Lesson 5

In this lesson we are going to finish with the letters of the Armenian alphabet. The remaining letters are the following:

Ժ ժ (zhe=ʒe) as in "pleasure"

Ձ ձ (dz'a / tsa=c'a) EA pronunciation - as in the Italian "mezzo"; WA pronunciation of this letter is the same with that of Ց ց (tso=c'o).

Պ պ (pe / be) EA pr. - as in "speak"; WA pr. - as in "bed"

Կ կ (ken / gen) EA pr. - as in "skate"; WA pr. - as in "get"

Տ տ (tiun / diun) EA pr. - as in "step"; WA pr. - as in "desk"

The above three letters are for the unaspirated variants of the aspirated voiceless consonants Փ փ (p'), Ք ք (k'), Թ թ (t'). They are letters for voiced consonants in WA.

The following two letters when pronounced according to the Eastern Armenian pronunciation are the hardest for foreigners and the Western Armenians. These sounds also exist in Georgian, the sound system of which is very similar to that of Classical and Eastern Armenian languages. These two sounds are the unaspirated variants of the aspirated voiceless consonants Ց ց (c'o) and Չ չ (ch'a) and are letters for voiced consonants in WA.

Ծ ծ (tsa=ca / dza) In the EA pronunciation this letter is a variant of Ց ց (tso=c'o). Hear it in the recording and if you are unable to distinguish it from Ց ց (tso=c'o) or pronounce it correctly, pronounce as Ց ց (tso=c'o).

---- In the WA pronunciation this letter sounds like the sound "dz" in the Italian word "mezzo".

Ճ ճ (che / je) In the EA pronunciation this letter is a variant of Չ չ (ch'a). Hear it in the recording and if you are unable to distinguish it from Չ չ (ch'a) or pronounce it correctly, pronounce as Չ չ (ch'a).

---- In the WA pronunciation this letter sounds like the "j" in "jam".

Now we know all the 36 letters of the Mesropian alphabet. 10 letters of the alphabet are pronounced differently in the Western and Eastern Armenian languages. These 10 letters represent 10 different sounds in the Classical and Eastern Armenian languages and don't repeat the sounds of the other letters of the alphabet. Due to the historical sound change, they represent only 5 sounds in the Western Armenian language and repeat the sounds of other 5 letters of the alphabet.

Those 10 letters are:

Բ, Գ, Դ, Ձ, Ջ (for voiced consonants in CA and EA; for voiceless aspirated consonants in WA and repeating the voiceless aspirated Փ, Ք, Թ, Ց, Չ)

Պ, Կ, Տ, Ծ, Ճ (for voiceless unaspirated consonants in CA and EA; for voiced consonants in WA)

Reading and some grammar

Այս է դաս մեր հինգերորդ։ (Ays e das mer hingerord / Ays e t'as mer hink'erort') - This is our fifth lesson. 
Ժամ է յառնել ի քնոյ։ (ʒam e har'nel i k'no) - It is time to wake up from sleep. 
Ժամ է երթալ յեկեղեցի։ (ʒam e yert'al hekełec'i hegełec'i) - It is time to go to church. 
ժամ (ʒam) - hour; time 
յառնել (har'nel) - to get up, to rise 
քուն (kun) - sleep 
ի քնոյ (i k'no) - from sleep 
մտանել ի քուն (mtanel i k'un / mdanel i k'un) - lit. to enter into sleep (to fall asleep) 
մտանել (mtanel / mdanel) - to enter 
եկեղեցի (yekełec'i / yegełec'i) - church 
յեկեղեցի (hekełec'i / hegełec'i) - to church
մտանել յեկեղեցի (mtanel hekełec'i / mdanel hegełec'i) - to enter church 
տուն (tun / dun) - home, house 
ի տուն  (i tun / i dun) - (to) home 
Գնա´ի տուն։ (Gna i tun / K'na i dun) - Go home. 
քաղաք (k'ałak') town, city 
ի քաղաք (i k'ałak') to town 
այգի (aygi / ayk'i) garden 
յայգի (haygi / hayk'i) to garden

The preposition ի (յ) is used with different cases and may express different meanings, even with the same case. When it is used with the accusative case, it may correspond to the English "to" and show the direction of the action.
Before a consonant this preposition is ի and is written separately. Before a vowel ի changes into յ and is not separated from the word it precedes.

քաղաք մեծ (k'ałak' mec / medz') - big / large town 
քաղաքք մեծք (k'ałak'ək' mecək' / medz'ək') - big towns (nominative case, usually the subject of the sentence) 
քաղաքս մեծս (kaghak'əs mecəs / medz'əs) big towns (accusative case, direct object, indefinite form) 
մեծ (mec / medz') - big, great 
Գնալ ի քաղաք մեծ։ (Gnal i kałak' mec / K'nal i kałak' medz') - To go to a big town. 
Գնալ ի քաղաքս մեծս։ (Gnal i kałak'əs mecəs / K'nal i kałak'əs medz'əs) - To go to big towns. 
այգի գեղեցիկ (aygi gełec'ik / ayk'i k'ełec'ig) - beautiful garden 
այգիք գեղեցիկք (aygik' gełec'ikək' / ayk'ik' k'ełec'igək') - beautiful gardens (nominative case) 
այգիս գեղեցիկս (aygis gełec'ikəs / ayk'is k'ełec'igəs) - beautiful gardens (accusative case, direct object, indefinite form)

As you might notice, the plural ending  ք ("k'") changes into ս ("s") in the accusative case.

ձայն զանգակի (dz'ayn zangaki / c'ayn zank'agi) - voice of a bell 
ձայն (dz'ayn / c'ayn) - voice 
զանգակ (zangak / zank'ag) - bell 
մեծ զանգակ (mec zangak / medz' zank'ag) - big bell 
զանգակք ոսկիք (zangakək' voskik' / zank'agək' vosgik') - golden bells 
ոսկի (voski / vosgi) - gold (noun); golden (adjective)

Քրիստոս Փրկիչ (K'ristos P'rkich' / K'risdos Prgich') - Christ the Saviour 
Աստուած եւ Տէր (Astvac yev Ter / Asdvadz' yev Der) - God and Lord 
կեանք եւ մահ (keank' yev mah / geank' yev mah) - life and death 
ծեր եւ մանուկ (cer yev manuk / dz'er yev manug) - (the) old and (the) children (lit. child) 
դուռն դրախտին (dur'ən draxtin / t'ur'ən t'raxdin) - the door of the paradise 
դրախտ (draxt / t'raxd) - paradise 
երկինք երրորդ (yerkink' yerrord / yergink' yerrort') - the third heaven 
երկինք (yerkink' / yergink') - heaven, sky 
երկիր մեր (yerkir mer / yergir mer) - our earth / land / country 
ծով կապոյտ (cov kapuyt / dz'ov gabuyd) - blue sea 
ծով (cov / dz'ov) - sea 
լիճ փոքր (lich p'ok'ər / lij p'ok'ər) - small lake 
լիճ (lich / lij) - lake 
ճանապարհ բարի (chanaparh bari / janabarh p'ari) - good way 
ճանապարհ (chanaparh / janabarh) - way, road 
աջ (aj or ach' / ach') - right 
ձախ (dz'ax / c'ax) - left 
դատաստան ահեղ (datastan aheł / t'adasdan aheł) - awesome judgment 
դատաստան (datastan / t'adasdan) - judgment 
գործ բարի  (gorc bari / k'ordz' p'ari) - good work / deed / act 
գործք բարիք (gorcək' barik' / k'ordzək' p'arik') - good works

Capital letters: ԳՈՐԾ, ԾՈՎ, ԼԻՃ, ԵԿԵՂԵՑԻ, ԵՐԿԻՆՔ, ԵՐԿԻՐ, ԱՅԳԻ, ԴԱՏԱՍՏԱՆ, ԱՀԵՂ, ԱՋ, ՁԱԽ, ՃԱՆԱՊԱՐՀ, ԿԱՊՈՅՏ, ԴՐԱԽՏ, ԿԵԱՆՔ, ՄԱՀ, ԾԵՐ, ՄԱՆՈՒԿ, ՔԱՂԱՔ, ԺԱՄ, ՔՈՒՆ, ԵՐԹԱԼ, ՄԵԾ, ՄՏԱՆԵԼ, ՅԱՌՆԵԼ։

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

http://www.mediafire.com/listen/kc06b25hp7w3ma8/Classical_Armenian-5-mp3.mp3