The Neo-Aramaic dialects spoken by Jewish communities in Iraqi and Iranian Kurdistan until the middle of the 20th century are among the last vestiges of Eastern Aramaic, which has a history extending back more than 3,000 years, and exhibit numerous linguistic features that are not found in the Christian dialects of the area. Those communities have now moved to Israel, and the dialects are on the verge of extinction. Khan presents a grammar of one of the dialects, drawing from the few good speakers of it that remain to describe its phonology, morphology, and syntax for scholars of Neo-Aramaic and Semitic philology and to preserve it as an example for future generations. He includes texts and glossaries, but no index. Distributed by Aspen. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)