Western Armenian language

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History of the
Armenian language
(see also: Armenian alphabet)
Proto-Armenian
Graeco-Armenian hypothesis
Classical Armenian (from 405)
Middle Armenian (c. 1100–1700)
Modern Armenian (c. 1820 to present)
Eastern Armenian
Western Armenian

Western Armenian is one of the two modern dialects of Armenian, an Indo-European language spoken by the Armenian diaspora, mainly in North America, Europe and most of the Middle East except for Iran. It is also spoken in a few communities in Turkey. It was developed in the early part of the 19th century, and is based on the Armenian dialect of Constantinople.

Contents

[edit] Phonology

[edit] Vowels

[edit] Monophthongs

Western Armenian has eight monophthong vowel sounds.

Front Central Back
Unrounded Rounded Unrounded Rounded
Close i  (ի) ʏ  (իւ)     u  (ու)
Mid ɛ  (է, ե) [1] œ  (էօ) ə  (ը)   o  (ո, օ)[1]
Open       ɑ  (ա)  
Notes
  1. ^ a b The choice of Armenian symbol depends on the vowel's context in the word. See the Orthography section below for details.

[edit] Examples of Western Armenian monophthongs
IPA Example (IPA) Example (Written) Meaning Notes
ɑ ɑɾɛv արեւ "sun" Similar to the English vowel in the word car.
ɛ ɛtʃ էջ "page" Similar to the English vowel in the word bed.
i im իմ "my" Similar to the English vowel in the word eat.
o tʃoɾ չոր "dry" Similar to the English vowel in bore.
u uɾ ուր "where" Similar to the English vowel in the word shoot.
ə əsɛl ըսել "to say" Similar to the English vowel in the word the.
ʏ hʏɾ հիւր "guest"
œ œʒɛni Էօժենի a female name This vowel sound is rare in Armenian, and is used in foreign words.

[edit] Diphthongs

The Western Armenian language has nine diphthong sounds.

IPA Example (IPA) Example (Written) Meaning Notes
jɑ sɛnjɑg սենեակ "room" Similar to English yard.
jɛ jɛɾɑz երազ "dream" Similar to English yell.
ji mɑjis Մայիս "May" Similar to English year.
jo jotə եօթը "seven" Similar to English your.
ju gɑjun կայուն "firm" Similar to English you.
aɪ maɪɾ մայր "mother" Similar to English my.
eɪ teɪ թէյ "tea" Similar to English day.
ɪə ɪənɑl իյնալ "to fall" Similar to English near.
uj kujr քոյր "sister"

[edit] Consonants

This is the Western Armenian Consonantal System using symbols from the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), followed by the corresponding Armenian letter in parentheses.

  Bilabial Labiodental Alveolar Post-
alveolar		 Palatal Velar Uvular Glottal
Nasal m   (մ)   n   (ն)          
Plosive Voiceless pʰ   (բ, փ)[2]   tʰ   (դ, թ)[2]     kʰ   (գ, ք)[2]    
Voiced b   (պ)[3]   d   (տ)[3]     g   (կ)[3]    
Fricative Voiceless   f   (ֆ) s   (ս) ʃ   (շ)     χ   (խ) h   (հ, յ)[1]
Voiced   v   (վ , ւ , ու, ո)[1] z   (զ) ʒ   (ժ)     ʁ   (ղ)  
Approximant         j   (յ, ե, ի, է)[1]      
Flap     ɾ   (ռ, ր) [4]          
Lateral approximant     l   (լ)          
Affricate Voiceless     tsʰ   (ձ, ց)[2] tʃ   (չ, ջ)[2]        
Voiced     dz   (ծ)[3] ʤ   (ճ)[3]        
Notes
  1. ^ a b c d e The choice of Armenian symbol depends on the vowel's context in the word. See the Orthography section below for details.
  2. ^ a b c d e These symbols represent the same consonant due to a sound shift in Western Armenian from Classical Armenian. See the Differences in Phonology from Classical and Eastern Armenian section below for details.
  3. ^ a b c d e This symbol has undergone a sound shift from Classical Armenian to Western Armenian. See the Differences in Phonology from Classical and Eastern Armenian section below for details.
  4. ^ Although Western Armenians are taught to pronounce two different rhotics (represented by <ր> and <ռ>), the two have merged in many dialects to a flap consonant.

[edit] Differences in Phonology from Classical Armenian

The differences in phonology between Western Armenian and Classical Armenian phonology include the distinction of stops and affricates.

First, while Classical Armenian has a three-way distinction of stops and affricates: one voiced and two voiceless — a plain version and an aspirated one — Western Armenian has kept only a two-way distinction — one voiced and one aspirated. For example, Classical has three bilabial stops: [b] (<բ>), [p] (<պ>), and [pʰ] (<փ>); Western Armenian, has two bilabial stops: [b] (<պ>) and [pʰ] (<բ> or <փ>).

Second, Western Armenian has shifted the Classical Armenian voiced stops and voiced affricates into aspirated stops and aspirated affricates, and replaced the plain stops and plain affricates with voiced ones.

Specifically, the following are the changes from Classical Armenian to Western Armenian:

  1. Bilabial stops:
    1. merging of Classical Armenian /b/ (բ) and /pʰ/ (փ) as /pʰ/
    2. voicing of Classical /p/ (պ) to /b/
  2. Alveolar stops:
    1. merging of Classical Armenian /d/ (դ) and /tʰ/ (թ) as /tʰ/
    2. voicing of Classical /t/ (տ) to /d/
  3. Velar stops:
    1. merging of Classical Armenian /g/ (գ) and /kʰ/ (ք) as /kʰ/
    2. voicing of Classical /k/ (կ) to /g/
  4. Alveolar affricates:
    1. merging of Classical Armenian /dz/ (ձ) and /tsʰ/ (ց) as /tsʰ/
    2. voicing of Classical /ts/ (ծ) to /dz/
  5. Post-alveolar affricates:
    1. merging of Classical Armenian /ʤ/ (ջ) and /ʧʰ/ (չ) as /ʧʰ/
    2. voicing of Classical /ʧ/ (ճ) to /ʤ/

As a result, a word like [ʤuɹ] (spelled ջուր in Classical Armenian, 'water') is cognate with Western Armenian [ʧʰuɹ] (also spelled ջուր). However, [tʰoɹ]}} ('grandson') and [kʰaɹ] ('stone') are pronounced identically in Classical and Western Armenian.

[edit] Differences in Phonology from Eastern Armenian

The difference in phonology between Western Armenian and Eastern Armenian phonology also lies in the distinction of stops and affricates (as in the difference with Classical Armenian).

First, Eastern Armenian is notable for shifting the plain stops and plain affricates from Classical Armenian to ejective consonants. Therefore, while Eastern Armenian has a three-way distinction of stops and affricates: one voiced and two voiceless — an ejective version and an aspirated one — Western Armenian has only a two-way distinction — one voiced and one aspirated. For example, Eastern Armenian has three bilabial stops: [b] (<բ>), [p'] (ejective, <պ>), and [pʰ] (<փ>); Western Armenian, has two bilabial stops: [b] (<պ>) and [pʰ] (<բ> or <փ>).

Second, Western Armenian has shifted the Classical Armenian voiced stops and voiced affricates into aspirated stops and aspirated affricates, and replaced the plain stops and plain affricates with voiced ones.

The following is a comparison of the stops and affricates in Eastern Armenian and Western Armenian:

  1. Bilabial stops:
    1. Eastern Armenian: [b] (բ), [pʰ] (փ), [p'] (պ)
    2. Western Armenian: [b] (պ), [pʰ] (փ and բ)
  2. Alveolar stops:
    1. Eastern Armenian: [d] (դ), [tʰ] (թ), [t'] (տ)
    2. Western Armenian: [d] (տ), [tʰ] (թ and դ)
  3. Velar stops:
    1. Eastern Armenian: [g] (գ), [kʰ] (ք), [k'] (կ)
    2. Western Armenian: [g] (կ), [kʰ] (ք and գ)
  4. Alveolar affricates:
    1. Eastern Armenian: [dz] (ձ), [tsʰ] (ց), [ts'] (ծ)
    2. Western Armenian: [dz] (ծ), [tsʰ] (ց or ձ)
  5. Post-alveolar affricates:
    1. Eastern Armenian: [ʤ] (ջ), [ʧʰ] (չ), [ʧ'] (ճ)
    2. Western Armenian: [ʤ] (ճ), [ʧʰ] (չ or ջ)

[edit] Examples of Consonants in Western Armenian

[edit] Orthography

Main article: Traditional Armenian orthography

Western Armenian uses traditional Armenian orthography, also known as classical orthography or Mashdotsian orthography. Reformed Armenian orthography (introduced in Soviet Armenia and still used by most Eastern Armenian speakers from the Republic of Armenia) has not been adopted in Western Armenian.

[edit] Morphology

[edit] Nouns

Western Armenian nouns have six cases: Nominative (subject), Accusative (direct object), Genitive (possession), Dative (indirect object), Ablative (origin) and Instrumental (means). Of the six cases, the nominative and accusative are the same, and the genitive and dative are the same, meaning that nouns have four distinct forms for case. Nouns in Armenian also decline for number (singular and plural), but do not decline for gender (i.e. masculine or feminine).

Declension in Armenian is based on how the genitive is formed. There are several declensions, but two are the most used (genitive in i, and genitive in u):



  tashd (field) kari (barley)
  singular plural singular plural
Nom-Acc (Ուղղական-Հայցական) tashd tashder kari kariner
Gen-Dat (Սեռական-Տրական) tashdi tashderu karu karineru
Abl (Բացարական) tashde tashdere kare karinere
Instr (Գործիական) tashdov tashderov karov karinerov

[edit] Articles

Like English and some other languages, Armenian has definite and indefinite articles. The indefinite article in Western Armenian is /mə/, which follows the noun:

mart mə ('a man', Nom.sg), martu mə ('of a man', Gen.sg)

The definite article is a suffix attached to the noun, and is one of two forms, either -ə or -n, depending on whether the final sound is a vowel or a consonant, and whether a preceding word begins with a vowel or consonant:

martə ('the man', Nom.sg)
karin ('the barley' Nom.sg)
but:
Sa martn e ('This is the man')
Sa karin e ('This is the barley')

The indefinite article becomes mən under the same circumstance as -ə becomes -n:

mart mə ('a man', Nom.sg)
but:
Sa mart mən e ('This is a man')

[edit] Adjectives

Adjectives in Armenian do not decline for case or number, and precede the noun:

lav martə ('the good man', Nom.sg)
lav martun ('to the good man', Gen.sg)

[edit] Verbs

Verbs in Armenian are based on two basic series of forms, a "present" form and a "imperfect" form. From this, all other tenses and moods are formed with various particles and constructions. There is a third form, the preterite, which in Armenian is tense in its own right, and takes no other particles or constructions. (See also Armenian verbs for more detailed information.)

The "present" tense in Western Armenian is based on three conjugations (a, e, i):

  sirel


'to love'

 khosil


'to speak'

 gartal


'to read'
yes (I) sirem khosim gartam
tun (you.sg) sires khosis gartas
an (he/she/it) sire khosi gartay


[pron. 'garta']
menk' (we) sirenk' khosink' gartank'
tuk' (you.pl) sirek' khosik' gartak'
anonk' (they) siren khosin gartan

The present tense (as we know it in English) is made by adding the particle gə before the "present" form, while the future is made by adding bidi:

Yes kirk' g? gartam (I am reading the book or I read the book, Pres)
Yes kirk' bidi gartam (I will read the book, Fut)

In vernacular language, the particle "gor" is added after the verb to indicate present progressive tense. The distinction is not made in literary Armenian.

" Yes kirk' g? gartam gor (I am reading the book)

The verb without any particles constitutes the subjunctive mood:

Udem (if I eat, should I eat, that I eat, I wish I eat)

Udes (if you eat, etc.)

Ude (if it eats)

Udenk' (if we eat)

Udek' (if you all eat)

Uden (if they eat)

[edit] References

  • Melkonian, Zareh (1990). Գործնական Քերականութիւն - Արդի Հայերէն Լեզուի (Միջին եւ Բարձրագոյն Դասընթացք), Fourth (in Armenian). 

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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