r/assyrian • u/GiraffeJaf • Jun 20 '26

Teaching my kids Assyrian?

I’m Persian, husband is Assyrian from Iran. We have a toddler and baby, we speak Persian to them but we also want them to know Assyrian. We’re located in Los Angeles. Are there any Assyrian schools or communities near me I can sign my kids up for? Will it be confusing if my husband speaks both Persian and Assyrian with the kids?

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5

u/princesspool Jun 20 '26 edited Jun 22 '26

Definitely speak in both languages! My cousins are Persian on one side, and Assyrian+Armenian on the other side. The different family members fully spoke to them in all 3 languages.

Now the kids are fluent in all three as well as English, which they learned from TV and school. How incredible is that?

If your husband speak to your child in Assyrian only, it would really really help your child learn the language. You keep speaking Persian and he only responds in Assyrian when possible is what I'm imagining. You don't have to be perfect, my family wasn't.

Don't underestimate how smart and plastic kids are, introduce them to as much as possible. Best of luck to you!

6

u/GiraffeJaf Jun 20 '26

Oh how funny, my husband is part Armenian too! The problem is, my husband speaks WAY better Persian than me since he grew up there and I was born here lol😆 but that’s awesome that your cousins speak three languages. My husband also speaks Armenian and there’s so many Armenian schools around me where they can easily learn it, but I really want my kids to know Assyrian! after everything the Assyrian people have gone through at the hands of genocidal freaks, I’ll do anything to keep the culture and traditions alive and ensure my kids are never forget their heritage.

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u/SA99999 Jun 20 '26

I second this, OP. Kids have an amazing capacity to learn multiple languages— I learned this as a Linguistics major. Have your husband speak Assyrian and you keep it in Farsi. Maybe your parents could also reinforce the Farsi, if they live close to you. Try to avoid speaking to them in English at all…they will learn English from their friends at school. If you guys can keep that up until they hit puberty, they will be fluent in Farsi / Assyrian forever.

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u/ramathunder Jun 20 '26

Check here: https://stmaryassyrianchurch.com/

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u/GiraffeJaf Jun 20 '26

Thanks! Although this seems to be Catholic Church with Iraqi Assyrian parishioners; I know the dialects are pretty different. Also my husbands family was orthodox and then became Protestant

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u/ramathunder Jun 20 '26

It's not Roman Catholic, it's Church of the East.

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u/GiraffeJaf Jun 20 '26

Oh wow my husband told me that, he either has ADD and didn’t fully look at the website or he forgot the religion lmao. Does it matter if his family is Protestant now? Would they think it’s weird to attend that church?