Armenian Language

Armenian is an Indo-European language spoken in the Caucasus mountains and also used by the Armenian Diaspora. It is its own independent branch of the family of the Indo-European languages. From the modern languages Greek seems to be the most closely related to Armenian.

The Armenian language dates to the early period of Indo-European differentiation and dispersion some 5000 years ago, or perhaps as early as 7,800 years ago according to some recent research.

Graeco-Armenian hypothesis

Armenian is regarded by some linguists as a close relative of Phrygian. Many scholars such as Clackson (1994) hold that Greek is the most closely related surviving language to Armenian. The characteristically Greek representation of word-initial laryngeals by prothetic vowels is shared by Armenian, which also shares other phonological and morphological peculiarities of Greek. The close relatedness of Armenian and Greek sheds light on the paraphyletic nature of the Centum-Satem isogloss. Armenian also shares major isoglosses with Greek; some linguists propose that the linguistic ancestors of the Armenians and Greeks were either identical or in a close contact relation. However other linguists including Fortson (2004) comment "by the time we reach our earliest Armenian records in the 5th century A.D., the evidence of any such early kinship has been reduced to a few tantalizing pieces."

Iranian influence

The Classical Armenian language (often referred to as Grabar, literally "written (language)") imported numerous words from Middle Iranian languages, primarily Parthian, and contains smaller inventories of borrowings from Greek, Syriac, Latin, and autochthonous languages such as Urartian. Middle Armenian (11th–15th centuries AD) incorporated further loans from Arabic, Turkish, Persian, and Latin, and the modern dialects took in hundreds of additional words from Modern Turkish and Persian. Therefore, determining the historical evolution of Armenian is particularly difficult because Armenian borrowed many words from Parthian and Persian (both Iranian languages) as well as from Greek.

The large percentage of loans from Iranian languages initially led linguists to classify Armenian as an Iranian language. The distinctness of Armenian was only recognized when Hübschmann (1875) used the comparative method to distinguish two layers of Iranian loans from the true Armenian vocabulary. The two modern literary dialects, Western (originally associated with writers in the Ottoman Empire) and Eastern (originally associated with writers in the Russian Empire), removed almost all of their Turkish lexical influences in the 20th century, primarily following the Armenian Genocide.

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History

Invented in 405 by Mesrop Mashtots with the assistance of Sahak Partev in order to translate the Bible into Armenian.

First printed documents appeared in Armenia in early 16th century. A century later, in 1662, an Armenian cleric, Father Voskan was sent to Amsterdam by Catholicos Hakop, to prepare printing of the Bible in Armenian. Four years later, the job, which consisted of casting Armenian letter types, producing wooden carvings for the illustrations, etc. was completed, and the first Bible in the Armenian language was printed in Amsterdam in 1666.

- և (yev) : actually a conjunction meaning "and". It is used only in minuscule. Therefore when using capitals, it must be written like two letters- ԵՎ. On the beginning pronounced “yev”, in the middle of the word “ev”.

- Օ : it is being used in the eastern Armenian on the beginning of the words when it is needed to be pronounced as “o”, instead of “Ո”, which is pronounced “vo” on the beginning of the words. In western Armenian, it is commonly used in the middle of the words. - ֆ (F)

                                 Armenian Alphabet Monument at outskirts of Oshakan Village.

Transliteration

The transliteration system I use is very simple, based on the Latin character equivalents assigned to each letter in the alphabet above. Each letter has an English equivalent letter, or combination of letters.

For example, the Armenian word for Jacob, "Հակոբ" would be pronounced "Hakob" in Eastern Armenian, or "Hagop" in Western Armenian. Kalousdian in Eastern Armenian Kaloustian in Western Armenian.

For example, in Armenian, the equivalent of the English name Peter, is Petros in Eastern Armenian, and Bedros in Western. As you can see the P and the T are pronounced differently in Western Armenian. This name would be Pedro in Spanish, where only the letter T has changed. This is because the Armenian alphabet contains a few "middle sounds" which English has for the most part lost.

For example, the P and B sounds have a sound somewhere in between those two sounds that English speakers (and often Western Armenians) will have a very difficult time perceiving. If you say the English word "sports", you may notice that you are actually pronouncing this middle sound without even noticing it. Most people are not pronouncing a clean P, but something that sounds more like a B, but not quite... this is the sound that Eastern Armenian uses for the second letter of the Armenian alphabet. Western Armenians do not use this difference as much, pronouncing more of a clean B. Western Armenian also differs in vocabulary and conjugation from Eastern Armenian, which is used in the Republic of Armenia today.

Dating Armenian Monuments

Knowledge of the Armenian alphabet is useful but not essential for appreciation of Armenia's cultural patrimony. However, one sure way to impress on-lookers, including local worthies, is by deciphering the date on medieval inscriptions.

Dates are generally marked by the letters ԹՎ or the like, often with a line over, indicating "t'vin" ("in the year") followed by one to four letters, each of which stands for a number based on its order in the alphabet. In the Middle Ages, Armenians used a calendar that started in AD 552 as the beginning of the Armenian era.

To translate into standard years, simply add 551 to the number. Thus, should you see an inscription reading ԹՎ ՈՀԳ, simply check the alphabet table up and see that this equals 600+70+3+551= the year of Our Lord 1224.

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Armenia's remarkable alphabet

By Ken Gewertz

James Russell organized a conference to discuss the fifth century Armenian alphabet invented by St. Mesrops Mashtots. Russell said, 'Mashtots' principal purpose in inventing the alphabet was to change Armenia's cultural orientation from the Iranian East to the Mediterranean West.'

Mesrop Mashtots

        Oshakan Church                            TOP 

           1875 AD - Aragatsotn Marz

          Oshakan Church - where Mesrop Mashdots is buried        Mesrop Mashtots statue in Oshakan Village

Language and Literature

Armenian literature began to develop with the creation of the Armenian alphabet in 405-406 A.D. and the subsequent translation of the Bible into Armenian. Amongst the first texts to be translated and studied were those of the great Greek philosophers, politicians and theologians. The study of these ancient thinkers allowed for the deprovincialization of the Armenian culture. It also helps to explain why the first texts written by Armenians are neither naive nor primitive. One such early piece was the epic poem "David of Sasun," celebrating the efforts of the Armenian bravemen who fought against Arab domination and for the freedom of the Armenian people. 

The oldest form of poetry, the hymn of religious inspiration, has played a major role in Armenian literature for centuries. This lyrical poetry, a combination of poetry and chant designed for use in religious services, has been written by the Armenians since the 5th century.

Religious lyricism reached its pinnacle in the 10th century with the works of Grigor of Narek. His masterpiece, the Narek, is one of the most widely read works in Armenia.  

The 12th century witnessed the rise of yet another summit of medieval lyricism in the person of Nerses Shnorhali (the Gracious). This Catholicos left his Lamentations on the Fall of Edessa and many sharakans, or hymns, used in the Armenian mass. Grigor and Nerses lived and worked during the "Golden Age" of Armenian literature as the art of writing was flourishing. It was toward the end of this period (1095-1344) that poetry, including poems on love and other secular themes, began to appear and grow as an important force in Armenian literature. 

This new poetic form continued to the time of Sayat Nova. This greatest of writers composed in Armenian, Azeri and Georgian, singing of courtly love and the unattainable beauty of the beloved. 

The death of Sayat Nova, in 1795, came on the brink of the modern era. At this time in history, the world was becoming increasingly integrated. Armenian children were being educated in the universities of Europe. A new spirit emerged, a lay spirit. Works once thought to be vulgar, written in the laic tongue of the commoner, finally attained the dignity of literature. New genres such as the novel, the ballad and the short story were born as Armenians were affected by the currents of rationalism, symbolism and decadence encompassing Europe; but, the themes of these works remained traditionally Armenian. Authors wrote of the land and its peasant customs, the coveted fatherland, and the yearning for freedom. 

The nineteenth century beheld a great literary movement that was to give rise to modern Armenian literature. The veritable creator of modern Armenian literature was Khatchatour Abovian (1804-1848). Abovian was the first author to abandon the classical Armenian and adopt the modern for his works, thus ensuring their diffusion. Abovian's most famed work, The Wounds of Armenia, returns to the theme of the Armenian people's suffering under foreign domination. Khatchatour Abovian dedicated his life to writing and educating others on the subject of Armenia and her people.

The Armenian national movement was given impulse by yet another great writer. Raffi (Hakop Melik-Hakopian) was the grand romanticist of Armenian literature. In his works, Raffi revived the grandeur of Armenia's historic past. In the story "Gaizer," the heroes fight for the liberation of their people. This theme of oppression under foreign rule is also evident in the works "Djelaledin" and "Khente." 

Today literature thrives in the Republic of Armenia as well as in the Diaspora. Writers use one of two standardized vernacular dialects, Westerns Armenian and Eastern Armenian, whose names reflect their geographic origins.

Throughout centuries of foreign domination the retention of the Armenian language seems to have been one of the people's greatest defenses against assimilation. It is difficult to express the deep feeling Armenians have for their language, which many regard as the lifeblood of their culture. 

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