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. The Armenian language (, IPA: — , conventional short form ) is an Indo-European language spoken by the Armenian people. ... The Armenian language (, IPA: — , conventional short form ) is an Indo-European language spoken by the Armenian people. ... The Armenian alphabet is an alphabet that has been used to write the Armenian language since the 5th century. ... The earliest testimony of the Armenian language dates to the 5th century AD (the Bible translation of Mesrob Mashtots). ... Graeco-Armenian (also Helleno-Armenian) refers to the hypothesis that the Greek language and the Armenian language share a common ancestor post-dating the Proto-Indo-European language (PIE). ... Grabar meaning literary, Armenian was very developed by the time it came to be written down at the beginning of the 5th century. ... Middle Armenian (c. ... Eastern Armenian is one of the two modern dialects of Armenian (an Indo-European language), spoken in the Caucasus mountains (particularly in the Armenian Republic). ... A dialect (from the Greek word διάλεκτος, dialektos) is a variety of a language characteristic of a particular group of the languages speakers. ... For other uses, see Indo-European. ... Map of the Armenian diaspora. ... North America North America is a continent[1] in the Earths northern hemisphere and (chiefly) western hemisphere. ... For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ... This article is about the city before the Fall of Constantinople (1453). ...

Phonology

Vowels

Monophthongs

Western Armenian has eight monophthong vowel sounds.

1. ^ ^{a b} The choice of Armenian symbol depends on the vowel's context in the word. See the Orthography section below for details.

Vowels Near-close Close-mid Mid Open-mid Near-open Open Where symbols appear in pairs, the one to the right represents a rounded vowel. ... A central vowel is a type of vowel sound used in some spoken languages. ... A back vowel is a type of vowel sound used in some spoken languages. ... Exolabial and endolabial [ʏ] in Swedish. ... Exolabial and endolabial [ʏ] in Swedish. ... Exolabial and endolabial [ʏ] in Swedish. ... Exolabial and endolabial [ʏ] in Swedish. ... A close vowel is a type of vowel sound used in many spoken languages. ... Vowels See also: IPA, Consonants Near-close Close-mid Mid Open-mid Near-open Open Where symbols appear in pairs, the one to the right represents a rounded vowel. ... Vowels Near-close Close-mid Mid Open-mid Near-open Open Where symbols appear in pairs, the one to the right represents a rounded vowel. ... Vowels See also: IPA, Consonants Near‑close Close‑mid Mid Open‑mid Near‑open Open Where symbols appear in pairs, the one to the right represents a rounded vowel. ... A mid vowel is a vowel sound used in some spoken languages. ... Vowels See also: IPA, Consonants Near‑close Close‑mid Mid Open‑mid Near‑open Open Where symbols appear in pairs, the one to the right represents a rounded vowel. ... Vowels See also: IPA, Consonants Near‑close Close‑mid Mid Open‑mid Near‑open Open Where symbols appear in pairs, the one to the right represents a rounded vowel. ... The IPA symbol for the Schwa In linguistics, specifically phonetics and phonology, schwa can mean: An unstressed and toneless neutral vowel sound in any language, often but not necessarily a mid-central vowel. ... Vowels Near-close Close-mid Mid Open-mid Near-open Open Where symbols appear in pairs, the one to the right represents a rounded vowel. ... An open vowel is a vowel sound of a type used in most spoken languages. ... Vowels See also: IPA, Consonants Near‑close Close‑mid Mid Open‑mid Near‑open Open Where symbols appear in pairs, the one to the right represents a rounded vowel. ...

Examples of Western Armenian monophthongs

Articles with similar titles include the NATO phonetic alphabet, which has also informally been called the “International Phonetic Alphabet”. For information on how to read IPA transcriptions of English words, see IPA chart for English. ... Vowels See also: IPA, Consonants Near‑close Close‑mid Mid Open‑mid Near‑open Open Where symbols appear in pairs, the one to the right represents a rounded vowel. ... Vowels See also: IPA, Consonants Near‑close Close‑mid Mid Open‑mid Near‑open Open Where symbols appear in pairs, the one to the right represents a rounded vowel. ... Vowels See also: IPA, Consonants Near-close Close-mid Mid Open-mid Near-open Open Where symbols appear in pairs, the one to the right represents a rounded vowel. ... Vowels Near-close Close-mid Mid Open-mid Near-open Open Where symbols appear in pairs, the one to the right represents a rounded vowel. ... Vowels See also: IPA, Consonants Near‑close Close‑mid Mid Open‑mid Near‑open Open Where symbols appear in pairs, the one to the right represents a rounded vowel. ... The IPA symbol for the Schwa In linguistics, specifically phonetics and phonology, schwa can mean: An unstressed and toneless neutral vowel sound in any language, often but not necessarily a mid-central vowel. ... Vowels Near-close Close-mid Mid Open-mid Near-open Open Where symbols appear in pairs, the one to the right represents a rounded vowel. ... Vowels See also: IPA, Consonants Near‑close Close‑mid Mid Open‑mid Near‑open Open Where symbols appear in pairs, the one to the right represents a rounded vowel. ...

Diphthongs

The Western Armenian language has nine diphthong sounds. In phonetics, a diphthong (also gliding vowel) (Greek δίφθογγος, diphthongos, literally with two sounds, or with two tones) is a monosyllabic vowel combination involving a quick but smooth movement from one vowel to another, often interpreted by listeners as a single vowel sound or phoneme. ...

Articles with similar titles include the NATO phonetic alphabet, which has also informally been called the “International Phonetic Alphabet”. For information on how to read IPA transcriptions of English words, see IPA chart for English. ...

Consonants

This is the Western Armenian Consonantal System using symbols from the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA), followed by the corresponding Armenian letter in parentheses. Articles with similar titles include the NATO phonetic alphabet, which has also informally been called the “International Phonetic Alphabet”. For information on how to read IPA transcriptions of English words, see IPA chart for English. ...

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.

In phonetics, a bilabial consonant is a consonant articulated with both lips. ... In phonetics, labiodentals are consonants articulated with the lower lips and the upper teeth, or viceversa. ... Alveolar consonants are articulated with the tongue against or close to the superior alveolar ridge, which is called that because it contains the alveoli (the sockets) of the superior teeth. ... Postalveolar (or palato-alveolar) consonants are consonants articulated with the tip of the tongue between the alveolar ridge (the place of articulation for alveolar consonants) and the palate (the place of articulation for palatal consonants). ... Palatal consonants are consonants articulated with the body of the tongue raised against the hard palate (the middle part of the roof of the mouth). ... Velars are consonants articulated with the back part of the tongue (the dorsum) against the soft palate (the back part of the roof of the mouth, known also as the velum). ... Velars are consonants articulated with the back part of the tongue (the dorsum) against the soft palate (the back part of the roof of the mouth, known also as the velum). ... Glottal consonants are consonants articulated with the glottis. ... A nasal consonant is produced when the velum—that fleshy part of the palate near the back—is lowered, allowing air to escape freely through the nose. ... The bilabial nasal is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. ... The alveolar nasal is a type of consonantal sound used in some spoken languages. ... A stop or plosive or occlusive is a consonant sound produced by stopping the airflow in the vocal tract. ... Phoneticians define phonation as use of the laryngeal system to generate an audible source of acoustic energy, i. ... The voiceless bilabial plosive is a type of consonantal sound used in many spoken languages. ... The voiceless alveolar plosive is a type of consonantal sound used in many spoken languages. ... The voiceless velar plosive is a type of consonantal sound used in many spoken languages. ... A voiced consonant is a sound made as the vocal cords vibrate, as opposed to a voiceless consonant, where the vocal cords are relaxed. ... The voiced bilabial plosive is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. ... The voiced alveolar plosive is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. ... The voiced velar plosive is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. ... Fricatives (or spirants) are consonants produced by forcing air through a narrow channel made by placing two articulators close together. ... Phoneticians define phonation as use of the laryngeal system to generate an audible source of acoustic energy, i. ... The voiceless labiodental fricative is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. ... The voiceless alveolar fricatives are consonantal sounds. ... The voiceless palato-alveolar fricative or domed postalveolar fricative is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. ... The voiceless uvular fricative is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. ... The voiceless glottal transition, commonly called a fricative, is a type of sound used in some spoken languages which often behaves like a consonant, but sometimes behaves more like a vowel, or is indeterminate in its behavior. ... A voiced consonant is a sound made as the vocal cords vibrate, as opposed to a voiceless consonant, where the vocal cords are relaxed. ... The voiced labiodental fricative is a type of consonantal sound used in some spoken languages. ... The voiced alveolar fricatives are consonantal sounds. ... The voiced palato-alveolar fricative or domed postalveolar fricative is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. ... The voiced uvular fricative is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. ... Approximants are speech sounds that could be regarded as intermediate between vowels and typical consonants. ... The palatal approximant is a type of consonantal sound, used in many spoken languages. ... In phonetics, a flap or tap is a type of consonantal sound, which is produced with a single contraction of the muscles so that one articulator (such as the tongue) is thrown against another. ... The alveolar tap or flap is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. ... Laterals are L-like consonants pronounced with an occlusion made somewhere along the axis of the tongue, while air from the lungs escapes at one side or both sides of the tongue. ... The alveolar lateral approximant is a type of consonantal sound used in some spoken languages. ... Affricate consonants begin as stops (most often an alveolar, such as or ) but release as a fricative (such as or or, in a couple of languages, into a fricative trill) rather than directly into the following vowel. ... Phoneticians define phonation as use of the laryngeal system to generate an audible source of acoustic energy, i. ... The voiceless alveolar affricate is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. ... The voiceless palato-alveolar affricate or domed postalveolar affricate is a type of consonantal sound used in some spoken languages. ... A voiced consonant is a sound made as the vocal cords vibrate, as opposed to a voiceless consonant, where the vocal cords are relaxed. ... The voiced alveolar affricate is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. ... The voiced palato-alveolar fricative or domed postalveolar affricate is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. ...

Differences in Phonology from Classical Armenian

The differences in phonology between Western Armenian and Classical Armenian phonology include the distinction of stops and affricates. Grabar meaning literary, Armenian was very developed by the time it came to be written down at the beginning of the 5th century. ... A stop, plosive, or occlusive is a consonant sound produced by stopping the airflow in the vocal tract. ... Affricate consonants begin as stops (most often an alveolar, such as or ) but release as a fricative (such as or or, in a couple of languages, into a fricative trill) rather than directly into the following vowel. ...

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>). Grabar meaning literary, Armenian was very developed by the time it came to be written down at the beginning of the 5th century. ... In phonetics, aspiration is the strong burst of air that accompanies the release of some obstruents. ...

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. Grabar meaning literary, Armenian was very developed by the time it came to be written down at the beginning of the 5th century. ...

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). Eastern Armenian is one of the two modern dialects of Armenian (an Indo-European language), spoken in the Caucasus mountains (particularly in the Armenian Republic). ... A stop, plosive, or occlusive is a consonant sound produced by stopping the airflow in the vocal tract. ... Affricate consonants begin as stops (most often an alveolar, such as or ) but release as a fricative (such as or or, in a couple of languages, into a fricative trill) rather than directly into the following vowel. ...

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>). Ejective consonants are a class of consonants which may contrast with aspirated or tenuis consonants in a language. ... Eastern Armenian is one of the two modern dialects of Armenian (an Indo-European language), spoken in the Caucasus mountains (particularly in the Armenian Republic). ... In phonetics, aspiration is the strong burst of air that accompanies the release of some obstruents. ...

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)

Examples of Consonants in Western Armenian

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. Traditional Armenian orthography (also known as classical orthography and Mashdotsian orthography) is the orthography developed during the early 19th century for the two modern dialects of the Armenian language - Eastern Armenian and Western Armenian. ... Traditional Armenian orthography (also known as classical orthography and Mashdotsian orthography) is the orthography developed during the early 19th century for the two modern dialects of the Armenian language - Eastern Armenian and Western Armenian. ... The Spelling reform of the Armenian language 1922-1924 was conducted in the Armenian SSR. However, it is barely practiced outside of Armenia because it was not adopted by Armenians in the diaspora, which make up about half of the Armenian population. ... State motto: Armenian: ÕŠÖ€Õ¸Õ¬Õ¥Õ¿Õ¡Ö€Õ¶Õ¥Ö€ Õ¢Õ¸Õ¬Õ¸Ö€ Õ¥Ö€Õ¯Ö€Õ¶Õ¥Ö€Õ«, միացեք! Translation: Workers of the world, unite! Capital Yerevan Official language Armenian and Russian Established In the USSR:  - Since  - Until November 29, 1920 December 30, 1922 September 21, 1991 Area  - Total  - Water (%) Ranked 15th in the USSR 29,800 km² 4. ...

Morphology

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, except for personal pronouns, 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). In linguistics, declension is a feature of inflected languages: generally, the alteration of a noun to indicate its grammatical role. ... The nominative case is a grammatical case for a noun, which generally marks the subject of a verb, as opposed to its object or other verb arguments. ... The accusative case (abbreviated ACC) of a noun is the grammatical case used to mark the direct object of a transitive verb. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The dative case is a grammatical case generally used to indicate the noun to whom something is given. ... In linguistics, ablative case (also called the sixth case) (abbreviated ABL) is a name given to cases in various languages whose common thread is that they mark motion away from something, though the details in each language may differ. ... In linguistics, the instrumental case (also called the eighth case) indicates that a noun is the instrument or means by which the subject achieves or accomplishes an action. ...

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): In linguistics, declension is the inflection of nouns, pronouns and adjectives to indicate such features as number (typically singular vs. ...

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')

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)

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 verbal morphology of Armenian is fairly simple in theory, but is complicated by the existence of two main dialects, Eastern and Western. ...

The "present" tense in Western Armenian is based on three conjugations (a, e, i): In linguistics, conjugation is the creation of derived forms of a verb from its principal parts by inflection (regular alteration according to rules of grammar). ...

The present tense (as we know it in English) is made by adding the particle gə before the "present" form, except yem (I am), unim (I have), kidem (I know) and gərnam (I can), while the future is made by adding bidi:

Yes kirk'ə gə gartam (I am reading the book or I read the book, Pres)
Yes kirk'ə bidi gartam (I will read the book, Fut). For the exceptions: bidi əllam, unenam, kidnam, garenam (I shall be, have, know, be able). In vernacular language, the particle "gor" is added after the verb to indicate present progressive tense, apparently borrowed from Turkish -yor-: cf. seviyorum: gə sirem gor (I love). The distinction is not made in literary Armenian.

" Yes kirk'ə gə 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.)

Udê (if it eats)

Udenk' (if we eat)

Udêk' (if you all eat)

Uden (if they eat)

References

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

See also

• Armenian verbs
• Traditional Armenian orthography
• Eastern Armenian
• Language families and languages
• L'École Arménienne Sourp Hagop instruction in Western Armenian
• Armenian Sisters Academy instruction in Western Armenian

The verbal morphology of Armenian is fairly simple in theory, but is complicated by the existence of two main dialects, Eastern and Western. ... Traditional Armenian orthography (also known as classical orthography and Mashdotsian orthography) is the orthography developed during the early 19th century for the two modern dialects of the Armenian language - Eastern Armenian and Western Armenian. ... Eastern Armenian is one of the two modern dialects of Armenian (an Indo-European language), spoken in the Caucasus mountains (particularly in the Armenian Republic). ... Current distribution of Human Language Families Most languages are known to belong to language families (families hereforth). ... LÉcole Arménienne Sourp Hagop (Armenian: ; English: Sourp Hagop Armenian School) is an Armenian-Canadian private school located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. ... The Armenian Sisters Academy is a Pre-K through eighth grade institution located in the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania suburb of Radnor. ...

External links

• Armenian Ethnologue report