Armenian language | History, Alphabet & Dialects

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data-icon="toc"></em> <a class="font-serif font-weight-bold text-black link-blue" href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Armenian-language">Armenian language</a> </div> <button aria-label="Close" class="js-sections-close-button btn-link btn-sm btn d-lg-none position-absolute top-0 p-10 right-0" > <em class="material-icons font-26" data-icon="close"></em> </button> </div> <div class="section-content pl-10 pr-20 pl-sm-50 pr-sm-60 pl-lg-5 pr-lg-10 pt-10 pt-lg-0 bg-gray-50 clear-catfish-ad"> <div class="toc mb-20"> <div class="font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mx-15 mb-15 mt-20"> Table of Contents </div> <ul class="list-unstyled my-0" data-level="h1"><li data-target="#ref1"><div class="pl-25"><a class="link-gray-900 w-100" href="/topic/Armenian-language">Introduction</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li><li data-target="#ref74831"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><div class="ml-25"></div><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/Armenian-language#ref74831">Origins of the language</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"></div></li><li data-target="#ref74832"><div class="d-flex align-items-center"><button class="h1-link-drawer-button btn btn-xs btn-circle d-flex rounded" type="button" aria-label="Toggle Heading"><em class="material-icons font-18" data-icon="keyboard_arrow_right"></em></button><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/Armenian-language#ref74832">Linguistic characteristics</a></div><div class="ml-40 toc-drawer sub-toc-drawer"><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref74833"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/Armenian-language#ref74833">Phonology</a></li></ul><ul class="list-unstyled" data-level="h2"><li data-target="#ref74834"><a class="w-100 link-gray-900" href="/topic/Armenian-language/Morphology-and-syntax">Morphology and syntax</a></li></ul></div></li></ul> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Armenian-language/additional-info">References & Edit History</a> <a class="toc-extra-link link-gray-900" href="/facts/Armenian-language">Quick Facts & Related Topics</a> </div> <div class="tlr-media-slider pb-10 mb-30"> <a class="section-header link-gray-900 font-serif font-14 font-weight-bold mb-10 mx-10" href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Armenian-language/images-videos">Images</a> <div class="slider js-slider position-relative d-inline-flex align-items-center mw-100 "> <div class="slider-container js-slider-container overflow-hidden d-flex overflow-hidden text-nowrap ml-15"> <a href="https://cdn.britannica.com/83/1983-050-5D9604DA/locations-languages-Indo-European-Eurasia.jpg" data-href="/media/1/35305/2087" class="media-overlay-link d-inline-block mr-5"> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/83/1983-004-469BB8C9/locations-languages-Indo-European-Eurasia.jpg" alt="Indo-European languages in contemporary Eurasia" height="50" /> 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Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). </div> <div class="type-menu"> <label for="feedback-type" class="label mb-10">Feedback Type</label> <select id="feedback-type" class="form-select mb-30" name="feedbackTypeId" required> <option value="" selected="selected">Select a type (Required)</option> <option value="1">Factual Correction</option> <option value="2">Spelling/Grammar Correction</option> <option value="3">Link Correction</option> <option value="4">Additional Information</option> <option value="5">Other</option> </select> </div> <label for="feedback" class="label mb-10">Your Feedback</label> <textarea id="feedback" class="form-control mb-30" name="feedback" maxlength="3000" rows="7" required></textarea> <button class="btn btn-blue" type="submit">Submit Feedback</button> </form> <div class="success-messaging d-none mt-30"> <div class="title">Thank you for your feedback</div> <p>Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article.</p> </div> </div> </div> <div class="md-websites-modal size-lg d-none"> <div class="md-modal-body"> <div class="h2 font-serif pb-15 border-bottom font-weight-bold"> External Websites </div> <div class="pb-20"> <ul class="list-unstyled mt-20 lh-lg"> <li><a class="external" href="https://ling.hse.ru/data/2014/09/01/1313574129/Hrach%20Martirosyan%20-%20Handout.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">HSE University - School of Linguistics - Origins and historical development of the Armenian language</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://www.academia.edu/1748235/An_Introduction_to_Classical_Armenian" target="_blank" rel="noopener ">Academia - An Introduction to Classical Armenian</a></li> <li><a class="external" href="https://www.omniglot.com/writing/armenian.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow">Omniglot - Armenian</a></li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="toc-header-marker"></div> <button class="ai-ask-button btn border-2 js-header-ai-ask-button d-none btn-sm btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 mr-0 mr-lg-10 ml-5 ml-sm-10 ml-lg-0 p-10"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> <div class="caption alternate-titles">Also known as: Haieren, Hayeren</div> <div class="md-byline module-spacing "> <div class="font-serif font-12"> <span class="written-by text-gray-700"> Written by </span> <div class="editor-popover popover p-0"> <a class="d-block p-20 gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor" href="/contributor/Andrzej-Pisowicz/6359" > <div class="editor-title font-16 font-weight-bold">Andrzej Pisowicz</div> <div class="editor-description font-12 font-serif mt-5 clamp-description text-black"> Professor, Institute of Oriental Philology, Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Pol. Author of <i>Origins of the New and Middle Persian Phonological Systems</i> and many other books on Armenian languages.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link gtm-byline font-12 byline-contributor text-decoration-underline"> Andrzej Pisowicz</span></div> <div class="font-serif font-12 text-gray-700"> <span class="qa-fact-checked-by">Fact-checked by</span> <div class="editor-popover popover p-0"> <a class="d-block p-20 font-12" href="/editor/The-Editors-of-Encyclopaedia-Britannica/4419" > <div class="editor-title font-16 font-weight-bold">The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</div> <div class="editor-description font-12 font-serif mt-5 text-black">Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. They write new content and verify and edit content received from contributors.</div> </a> <div data-popper-arrow></div> </div> <span class="btn btn-link editor-link p-0 qa-byline-link font-12 "> The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica</span></div> <div class="last-updated font-12 font-serif"> <span class="text-gray-700"> Last Updated: <time datetime="2024-10-12T00:00:00CDT" >Oct 12, 2024</time> •</span> <a class="byline-edit-history" href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Armenian-language/additional-info#history" rel="nofollow">Article History</a> </div></div> </div> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button d-none d-sm-block js-sections-inline-button module-spacing btn d-lg-none"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <div class="d-flex d-sm-none flex-row"> <button class="d-flex d-lg-none btn btn-outline-blue border rounded-sm shadow-sm mobile-toc-button gtm-mobile-toc-inline-button js-sections-inline-button module-spacing"> <em class="material-icons mr-5 ml-n10 my-n5 md-icon" data-icon="toc"></em> Table of Contents </button> <button class="ai-ask-button btn border-2 ai-ask-button btn border-2 module-spacing btn-sm js-inline-ai-ask-button btn-outline-red-400 border-red-400 p-10 ml-5"> Ask the Chatbot a Question </button> </div> <div class="js-qf-module qf-module px-40 px-sm-20 py-15 mx-auto module-spacing font-14 bg-gray-50 rounded"> <div class="facts-list mt-10"> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Armenian: </dt> <dd>Hayeren, also spelled Haieren</dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Key People: </dt> <dd><a href="/biography/Saint-Isaac-the-Great" topicid="294982">St. Isaac the Great</a></dd> <dd><a href="/biography/Saint-Mesrop-Mashtots" topicid="377039">St. Mesrop Mashtots</a></dd> <dd><a href="/biography/Antoine-Meillet" topicid="373359">Antoine Meillet</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> </div> <div class=""> <div class="js-fact mb-10 line-clamp clamp-3"> <dl> <dt>Related Topics: </dt> <dd><a href="/topic/Indo-European-languages" topicid="286368">Indo-European languages</a></dd> <dd><a href="/art/Armenian-literature" topicid="35315">Armenian literature</a></dd> <dd><a href="/topic/Arewmtahayeren" topicid="640064">Arewmtahayerên</a></dd> <dd><a href="/topic/Grabar" topicid="240397">Grabar</a></dd> <dd><a href="/topic/Arewelahayeren" topicid="176513">Arewelahayerên</a></dd> </dl> <button class="js-more-btn d-none btn btn-unstyled font-12 bg-gray-50" aria-label="Toggle more/less fact data"> <em class="js-content link-blue">(Show more)</em> </button> </div> <div class="text-center"> <a class="btn btn-sm btn-link p-0" href="/facts/Armenian-language"> See all related content </a> </div> </div> </div> </div><span class="marker before-article"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref1"><span class="marker PREMOD1 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph"><strong><span id="ref603966"></span>Armenian language</strong>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/language" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">language</a> that forms a separate branch of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Indo-European-languages" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Indo-European language family</a>; it was once erroneously considered a <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="dialect" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dialect" data-type="MW">dialect</a> of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Iranian-languages" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Iranian</a>. In the early 21st century the Armenian language is spoken by some 6.7 million individuals. The majority (about 3.4 million) of these live in <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Armenia" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Armenia</a>, and most of the remainder live in <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Georgia" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Georgia</a> and Russia. More than 100,000 <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Armenian-people" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Armenian</a> speakers live in <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Iran" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Iran</a>. Until the early 20th century, an Armenian population had lived in <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Turkey" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Turkey</a> in the area around <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Lake-Van" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Lake Van</a> since ancient times; a small minority of Armenians lives in Turkey today. Armenians also live in <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Lebanon" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Lebanon</a>, Egypt, Azerbaijan, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Iraq" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Iraq</a>, France, Bulgaria, the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/United-States" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">United States</a>, and elsewhere.</p><span class="marker MOD1 mod-inline"></span><span class="marker PREMOD2 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Several distinct varieties of the Armenian language can be distinguished: Old Armenian (Grabar), Middle Armenian (<span id="ref944298"></span>Miǰin hayerên), and Modern Armenian, or Ašxarhabar (<span id="ref944295"></span>Ashkharhabar). Modern Armenian embraces two written varieties—Western Armenian (<span id="ref944296"></span>Arewmtahayerên) and Eastern Armenian (<span id="ref944297"></span>Arewelahayerên)—and many <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="dialects" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dialects" data-type="MW">dialects</a> are spoken. About 50 dialects were known before 1915, when the Armenian population of Turkey was drastically reduced by means of massacre and forced exodus; some of these dialects were mutually unintelligible.</p><span class="marker MOD2 mod-inline"></span></section> <span class="marker h2"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref74831"><h2 class="h1">Origins of the language</h2> <span class="marker PREMOD3 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Armenian belongs to the satem (<em>satəm</em>) group of Indo-European languages; this group includes those languages in which the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/palatal" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">palatal</a> stops became palatal or alveolar <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/fricative" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">fricatives</a>, such as <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Slavic-languages" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Slavic</a> (with Baltic) and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Indo-Iranian-languages" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Indo-Iranian</a>. Armenian also shows at least one characteristic of the centum group—comprising <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Celtic-languages" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Celtic</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Germanic-languages" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Germanic</a>, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Italic-languages" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Italic</a>, and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Greek-language" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Greek</a>—in that it preserves occasional palatal stops as <em>k</em>-like sounds.</p><span class="marker MOD3 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD4 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Precisely how and when the first Armenians arrived in eastern <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Anatolia" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Anatolia</a> and the areas surrounding Lakes Van, Sevan, and Urmia is not known. It is possible that they reached that territory as early as the second half of the 2nd millennium <span class="text-smallcaps">bc</span>. Their presence as the successors to the local Urartians can be dated to approximately 520 <span class="text-smallcaps">bc</span>, when the names Armina and Armaniya first appear in the Old Persian <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/cuneiform" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">cuneiform</a> inscription of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Darius-I" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Darius I</a> (the Great) at Behistun (present-day <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Bisitun" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Bisitun</a>, Iran). A variation of that early <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="designation" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/designation" data-type="MW">designation</a>, Armenian, is the name by which the people who call themselves Hay are known worldwide.</p><span class="marker MOD4 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD5 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph"><a class="btn btn-blue btn-sm mt-10 font-sans-serif" href="https://cdn.britannica.com/58/53558-004-A11A8A00/alphabet-Armenian.jpg" target="_blank">Click Here to see full-size table</a><span class="inline-table-wrapper overflow-auto"><span class="inline-table md-drag"><img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/58/53558-004-A11A8A00/alphabet-Armenian.jpg" alt="The Armenian alphabet." width="483" height="578"></span></span>The invention of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Armenian-alphabet" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Armenian alphabet</a> is traditionally credited to the monk <span id="ref603968"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Mesrop-Mashtots" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">St. Mesrop Mashtots</a>, who in <span class="text-smallcaps">ad</span> 405 created an <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/alphabet-writing" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">alphabet</a> consisting of 36 signs (two were added later) based partly on Greek letters; the direction of writing (left to right) also followed the Greek model. This new alphabet was first used to translate the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Hebrew-Bible" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Hebrew Bible</a> and the Christian New Testament.</p><a class="link-module shadow-sm d-block qa-quiz-module" href="/quiz/languages-alphabets" data-link-module-iframe-link=""> <img loading="lazy" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/62/129562-131-63F782C3/wall-engravings-Buddhist-Thailand-Hands-society-history-2009.jpg" alt="Buddhist engravings on wall in Thailand. Hands on wall. Hompepage blog 2009, history and society, science and technology, geography and travel, explore discovery" class="rounded-sm mr-15" width="70" /> <div class="line-clamp clamp-5"> <div class="module-title bg-green">Britannica Quiz</div> <div class="font-weight-semi-bold mt-5">Languages & Alphabets</div> </div> </a><span class="marker MOD5 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD6 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph"><span id="ref603969"></span>Grabar, as the language of the first translation was known, became the standard for all subsequent literature, and its use produced what has come to be considered the golden age of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/art/Armenian-literature" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Armenian literature</a>. It concealed the noticeable dialectal variations of the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/speech-language" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">spoken language</a> and was used for literary, historical, theological, scientific, and even practical everyday texts. The first Armenian periodical, <em>Azdarar</em> (1794), was also printed in Grabar, although by the end of the 18th century the spoken language had so diverged from the written that the language of the periodical was not widely understood.</p><span class="marker MOD6 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD7 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">This divergence had been evident from roughly the 7th century, and, beginning in the 11th century, a variation of the spoken language (now called Middle Armenian) was also written. One of the territorial varieties of Middle Armenian became the official language of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Little-Armenia" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Lesser Armenia</a>, the kingdom of Cilicia ruled by the Rubenid and Hethumid <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="dynasties" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/dynasties" data-type="MW">dynasties</a> from the 11th to the 14th century.</p><div class="module-spacing"> <DIV class="marketing-INLINE_SUBSCRIPTION marketing-content" data-marketing-id="INLINE_SUBSCRIPTION"><style> .student-promo-banner-wrapper { container-type: inline-size; margin-bottom: 15px; } @container (min-width: 475px) { .student-promo-banner { flex-direction: row; } .student-promo-banner-img-wrapper { margin-bottom: 0; margin-right: 10px; justify-content: flex-start; } .student-promo-banner-text-wrapper { text-align: left; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 10px; } .student-promo-banner-button-wrapper { margin-right: 0; } }</style> <div class="student-promo-banner-wrapper"> <div class="student-promo-banner d-flex flex-column align-items-center bg-blue rounded p-20"> <div class="student-promo-banner-img-wrapper mb-20 mr-0 d-flex justify-content-center"> <img class="rounded" style="max-width: 100px; min-width: 80px" src="https://cdn.britannica.com/marketing/BlueThistle.webp" /> </div> <div class="student-promo-banner-text-wrapper ml-0 mb-10 text-center text-white"> <div class="h2 mb-10">Get Unlimited Access</div> <div class="h4 font-weight-semi-bold">Try Britannica Premium for free and discover more.</div> </div> <div class="student-promo-banner-button-wrapper d-flex justify-content-center align-items-center ml-auto mr-auto"> <a class="btn btn-m btn-orange" href="https://premium.britannica.com/premium-membership/?utm_source=premium&utm_medium=inline-cta&utm_campaign=black-friday-2024">Subscribe</a> </div> </div> </div> </DIV></div><span class="marker MOD7 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD8 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">By the 19th century the discrepancy between Grabar (which had continued to prevail as the written language) and the spoken language (which had by then splintered into numerous dialects) had grown so vast that a movement arose to elaborate a modern standard language that would be comprehensible to all and fit for use in schools. This movement eventually yielded two diglossic varieties of Ašxarhabar (Ashkharhabar), the modern standard language; Grabar remained the language of formal high style during the 19th century.</p><span class="marker MOD8 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD9 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Western Armenian (formerly known as “Armenian of Turkey”) was based on the dialect of the Armenian <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="community" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/community" data-type="MW">community</a> of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Istanbul" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Istanbul</a>, and Eastern Armenian (formerly known as “Armenian of Russia”) was based on the dialects of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Yerevan" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Yerevan</a> (Armenia) and <a href="https://www.britannica.com/place/Tbilisi" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Tbilisi</a> (Georgia). Both Eastern and Western Armenian were purged of “Muslim” words (Arabic, <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Persian" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">Persian</a>, and Turkish loanwords), which were replaced by words taken from Grabar. Loanwords in Grabar (from Greek, Syriac, and, most numerous of all, ancient Iranian), however, were considered part of the native traditional <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/vocabulary" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">vocabulary</a> and were fully absorbed.</p><span class="marker MOD9 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD10 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Western Armenian is used by Armenians living in Turkey and some Arab countries as well as in emigrant <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="communities" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/communities" data-type="MW">communities</a> in Europe and the United States. Eastern Armenian is prevalent in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Iran. Although they share almost the same vocabulary, the important divergences in pronunciation and the grammatical differences between the two varieties are so significant that they may be considered two different languages.</p><span class="marker MOD10 mod-inline"></span></section> <span class="marker h3"></span><section data-level="1" id="ref74832"><h2 class="h1">Linguistic characteristics</h2> <section data-level="2" id="ref74833"><h2 class="h2"><span id="ref944312"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/phonology" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Phonology</a></h2> <span class="marker PREMOD11 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Old Armenian had seven <span id="ref944299"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/vowel" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">vowel</a> <span id="ref944303"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/phoneme" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">phonemes</a>: /a/, /e/, /ê/ (from <em>*ey</em>; an asterisk indicates a reconstructed rather than an attested form), /ə/, /i/, /o/, and /u/ (written <em>o + w</em>). In the modern language there is only one /e/. The vowel /ə/ is reduced and cannot be stressed. Semivowels were /y/ and /w/, consonantal variants of /i/ and /u/ that in certain positions in Modern Armenian have developed into the <span id="ref944300"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/fricative" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">fricatives</a> /h/ and /v/ or have merged with <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="adjacent" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/adjacent" data-type="MW">adjacent</a> vowels. Sonants included the trilled <em>r</em> /ṛ/ and single-flap <em>r</em>, a velarized <em>l</em> /ł/ (which developed into the velar <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/fricative" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">fricative</a> <em>gh</em> /γ / in all dialects), <em>l</em> /l/, and the nasals <em>m</em> /m/ and <em>n</em> /n/.</p><span class="marker MOD11 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD12 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Old Armenian and modern fricatives are <em>v</em> /v/ (perhaps a positional variant of <em>w</em>), <em>s</em> /s/ (originating partly from Proto-Indo-European palatal <em>k’</em>, as in other satem languages), <em>š</em> /sh/, <em>z</em> /z/, <em>ž</em> /zh/, <em>x</em> /χ/ (= <em>kh</em>, uvular), and <em>h</em> /h/. The modern language also has an <em>f</em> /f/.</p><span class="marker MOD12 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD13 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">The most characteristic of the Armenian <span id="ref944302"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/consonant" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">consonants</a> are <span id="ref944301"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/stop-speech-sound" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">plosives</a> (i.e., stops and affricates). In Old Armenian they formed a system of 15 <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="phonemes" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/phonemes" data-type="MW">phonemes</a> with three types of articulation—voiced, voiceless, and voiceless aspirated—in every point of articulation: <em>b-p-p‘</em>; <em>d-t-t‘</em>; <em>g-k-k‘</em>; <em>j-c-c‘</em> ( /= dz/-/= ts/- /= ts‘/); <em>ǰ-č-č‘ </em> (/ = English j/-/= English ch/-/= ch‘/). According to some linguists, Old Armenian <em>b, d, g, j,</em> and <em>ǰ</em> were voiced aspirated and <em>p, t, k, c,</em> and <em>č</em> glottalized.</p><span class="marker MOD13 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD14 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">That system had developed from <span id="ref944304"></span><a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Proto-Indo-European-language" class="md-crosslink ">Proto-Indo-European</a> plain consonants and some clusters as a result of <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/palatalization" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">palatalization</a> processes as well as the so-called consonant shift, a process including the devoicing of Proto-Indo-European voiced consonants. The consonant shift in Proto-Armenian had some similarities to the Proto-Germanic shift (<em>see</em> <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Grimms-law" class="md-crosslink " data-show-preview="true">Grimm’s law</a>), although these processes were independent of one another. It should be mentioned that this explanation of the origin of Armenian plosives is a traditional one. Some glottalist linguists claim that the Old Armenian system had not undergone any important changes from the Proto-Indo-European system, which they interpret in a manner quite different from the traditional view. Namely, they argue that Proto-Indo-European stops traditionally reconstructed as voiced <em>*b, d, g, j,</em> and <em>ǰ</em> were in fact glottalized voiceless <em>*p’, t’, k’, c’,</em> and <em>č’</em>.</p><span class="marker MOD14 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD15 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">Modern <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off eb" data-term="dialects" href="https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/dialects" data-type="EB">dialects</a> as well as the two modern literary languages have retained many aspects of the Old Armenian system. In modern forms of Armenian the stress falls on the last syllable of a word. In the initial position, Eastern Armenian has voiced or, in some dialects, voiced aspirated consonants corresponding to Old Armenian <em>b, d, g, j,</em> and <em>ǰ</em>; intensive voiceless slightly glottalized plosives in place of Old Armenian <em>p, t, k, c,</em> and <em>č</em>; and voiceless slightly aspirated plosives in place of Old Armenian <em>p‘, t‘, k‘, c‘,</em> and <em>č ‘</em>. In medial and final position the correspondences are different.</p><div class="one-good-fact-module"> </div><span class="marker MOD15 mod-inline"></span> <span class="marker PREMOD16 mod-inline"></span><p class="topic-paragraph">In Western Armenian, Old Armenian <em>b, d, g, j,</em> and <em>ǰ</em> are pronounced as voiceless and, in some dialects, voiceless aspirated, having merged with Old Armenian <em>p‘, t‘, k‘, c‘,</em> and <em>č ‘</em>, whereas Old Armenian <em>p, t, k, c,</em> and <em>č</em> are pronounced as /b/, /d/, /g/, /j/, and /ǰ/ in all Western dialects. An example of the difference between the two varieties of Modern Armenian can be seen in two common personal names of Greek origin that are pronounced /Petros/ and /Grigor/ in Eastern Armenian, without any change as regards the <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/voice-phonetics" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">voicing</a>, but /Bedros/ and /Krikor/ in Western Armenian. This reveals consonant shifts in Armenian dialects that, all told, represent as many as seven types of development of the Old Armenian <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/stop-speech-sound" class="md-crosslink autoxref " data-show-preview="true">plosive</a> system. The highly variegated picture of Modern Armenian consonants seems to <a class="md-dictionary-link md-dictionary-tt-off mw" data-term="corroborate" href="https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/corroborate" data-type="MW">corroborate</a> the idea that Armenian has been a “shift” language from its very beginning.</p><span class="marker MOD16 mod-inline"></span></section> </section><span class="marker end-of-content"></span><span class="marker after-article"></span></div> <div id="chatbot-root"></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="ai-dialog-placeholder"></div> </div> </div> <aside class="col-md-da-320"></aside> </div> </div> </div> </div> </article></div> </div></div> </div> </main> <div id="md-footer"></div> <noscript><iframe src="//www.googletagmanager.com/ns.html?id=GTM-5W6NC8" height="0" width="0" style="display:none;visibility:hidden"></iframe></noscript> <script type="text/javascript" id="_informizely_script_tag"> var IzWidget = IzWidget || {}; (function (d) { var scriptElement = d.createElement('script'); scriptElement.type = 'text/javascript'; scriptElement.async = true; scriptElement.src = "https://insitez.blob.core.windows.net/site/f780f33e-a610-4ac2-af81-3eb184037547.js"; var node = d.getElementById('_informizely_script_tag'); node.parentNode.insertBefore(scriptElement, node); } )(document); </script>  <script> window.ap3c = window.ap3c || {}; var ap3c = window.ap3c; ap3c.cmd = ap3c.cmd || []; ap3c.cmd.push(function() { ap3c.init('ZO4siT4cLwnykPnzZWJtd3Byb2Q', 'https://engage.email.britannica.com/'); ap3c.track({v: 0}); }); ap3c.activity = function(act) { ap3c.act = (ap3c.act || []); ap3c.act.push(act); }; var s, t; s = document.createElement('script'); s.type = 'text/javascript'; s.src = "https://engage.email.britannica.com/app.js"; t = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; t.parentNode.insertBefore(s, t); </script> <script class="marketing-page-info" type="application/json"> {"pageType":"Topic","templateName":"DESKTOP","pageNumber":1,"pagesTotal":2,"pageId":35305,"pageLength":1432,"initialLoad":true,"lastPageOfScroll":false} </script> <script class="marketing-content-info" type="application/json"> [] </script> <script src="https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/js/libs/jquery-3.5.0.min.js?v=3.130.14"></script> <script type="text/javascript" data-type="Init Mendel Code Splitting"> (function() { $.ajax({ dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: 'https://cdn.britannica.com/mendel-resources/3-130/dist/topic-page.js?v=3.130.14' }); })(); </script> <script class="analytics-metadata" type="application/json"> {"leg":"C","adLeg":"C","userType":"ANONYMOUS","pageType":"Topic","pageSubtype":null,"articleTemplateType":"PAGINATED","gisted":false,"pageNumber":1,"hasSummarizeButton":false,"hasAskButton":false} </script> <script type="text/javascript"> EBStat={accountId:-1,hostnameOverride:'webstats.eb.com',domain:'www.britannica.com', json:''}; </script> <script type="text/javascript"> ( function() { $.ajax( { dataType: 'script', cache: true, url: '//www.britannica.com/webstats/mendelstats.js?v=1' } ) .done( function() { try {writeStat(null,EBStat);} catch(err){} } ); })(); </script> <div id="bc-fixed-dialogue"></div> </body> </html>

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Armenian language | History, Alphabet & Dialects | Britannica