LESSON 2 - SOME BASIC WORDS AND PHRASES

Here are some common Armenian words and phrases. In each case, the word or phrase has first been written in Armenian, followed by the English transliteration and then the meaning:

- Բարեւ * Barev * Hello
- Ինչպե՞ս ես * Inchpes es? * How are you?
- շատ * shat * many; much; very
- լավ * lav * fine; well
- շատ լավ * shat lav * very good; very well
- շնորհակալություն * shnorhakalut'yun * thanks
- շնորհակալ եմ * shnorhakal em * thank-you (literally 'I am grateful')
- Շատ լավ եմ, շնորհակալ եմ * Shat lav em, shnorhakal em * I'm very well, thank-you
- բարի * bari * good; kind
- Բարի երեկո * Bari yereko * good evening
- Բարի լույս * Bari luys * good morning
- Բարի գալուստ * Bari galust * Welcome!
- Բարի գիշեր * Bari gisher * Good night
- Ցտեսություն * Ts'tesut'yun (In many Armenian words there is an unwritten ը sound between two consonants. In this case, the word Ցտեսություն is pronounced as if it were written Ցըտեսություն) * Goodbye
- Իմ անունը Անդրեաս է * Im anunë Andreas e * My name is Andreas (Andrew)
- Պարոն * Paron * Sir; Mr.
- Տիկին * Tikin * Madame; Mrs.
- Օրիորդ * Oriort' (in some Armenian words the letter դ is pronounced like the letter թ) * Miss

LESSON 1 - THE ARMENIAN ALPHABET

The Armenian alphabet was devised in the 4th century AD by Saint Mesrop Mashtots (Մեսրոպ Մաշտոց) in order to translate the Bible into Armenian. It originally consisted of 36 letters but it now has 38 plus one extra letter - the letter և - which is really a combination of two letters (ե and ւ).

The 39 letters of the Armenian alphabet are as follows:

(1) Upper case: Ա, Lower case: ա, Name: ayb, Pronunciation: a in father, English transliteration: a
(2) Upper case: Բ, Lower case: բ, Name: ben, Pronunciation: b in baby, English transliteration: b
(3) Upper case: Գ, Lower case: գ, Name: gim, Pronunciation: g in gas, English transliteration: g
(4) Դ, դ, da, d in deal, d
(5) Ե, ե, yech', ye in yet, ye/e
(6) Զ, զ, za, z in zoo, z
(7) Է, է, eh, e in pet, e
(8) Ը, ը, ët, er in letter, ë
(9) Թ, թ, t'oh, t in team, t'
(10) Ժ, ժ, zheh, s in leisure, zh
(11) Ի, ի, ini, i in ski, i
(12) Լ, լ, lyun, l in lion, l
(13) Խ, խ, kheh, ch in German achtung, kh
(14) Ծ, ծ, tsa, ts in tsar, ts
(15) Կ, կ, ken, k in sky, k
(16) Հ, հ, ho, h in have, h
(17) Ձ, ձ, dza, dz in adze, dz
(18) Ղ, ղ, ghad, r in French Paris, gh
(19) Ճ, ճ, cheh, ch in church, ch
(20) Մ, մ, men, m in mother, m
(21) Յ, յ, yi, y in yes, y
(22) Ն, ն, nu, n in number, n
(23) Շ, շ, sha, sh in sheep, sh
(24) Ո, ո, vo, vo in void, vo/o
(25) Չ, չ, ch'a, ch in cheese, ch'
(26) Պ, պ, peh, p in spam, p
(27) Ջ, ջ, jeh, j in joke, j
(28) Ռ, ռ, rra, rolled r in Scottish 'murder', rr
(29) Ս, ս, seh, s in some, s
(30) Վ, վ, vev, v in vote, v
(31) Տ, տ, tyun, t in step, t
(32) Ր, ր, reh, r in very (but with the tongue touching the roof of the mouth), r
(33) Ց, ց, ts'o, ts in Pizza, ts'
(34) Ւ, ւ, yiun, u in chute, u
(35) Փ, փ, p'yur, p in pool, p'
(36) Ք, ք, k'eh, k in kiss, k'
(37) և(lower case only), yev, yev in tennis player Yevgeny Kafelnikov, yev/ev
(38) Օ, օ, o, o in foil, o
(39) Ֆ, ֆ, feh, f in fish, f

Pronunciation guide:

The letters Կ/կ, Պ/պ, Տ/տ, Ծ/ծ and Ճ/ճ are unaspirated sounds. That means that they should be pronounced without air escaping from your mouth! Practise by holding a piece of paper in front of your mouth and trying to pronounce the letters without the paper moving. The կ/Կ is similar to the normal English k but the sound is made slightly further back in the throat.

The letters Ք/ք, Փ/փ, Թ/թ, Ց/ց and Չ/չ are aspirated sounds and so should be pronounced with air behind them.

The letter Ե/ե is pronounced as ye at the beginning of a word and as e in the middle of a word.

The letter Ո/ո is pronounced as vo at the beginning of a word and as o in the middle of a word

The letter Ւ/ւ on its own is pronounced as v but the combination of Ո/ո and Ւ/ւ is pronounced as u, eg. դու (english transliteration: du, meaning 'you').

INTRODUCTION

The Armenian language (called hayeren in Armenian) comes in two distinct flavours; arevelahayeren (which means Eastern Armenian) which is spoken in the Republic of Armenia, in the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and in the Armenian community of Iran; and arevmtahayeren (Western Armenian) which is spoken by Armenians living in Turkey and throughout the Armenian diaspora (except for Iran) although owing to more recent waves of immigration, the eastern dialect is increasingly being spoken in the diaspora alongside the western. The differences between the two dialects are not great, and they are mutually comprehensible.

I think the western dialect has a very beautiful sound to it and it is also the Armenian which was spoken by my own ancestors, however I decided to concentrate more on learning Eastern Armenian because, as the official first language of what is now the internationally recognised Armenian State, its continued existence as a living language seems far more secure than that of Western Armenian.

These lessons, then, will be in Eastern Armenian.