the noun "syriac" (plural "syriacs") has nevertheless come into common use as a demonym following the declaration of the syrian arab republic to avoid the ambiguity of "syrians". limited "de facto" use of "syriacs" in the sense of "authors writing in the syriac language" in the context of patristics can be found even before world war i. many modern scholars similarly use "aramaic" a linguistic term without prejudicing particular identities.