Historical dialects of Armenian language

In 1909, prominent Armenian linguist Hrachia Acharian in his Classification des dialectes arméniens (Classification of Armenian dialects) surveyed many of the Armenian dialects in what is now present day Turkey, Armenia, Georgia, Iran, Azerbaijan and other countries settled by Armenians. Unlike the traditional dialect division of Armenian into western and eastern dialects, Acharian divided Armenian into three main dialects based on which indicative particles are used. He labeled them as the -owm (-ում) dialects, -gë (-կը) dialects, and -el (-ել) dialects. These three major dialects were further divided into sub-dialects.

Contents

Eastern Armenian (-owm) dialects

-owm dialects
Dialect
(name in Armenian and reference to Armenian Wiki if available)		 Areas spoken (countries as of 1909)
Araratian
(Արարատյան)		 Erivan (Yerevan), Novo-Bayazet (Gavar)
Doğubeyazıt 
Tabriz (Kala and Lilava quarters)
Tbilisi
(Թիֆլիսի)		 Tbilisi (Havlabar quarter)
Karabakh
(Ղարաբաղի)		 Shusha, Elisabethpol (Ganja), Shaki, Baku, Derbent, Aghstafa, Dilijan, Vanadzor, Kazakh, Lori
Karadagh (Ardabil Province, Iran), Mujumbar (Kermān Province, Iran), Tabriz (Lilava quarter) 
Burdur (near İzmir, Turkey), Yodemish (İzmir Province, Turkey)
Shamakhi
(Շամախիի)		 Shamakhi, Guba
Astrakhan
(Աստրախանի)		 Astrakhan
Julfa
(Ջուղայի (Նոր Ջուղայի))		 Julfa
 Isfahan (New Julfa quarter), Shiraz, Hamadan, Bushehr, Tehran, Qazvin, Rasht, Bandar-e Anzali
Agulis
(Ագուլիսի)		 Nakhichevan: Nerkin (Lower) Akulis, Tsagna, Verin (Upper) Agulis, Verin (Upper) Handamej, Tanagirt, Urumis, Dosti and Kalaki

Intermediate (-el) dialects

-el dialects
Dialect
(Armenian name in parenthesis)		 Areas spoken (countries as of 1909)
Maragha (Մարաղայի) Maragheh
Urmia (Ուրմիայի) Khoy, Maku
Igdir 
Kori, Alighuli, Mughanjugh, Karashen, Alilu, Angeghakot, Ghushchi, Tazakend, Uz, Mazra, Balak, Shaghat, Ltsen, Sisian, Nerkin Kilisa
Ardahan (Արդահան) Artvin, Ardahan, Artanutch, Olti

Western Armenian (-gë) dialects

-gë dialects
Dialect
(Armenian name in parenthesis)		 Areas spoken (countries as of 1909)
Erurum
(Կարնո)		 Erzurum 
Kars, Gyumri, Akhalkalaki, Akhaltsikhe
Mush
(Մշո)		 Mush, Sasun, Bitlis, Khozan, Khlat, Artchesh, Kop, Manazkert, Khnus, Alashkert 
 Aparan, 4 villages in Akhalkalak: Eshtia, Ujmana, Toria (Bogdanovka); Martuni (Akhalkalak)
Van
(Վանի)		 Van, Diadin, Moks, Adamakert, Shatakh 
Vardenis
Darbekir
(Դիարբեքիրի)		 Diyarbakır, Lice, Hazro, Kozluk, Khizan, Sevaverak, Edesia
Kharberd-Yerznka
(Խարբերդ-Երզնկայի)		 Kharpert, Yerznka, Balu, Tchapaghjur, Chmshkatsag, Peri, Kghi, Dersim, Kamakh
Shabin-Karahisar (Շապին-Գարահիսարի) Shabin-Karahisar, Akıncılar
Trapizon
(Տրապիզոնի)		 Trabzon, Babert, Gyumushkhana, Giresun
Hamshen
(Համշենի)		 Hamshen, Trabzon, Ünye, Fatsa, Terme, Çarşamba, Samsun 
Sukhumi, Sochi, Mtsara (Gudauta District, Abkhazia), Tsebelda (Gulripsh District, Abkhazia), Adler (Sochi), Shapsugskaya (Krasnodar Krai, Russia)
Malatia
(Մալաթիայի)		 Malatia, Adıyaman
Zeytun
(Զեյթունի)		 Hadjin, Zeytun, Marash, Kilis, Alexandretta, Payas (Yakacik), Samandağ
Aramo
(Արամոյի)		 Aramo (Syria)
Arabkir
(Արաբկիրի)		 Arabkir, Tevrik, Kyurin, Darende, Kesaria
Akn
(Ակնա)		 Akn
Sebastia
(Սեբաստիայի)		 Sebastia
Amasia
(Ամասիայի)		 Tokat, Amasia, Marzvan, Ordu, Samsun, Sinop
Smyrna
(Զմյուռնիայի)		 Smyrna
Izmit (Իզմիթի) Nicomedia, Adabazar, Yalova, Partizak, Geyve, İznik, Pazarköy, Karamürsel, Aslanbey, Ortaköy, Sölöz, Benli
Constantinople (Պոլսի) Constantinople (Istanbul)
Rodostho (Ռոդոսթոյի) Tekirdağ, Malkara
Nor Nakhichevan (Նոր Նախիջևանի) Nor Nakhichevan, Rostov-on-Don, Stavropol, Krasnodar, Dnipropetrovsk, Anapa, Maykop, Taganrog, Prymorsk, Novocherkassk, Dneprovskaya (Krasnodar Krai)
Poland

Bukovina, Transylvania, Hungary
Jerusalem (Երուսաղեմի)[1] Jerusalem (K'aġak'ac'i dialect), not mentioned by Acharian, but mentioned by Bert Vaux as likely coming from Cilicia
Yozgat (Յոզղաթի) Yozgat

References

  1. ^ The Armenian Dialects of Jerusalem by Bert Vaux, Harvard University