Lesson 4

We have learned 22 letters so far: Ա, Բ, Գ, Դ, Ե, Զ, Է, Ը, Թ, Լ, Հ, Մ, Յ, Ն, Ո, Ռ, Ս, Վ, Ր, Ւ, Փ, Ք.

From the letters representing vowels only one letter has remained to learn, which is Ի ի (ini). Be careful not to confuse its capital letter with the capital letter Ւ (viun).   The latter has a small ending to its shorter element, while Ի (ini) doesn't have it (the font I'm using now shows the letter Ւ differently, with a horizontal small line).

Շ շ (sha)  as in "shame"

Չ չ (ch'a)  as in "chair". We shall represent this letter as ch' in our transcriptions (that is, with an apostrophe, as in the transcription system of the Library of Congress).

Ջ ջ (je/che) as in "jam" (in WA as in "chair")

Compare carefully the shapes of the following three letters with each other to remember the small differences that they have, as they are like each other and can be easily confused with each other. 

Զ զ (za) ---------Ջ ջ (je/che) --------- Չ չ (ch'a) 

The sounds of the following three letters do not have their equivalents in the English sound system but have in German.

   Ց ց (c'o=tso). It is pronounced like the German Z z. We'll represent this letter with the IPA character c' (c with an apostrophe) in our transcriptions. Please, don't confuse it with the English "c". The reason we choose to use this IPA character for this sound instead of "ts" is to avoid confusing this simple sound with the combination of the two sounds "t" and "s".

   Խ խ (xe=khe). This is pronounced almost like the German "ch", as in the word "Bach". It's a guttural sound. We'll represent this letter with the IPA character x in our transcriptions. Please, don't confuse it with the English "x". The reason we choose this IPA character is the same as in case of the above letter.

   Ղ ղ ( ł - ghat/ghad). This is pronounced like the German or French "r". It's a guttural sound too. However, in the Grabar times, for example, in the 5th century, and perhaps until the 9th century, this letter was for another kind of the sound "l", a hard "l" which was approximately like the sound "l" in the English word "ball" (more similar to the sound "l" in the Russian word "лысый".) It is interesting that in several Indo-European languages different non-guttural sounds changed to the guttural "gh". In Greek the sound "g" (expressed by the letter Γγ) changed into "gh", in German and French the sound "r", while in Armenian the hard sound "l" changed into "gh". That is why in the Hübschmann-Meillet-Benveniste transliteration system the character for this Armenian letter is ł. We shall read this letter as "gh", according to the traditional pronunciation of Armenian, and shall represent this sound with the character ł. 

Grammar

The infinitive and some history

    The infinitive in the Classical Armenian has 3-5 endings. To understand why I have written 3-5, we need first to learn a little about the history of Grabar. Grabar used in the literature before 460s or so is usually called Mesropian Armenian. This is perhaps the most important and fruitful period, the Golden Era, of the Armenian literature, created by Sts Mesrop and Sahak, together with their disciples, through numerous translations from Greek and Syriac and through their own original writings too. The language of the period after 460s is called Post-Mesropian. There are other periods and classifications too, but we'll be satisfied now with this information only. This division or classification is made because of the linguistic differences of the Armenian language used in different periods. Now, the infinitive of the Mesropian Armenian has only 3 endings, while that of Post-Mesropian Armenian - 4. The endings of the infinitive are:

-ել (-el)

-իլ (-il) This is not used in the Mesropian Armenian; the ending -ել (-el) is used instead.

-ալ (-al)

-ուլ (-ul)

There is also only one defective verb which has the ending -ոլ (-ol). It is the verb գոլ (gol / k'ol) which means "to be". So if we count this ending too, then there are 5 endings in total.

սիրել (sirel) - to love, գրել (gərel / k'ərel) - to write, ասել (asel) - to say

լինել // լինիլ (linel // linil) - to be, to exist, ուսանել // ուսանիլ (usanel // usanil) - to study, to learn, ունել // ունիլ (unel // unil) - to have, to hold

գնալ (gənal / k'ənal) - to go, գալ (gal / k'al) - to come, ջանալ (janal / chanal) - to try, to endeavour

թողուլ (tołul) - to leave, to give up, առնուլ (arnul) - to take, զգենուլ (zgenul or əzgenul / əzk'enul) - to put on

The negative article ոչ (voch') or չ- (ch'-)

ոչ ես, ոչ դու (voch' yes, voch' du / t'u) - neither I, nor you

ոչ ոք (voch' vok') - nobody

չսիրել (ch'əsirel) - not to love

չգնալ (ch'əgənal / ch'ək'ənal) - not to go

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հաց եւ ջուր (hac' yev jur / ch'ur) - bread and water

հաց եւ գինի (hac' yev gini / k'ini) - bread and wine

սեղան (sełan) - table, altar

հայ (hay) - Armenian (noun)

հայերէն (hayeren) - Armenian (of the language) (adjective)in Armenian (adverb); 

բան հայերէն (ban / p'an hayeren) - Armenian word

բանք հայերէնք (bank' hayerenk' / p'ank' hayerenk') - Armenian words

ասել հայերէն (asel hayeren) - to say in Armenian

լեզու հայոց (lezu hayoc') - the language of the Armenians

ուսանել զլեզու հայոց (usanel əzlezu hayoc') - to study the Armenian language

Հա՞յ ես։ (Hay es?) - Are you (an) Armenian?

Ո՛չ, ոչ եմ հայ։ (Voch, voch em hay). - No, I'm not (an) Armenian.

Or:

Չեմ հայ։ (Chem hay). - I'm not (an) Armenian. 

Բարի է սիրել զամենեսեան։ (Bari / P'ari e sirel zamenesean.) - It is good to love every one.

Ո՞ւր ես, Ադա՛մ։ (Ur es, Adam / At'am) - Where are you, Adam?

աթոռ (at'or') - chair

դուռն (dur'ən / t'ur'ən) - door

խաչ (xach') - cross

ունել ինչ (unel inch') - to have something

Զի՞նչ է այդ։ (Zinch e ayd / ayt'?) - What is that? 

աշխարհ (ashxarh) - world

աշխարհ ամենայն (ashxarh amenayn) - the whole world

ամենայն (amenayn) - all, every, the whole

ամենայն ոք (amenayn vok') - everyone

ամենայն ինչ (amenayn inch') - everything

ամենայն սեղան (amenayn sełan) - every table

սեղանք ամենայն (sełank' amenayn) - all tables

շուն (shun) - dog; adulterer

շնացող (shənac'oł) - adulterer

ցաւ (c'av) - pain

լոյս (luys) - light

խաւար (xavar) - dark; darkness

բայց (bayc' / p'ayc') - but

Երուսաղէմ (Yerusałem) - Jerusalem

աղաւնի (ałavni) - dove

եղբայր (yełbayr / yeghp'ayr) - brother

որդի (vordi or vort'i / vort'i) - son

հոգի (hogi or hok'i / hok'i) - spirit, soul

մարմին (marmin) - body, flesh

սուրբ (surb or surp' / surp') - holy, saint

Հոգի Սուրբ (Hogi Surb or Hok'i Surp' / Hok'i Surp') - Holy Spirit 

Սուրբ Հոգի (Surb Hogi or  Hok'i Hok'i / Surp' Hok'i) - the same

չար (ch'ar) - evil, bad

բարի (bari / p'ari) - good, kind

խորհուրդ (xorhurd or xorhurt' / xorhurt') - thought; sacrament; mystery; meaning

խորհուրդ չար (xorhurd ch'ar) - evil thought

խորհուրդ սքանչելի (xorhurd sk'anch'eli / əsk'anch'eli) - wonderful mystery 

խորհուրդք սքանչելիք (xorhurdək' sk'anch'elik' / xorhurt'ək' (ə)sk'anch'elik') - wonderful mysteries

Capital letters: ՀԱՑ (hac'), Ջուր (jur / ch'ur), ԳԻՆԻ (gini / k'ini), ՍԵՂԱՆ (sełan), Աթոռ (at'or'), ԽԱՉ (xach'), ԱՇԽԱՐՀ ԱՄԵՆԱՅՆ (ashxarh amenayn), Շուն (shun), Շնացող (shənac'oł), Ցաւ (c'av), Լոյս (luys), Խաւար (xavar), ԲԱՅՑ (bayc' / p'ayc'), ԵՐՈՒՍԱՂԷՄ (Yerusał em), Խորհուրդ (xorhurd), Սքանչելի (sk'anch'eli / əsk'anch'eli), ՉԱՐ (ch'ar), ԲԱՐԻ (bari / p'ari), ՈՐԴԻ (vord'i or vort'i/ vort'i), ՀՈԳԻ (hogi or hok'i / hok'i), Բան (ban / p'an) , Բանք (banək' / p'anə'k), Դուռն (durn/ t'urn), Բարի է (bari e / p'ari e), ԵՂԲԱՅՐ (yeł bayr or yełpayr / yełp'ayr), ԱՂԱՒՆԻ (ałavni), ԽԱՉ (xach'), Ադամ (Adam / At'am), Զամենեսեան (zamenesean), ԱՍԵԼ (asel), ՋԱՆԱԼ (janal / ch'anal), Սուրբ (surb or surp' / surp'), ՀԱՅ (hay), Հայերէն (hayeren), Լեզու հայոց (lezu hayoc'), Չսիրել (chəsirel), Չգնալ (chəgənal / chək'ənal)։

To listen to the Armenian letters, words and sentences of this lesson, click on the following link -

http://www.mediafire.com/listen/lb59mva9h985ug8/Classical_Armenian-4-mp3.mp3