Western Armenian
Western Armenian is a standard form of the Armenian language. It is mainly based on the Istanbul dialect and historically spoken by Armenians in Constantinople in the Ottoman Empire. It is largely used by the Armenian diaspora in the Middle East, Europe, Asia minor, the Americas and Australia.[1][2][3]
Classification
[change | change source]Western Armenian belongs to the Indo- European language family's Armenic branch.[4] Main phonological differences from Eastern Armenian include speechless pronunciation of stops( e.g., * pʰ *, * tʰ *, * kʰ *) where Eastern Armenian uses raised stops.[5] The dialects are largely mutually comprehensible for literature speakers but may pose challenges in lower registers.
Historical context
[change | change source]Before the Armenian genocide (1915 – 1923), Western Armenian was the primary variant, with dialects like Homshetsi, Karin, and Cilician spoken across Anatolia. Post-genocide, its speakers were disappeared, leading to a decline in native operation. UNESCO classifies Western Armenian as" Vulnerable" due to interrupted intergenerational transmission.[1][3]
Modern usage
[change | change source]Western Armenian lacks official status in any country but is taught in diaspora communities. Communities like American Armenians, French Armenians, Iranian Armenians and Polish Armenians[6] mainly use the western form of the Armenian language. According to recent UN data report there are a total of 200,000 number of people who speak Western Armenian.[7]
Writing system
[change | change source]Western Armenian uses the Armenian alphabet in classical orthography, differing from Eastern Armenian's reformed orthography.[8]
References
[change | change source]- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Kagan, Olga E.; Carreira, Maria M.; Chik, Claire Hitchens (2017-03-03). The Routledge Handbook of Heritage Language Education: From Innovation to Program Building. Taylor & Francis. p. 147. ISBN 978-1-317-54153-0.
- ↑ Austin, Peter (2008). One Thousand Languages: Living, Endangered, and Lost. University of California Press. p. 56. ISBN 978-0-520-25560-9.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Seyfarth, Scott; Dolatian, Hossep; Guekguezian, Peter; Kelly, Niamh; Toparlak, Tabita (April 2024). "Armenian (Yerevan Eastern Armenian and Beirut Western Armenian)". Journal of the International Phonetic Association. 54 (1): 445–478. doi:10.1017/S0025100323000130. ISSN 0025-1003 – via Cambridge.org.
- ↑ Gabrielian, Mugurdich Chojhauji (1918). Armenia: A Martyr Nation. Fleming H. Revell Company. p. 147.
- ↑ Bardakjian, Kevork B. (2000). A Reference Guide to Modern Armenian Literature, 1500-1920: With an Introductory History. Wayne State University Press. p. 249. ISBN 978-0-8143-2747-0.
- ↑ Condorelli, Marco; Rutkowska, Hanna (2023-10-12). The Cambridge Handbook of Historical Orthography. Cambridge University Press. p. 24. ISBN 978-1-108-48731-3.
- ↑ Mekaelian, Martha (2018-09-24). "Opinion | The Necessity of Preserving Western Armenian". The Armenian Weekly. Retrieved 2025-03-29.
- ↑ "Armenian language - Morphology, Syntax, Dialects | Britannica". www.britannica.com. 2025-01-30. Retrieved 2025-03-29.