Armenian
Language History
Armenian is an Indo-European language. Its first scripts route back to the 5th century, when it was known as Classical Armenian. It was between the 11th and 15th century when Middle Armenian came about which was heavily influenced by other languages such as Arabic, Turkish, Persian, and Latin. In the 19th century, the Armenian language separated into two dialects – Eastern and Western Armenian. This happened when Armenia was divided between the Russian and Ottoman Empires.
Western Armenian became prominent among Armenians living in Constantinople, while Eastern Armenian was used by those living in Tbilisi, Georgia. Over the years, however, Eastern Armenian was also spoken in Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh and Iran, and the Western dialect was heard from those living in the diaspora.
According to Britannica, Armenian is spoken by almost 7 million people around the world.
Where is Armenian Spoken?
FACT
Did you Know?
Amharic is the second most spoken Semitic language in the whole
“The Armenian alphabet is based partly on Greek letters.”
The Armenian Dialects
The two common Armenian dialects include Eastern and Western Armenian. They vary in terms of where they are spoken, pronunciation (of consonants) and spelling.
• Modern Eastern Armenian – spoken in Armenia and some communities in Azerbaijan and Iran.
• Modern Western Armenian – spoken in Anatolia, Turkey (before the Armenian Genocide). Today, it is used by Armenian communities in the USA, Europe, Middle East, Australia, and South America.
4 Easy Phrases in Armenian!
Population vs. Internet Penetration
Armenia Population:
2,963,243
Internet Users:
2,126,716
Penetration:
72.4%
As of 2020. Source:
www.internetworldstats.com
FACT!
The Armenian people call their language “Hayots Grer”.
Armenian Translation Tips
• There are no gender distinctions in the Armenian language
• Eastern Armenian nouns have seven cases (nominative, genitive, dative, accusative, ablative, instrumental, locative). Western Armenian does not have the locative case.
• In Eastern Armenian, the indefinite article comes before the noun, while in Western Armenian, the in definite article comes after the noun.
• Word order in Armenian is usually Subject-Verb-Object.