spoken less and less in homes and is becoming exclusive to the older generation. What a shame it would be for our thriving community in Michigan to allow our language to die!
Thankfully the Chaldean Diocese of St. Thomas the Apostle U.S.A. has begun taking the initiative to preserve the language by creating course material. The language course is designed to be a guideline to learn, speak, and pass down the language for generations to come.
The curriculum “Let’s Learn How to Speak Chaldean - Level 1” was created by Shamasha Khairy Foumia and Lina Yaldo for the Chaldean Diocese. This book introduces the spoken Chaldean language using English letters and characters. The curriculum consists of six chapters—Introduction, Calendar, School, Family, Descriptions, and Food—with five lessons in each. There are also three extra lessons on Christmas, Easter, and Prayers.
This specific curriculum (Level 1) was designed and intended for children of younger ages, but it could be used as an introductory course for people of all ages who are interested in learning how to speak the language. The book features pictures and is full color to enhance interaction with the course material. Each chapter and lesson has its own learning objective, with the material on the first page and approximately three pages of in-class/homework activities that follow.
This book is the first of its kind because it has successfully provided the outline to learn our spoken Chaldean language without the need to know the written language. I hope that this first level of speaking classes plants the seed in students’ hearts to return and learn more as more levels are being developed.
In March of 2023, St. Thomas Chaldean Catholic Church in West Bloomfield began the first session of their Level 1 Chaldean Speaking Classes. The program was led by Shamasha Khairy Foumia and myself, Michael Antoon, with the support of nine other great teachers: Lina Yaldo, Andre Yono, Travis Kajy, Sarmad Hanna Kachal, Sara Kaskorkis, Zachary Yono, Seminarian Yousif Habeeb, Hailey Odish, and Patrick Kakos. The program was also supported by Father Stephan Kallabat, who made many appearances and shared many encouraging messages with our students.
The original plan of the class was to have two classes with one teacher in each, but after seeing the demand from the community, it was evident we would need to accommodate more. By the grace of God, we found amazing teachers and were able to open 4 different levels of classes. These were split by grades 2-5, 6-8, 9-12, and age 18 and up.
Still, as the days to the first class approached the sign-ups kept coming, which brought the need for 3 separate classes of elementary kids alone. By the beginning of the classes, we had almost 150 students split among six classes. Wow! Never did I expect such a turnout. I saw parents and students with a zeal for themselves and/or their children to learn our mother tongue.
After the 10-week course ended this past June, the elementary, middle, and high school classes had a party to celebrate their great accomplishment. Each student also received a signed certificate of completion. We plan to hold the next session of this class in the fall. Keep an eye on the St. Thomas social media pages for more information.
Michael Antoon serves Chaldean and English Masses in the Diocese and reads and writes Aramaic (Chaldean). He is a part of the Chaldean Voice Radio as well as a writer for the Chaldean News. His passion is preserving the Chaldean language and church liturgy.
Other sources for learning the Chaldean language include Classical Aramaic by Fr. Michael Bazzi & Dr. Rocco Errico, Preserving the Chaldean Language by Roy Gessford, and Mango Languages’ Chaldean Aramaic course, created in conjunction with the Chaldean Community Foundation.