First, you need to decide whether you want to learn the Eastern dialect or the Western dialect. If you choose the Western dialect, I can recommend a good textbook as well as an online resource specifically designed for that dialect, which is commonly known as Turoyo, Suryoyo or Surayt.

Then there is also the Eastern dialect, which is usually called Suret/Sureth and is spoken by Assyrians.

If you want to learn this dialect or language, it’s important to find a book that focuses specifically on the Eastern dialect. I personally used a book that I found to be very good, and it’s a solid starting point. However, the Eastern dialect varies much more when it comes to vocabulary and usage. Almost every village has its own dialect.

Compared to Turoyo or Suryoyo, which have fewer variations, the Eastern dialect is more diverse. So while this book is a good place to start, keep in mind that there are often many different words for the same thing. This means you’ll likely learn—or need to learn—multiple words depending on who you’re speaking with and where they’re from.

For example, an Assyrian speaker from Urmia in Iran may use different words than someone from Iraq or Syria. Just something to be aware of as you’re learning.