Eastern Armenian
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Template:History of the Armenian language Eastern Armenian (Template:Langx) is one of the two standardized forms of Modern Armenian, the other being Western Armenian. The two standards form a pluricentric language.
Eastern Armenian is spoken in Armenia, Russia, as well as Georgia, and by the Armenian community in Iran. Although the Eastern Armenian spoken by Armenians in Armenia and Iranian-Armenians are similar, there are pronunciation differences with different inflections.[1] Armenians from Iran also have some words that are unique to them. Due to migrations of speakers from Armenia and Iran to the Armenian diaspora, the dialect is now very prominent in countries and regions where only Western Armenian was used. Eastern Armenian is based on the Yerevan dialect.
Official status and recognition
Eastern Armenian is, for the most part, mutually intelligible by educated or literate users of Western Armenian – and vice versa. Conversely, semi-literate or illiterate users of lower registers of either variety may have difficulty understanding the other.
The official language, according to law, of Armenia is an unspecified "Armenian".[2] In practice, however, Eastern Armenian is the de facto, day-to-day common language of Armenia. For example, commercial translations are generally completed in Eastern Armenian.
Until 2018, both varieties shared the same ISO 639-3 code: hye. However, on 23 January 2018, a code specifically for Western Armenian was added to ISO 639-3: hyw. (The previous code under ISO 639-1 was hy.)
The Armenian Wikipedia is predominantly composed of Eastern Armenian content. As a result of the amendment to ISO 639-3, a campaign to create a separate Wikipedia for Western Armenian has been approved. This has resulted in separate Wikipedia sites for Eastern Armenian and Western Armenian.
Phonology
Vowels
Monophthongs
Eastern Armenian has six monophthong vowel sounds.
| Front | Central | Back | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unrounded | Rounded | |||
| Close | Template:IPA link (ի) | Template:IPA link (ու) | ||
| Mid | Template:IPA link (ե, է)[3] |
Template:IPA link (ը) | Template:IPA link (ո, օ)[3] | |
| Open | Template:IPA link (ա) | |||
Consonants
This is the Eastern 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 | Template:IPA link (մ) | Template:IPA link (ն) | ⟨ŋ⟩ | ||||||
| Stop | aspirated | Template:IPA link (փ) | Template:IPA link (թ) | Template:IPA link (ք) | |||||
| voiceless / ejective[4] | Template:IPA link (պ) | Template:IPA link (տ) | Template:IPA link (կ) | ||||||
| voiced | Template:IPA link (բ) | Template:IPA link (դ) | Template:IPA link (գ) | ||||||
| Affricate | aspirated | Template:IPA link (ց) | Template:IPA link (չ) | ||||||
| voiceless / ejective | Template:IPA link (ծ) | Template:IPA link (ճ) | |||||||
| voiced | Template:IPA link (ձ) | Template:IPA link (ջ) | |||||||
| Fricative | voiceless | Template:IPA link (ֆ) | Template:IPA link (ս) | Template:IPA link (շ) | Template:IPA link (խ) | Template:IPA link (հ, յ)[5] | |||
| voiced | Template:IPA link (վ, ւ, ու, ո)[6] | Template:IPA link (զ) | Template:IPA link (ժ) | Template:IPA link (ղ) | |||||
| Approximant | ⟨ʋ⟩ | Template:IPA link (ր)[7] | Template:IPA link (յ, ե, ի, է)[8] | ||||||
| Tap | |||||||||
| Trill | Template:IPA link (ռ) | ||||||||
| Lateral | Template:IPA link (լ) | ||||||||
- Some of the dialects may release the voiceless stops and affricates as ejectives.[9]
The phonology of Eastern Armenian preserves the Classical Armenian three-way distinction in stops and affricates: one voiced, one voiceless and one aspirated. Compare this to the phonology of the Western Armenian language, which has kept only a two-way distinction: one voiced and one aspirated. (See the Differences in Phonology from Classical Armenian in the Western Armenian language article for details.)
Some Eastern Armenian words contain voiced stop letters pronounced as voiceless aspirated stops, like Western Armenian. For instance, թագավոր (king) is Script error: No such module "IPA"., not Script error: No such module "IPA".; other examples are ձիգ (Script error: No such module "IPA".), ձագ (Script error: No such module "IPA".), կարգ (Script error: No such module "IPA".), դադար (Script error: No such module "IPA".), վարագույր (Script error: No such module "IPA".).
Orthography
The Eastern Armenian language is written using either Traditional Armenian Orthography or Reformed Armenian Orthography. The controversial reformed orthography was developed during the 1920s in Soviet Armenia and is in widespread use today by Eastern Armenian speakers in Armenia and those in the diaspora that are from Armenia. Eastern Armenian speakers in Iran continue to use the traditional orthography. Nevertheless, writings of either form are mutually intelligible, since the difference between the two orthographies is not large.
Morphology
Pronouns
Template:Armenian personal pronoun table
Armenian has T-V distinction, with Script error: No such module "Lang"., Script error: No such module "Lang"., Script error: No such module "Lang". used informally and capitalized Script error: No such module "Lang"., Script error: No such module "Lang"., Script error: No such module "Lang". as the polite forms.
Nouns
Eastern Armenian nouns have seven cases, one more than Western Armenian. They are: nominative (subject), accusative (direct object), genitive (possession), dative (indirect object), ablative (origin), instrumental (means) and locative (position). Of the seven cases, the nominative and accusative, with exceptions, are the same, and the genitive and dative are the same, meaning that nouns have mostly five 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):
| Ablative | դաշտից Script error: No such module "IPA". |
դաշտերից Script error: No such module "IPA". |
Script error: No such module "IPA". | Script error: No such module "IPA". |
| Instrumental | դաշտով Script error: No such module "IPA". |
դաշտերով Script error: No such module "IPA". |
Script error: No such module "IPA". | Script error: No such module "IPA". |
| Locative | դաշտում Script error: No such module "IPA". |
դաշտերում Script error: No such module "IPA". |
Script error: No such module "IPA". | Script error: No such module "IPA". |
Two notes:
First, notice that the Ablative form in Eastern Armenian is Script error: No such module "IPA"., where it is -ê in Western Armenian:
Abl.sg WA karê/EA Script error: No such module "IPA".
Second, notice that in Western Armenian, the plural forms followed the u-declension, while in Eastern Armenian the plural forms follow the i-declension:
Gen.pl WA karineru/EA Script error: No such module "IPA".
Articles
Like some other languages such as English, Armenian has definite and indefinite articles. The indefinite article in Eastern Armenian is Script error: No such module "IPA"., which precedes the noun:
Script error: No such module "IPA". ('a book', Nom.sg), Script error: No such module "IPA". ('of a book', Gen.sg)
The definite article is a suffix attached to the noun, and is one of two forms, either Script error: No such module "IPA". or Script error: No such module "IPA"., depending on whether the final sound is a vowel or a consonant, and whether a following word begins with a vowel or consonant:
Script error: No such module "IPA". ('the man', Nom.sg)
Script error: No such module "IPA". ('the barley' Nom.sg)
but:
Script error: No such module "IPA". ('This is the man')
Script error: No such module "IPA". ('This is the barley')
Adjectives
Adjectives in Armenian do not decline for case or number, and precede the noun:
Script error: No such module "IPA". ('the good book', Nom.sg)
Script error: No such module "IPA". ('of the good book', Gen.sg)
Verbs
Verbs in Armenian are based on two basic series of forms, a "present" form and an "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 a tense in its own right, and takes no other particles or constructions. (See also Armenian verbs and Eastern Armenian verb table for more detailed information.)
The present tense in Eastern Armenian is based on two conjugations (a, e). In Eastern Armenian, the distinct conjugations in e and i merged as e.
| Script error: No such module "IPA".
|
Script error: No such module "IPA".
|
Script error: No such module "IPA".
| |
| present participle | Script error: No such module "IPA". | Script error: No such module "IPA". | |
| Script error: No such module "IPA". (I) | Script error: No such module "IPA". | Script error: No such module "IPA". | Script error: No such module "IPA". |
| Script error: No such module "IPA". (you. sg) | Script error: No such module "IPA". | Script error: No such module "IPA". | Script error: No such module "IPA". |
| Script error: No such module "IPA". (he/she/it) | Script error: No such module "IPA". | Script error: No such module "IPA". | Script error: No such module "IPA". |
| Script error: No such module "IPA". (we) | Script error: No such module "IPA". | Script error: No such module "IPA". | Script error: No such module "IPA". |
| Script error: No such module "IPA". (you.pl) | Script error: No such module "IPA". | Script error: No such module "IPA". | Script error: No such module "IPA". |
| Script error: No such module "IPA". (they) | Script error: No such module "IPA". | Script error: No such module "IPA". | Script error: No such module "IPA". |
The present tense (as we know it in English) is made by adding the present tense of linel after the present participle form of the verb:
Script error: No such module "IPA". (I am reading the book)
Script error: No such module "IPA". (I love that book)
See also
- Armenian language
- Armenian verbs
- Eastern Armenian verb table
- Western Armenian language
- Western Armenia
- Eastern Armenia
- Language families and languages
- IETF language tag:hy
References
Bibliography
- Dora Sakayan. (2007) Eastern Armenian for the English-speaking World. A Contrastive Approach (with CD-ROM). Yerevan State University Press. Template:ISBN
External links
Eastern Armenian Online Dictionaries
- Nayiri.com (Library of Armenian dictionaries):
- Armenian Explanatory Dictionary (ՀԱՅԵՐԷՆ ԲԱՑԱՏՐԱԿԱՆ ԲԱՌԱՐԱՆ) by Stepan Malkhasiants (about 130,000 entries). Written in traditional Armenian orthography. One of the definitive Armenian dictionaries.
- Explanatory Dictionary of Contemporary Armenian (ԺԱՄԱՆԱԿԱԿԻՑ ՀԱՅՈՑ ԼԵԶՎԻ ԲԱՑԱՏՐԱԿԱՆ ԲԱՌԱՐԱՆ) published by the Armenian SSR Academy of Sciences between 1969 and 1980. In Eastern Armenian, reformed orthography (about 125,000 headwords).
- Modern Armenian Explanatory Dictionary (ԱՐԴԻ ՀԱՅԵՐԵՆԻ ԲԱՑԱՏՐԱԿԱՆ ԲԱՌԱՐԱՆ) by Eduard Aghayan (about 135,600 headwords). In Eastern Armenian and reformed orthography.
- Armenian Language Thesaurus (ՀԱՅՈՑ ԼԵԶՎԻ ՀՈՄԱՆԻՇՆԵՐԻ ԲԱՌԱՐԱՆ) by Ashot Sukiasyan (about 83,000 entries). In Eastern Armenian and reformed orthography.
Template:Armenian language Template:Languages of Armenia Template:Authority control
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
- ↑ a b The choice of Armenian symbol depends on the vowel's context in the word. See the Orthography section below for details.
- ↑ "In some publications, the voiceless plosives are also defined as ejectives or glottalised. Glottalised plosives occur in various Armenian dialects and can also be found in the Eastern Armenian vernacular based on the Yerevan dialect, but according to normative grammars, SMEA [Standard Modern Eastern Armenian] shows no glottalised voiceless plosives." Jasmine Dum-Tragut. Armenian: Modern Eastern Armenian. London Oriental and African Language Library, 2007, Template:Issn; p. 17
- ↑ In traditional orthography, Script error: No such module "IPA". is written in one of two ways, depending on its context. In reformed orthography, Script error: No such module "IPA". is written only one way, Template:Angbr.
- ↑ In traditional orthography, Script error: No such module "IPA". is written in one of four ways, depending on its context. In reformed orthography, Script error: No such module "IPA". is written only one way, Template:Angbr.
- ↑ In practice, only Iranian-Armenians say Script error: No such module "IPA".; Eastern Armenians from Armenia have shifted the Classical Armenian Script error: No such module "IPA". (ր) to Script error: No such module "IPA".. Dolatian, Hossep, Sharifzadeh, Afsheen & Vaux, Bert. 2023. grammar of Iranian Armenian: Parskahayeren or Iranahayeren. Page 22
- ↑ In traditional orthography, Script error: No such module "IPA". is written in a number of ways, depending on its context. In reformed orthography, Script error: No such module "IPA". is written only one way, Template:Angbr.
- ↑ Template:Cite thesis