In Response to David Coomler, re a good Syriac primer:
A reliable book has recently been written by the Leyden professor of semitic
studies:
T. Muraoka
Classical Syriac for Hebraists.
Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz, 1987.
Bye, Erik van Halsema <j.d.f.van_halsema@esau.th.vu.nl>