Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Lesson 6

To be able to read Classical Armenian texts we still need to know some rules of pronunciation. 

# In one of the previous lessons we learned how to pronounce the diphthong ոյ. When followed by a consonant, it is pronounced as "uy" instead of "oy": սոյն - suyn, համբոյր - hambuyr or hamp'uyr / hamp'uyr. BUT: հոյակապ - hoyakap / hoyagab, գոյութիւն - goyut'iun / k'oyut'iun (because in these examples ոյ is not followed by a consonant)

If ոյ is at the end of a word, we read it as "o", omitting the sound "y": ձուլածոյ - dz'ulaco / c'uladz'o, դշխոյ -  dəshxo / t'əshxo. BUT: in some monosyllabic words we read it as it is written - "oy": գոյ - goy / k'oy, Նոյ - Noy, խոյ - xoy.  
# The diphthong այ (ay) in final position is also pronounced without the sound "y" (in other positions it is pronounced as it is written):  տղայ - təła / dəła, սատանայ - satana / sadana. BUT:  in some monosyllabic words we read the final այ as it is written - "ay": հայ - hay, ճայ - chay / jay, նայ - nay, վայ - vay, բայ - bay / p'ay.
# The pronunciation of the diphthong եա is between "ea" and "ia". We represent it in the transcriptions of our lessons as it is written, that is, "ea", but remember to pronounce it somewhat quickly, as one syllable and not two: ողորմեա - vołormea, մատեան - matean / madean. But sometimes եա is pronounced as "ya": դղեակ - dəłyak / t'əłyag.
# The diphthong իւ at the beginning of a word before a consonant is pronounced as "yu": իւղ - yuł, իւր - yur.
In other positions it is pronounced as "iu" when followed by a consonant, but quickly, as one syllable, not two: բնութիւն - bənutiun / p'ənut'iun, ձիւն - dz'iun / c'iun. BUT: դիւային - divayin / t'ivayin, անիւ - aniv (because in these examples իւ is not followed by a consonant).
# The diphthong եւ when followed by a consonant is pronounced as the diphthong իւ: հեւր - hiur, աղբեւր - ałbiur / aghp'iur. In the following word it sounds as "yu": առեւծ - ar'yuc / ar'yudz'. BUT: թեւ - t'ev, տեւական - tevakan / devagan (because in these examples եւ is not followed by a consonant). 
In post-Mesropian times this diphthong and digraph was sometimes replaced by the diphthong and digraph իւ, that is why one may see some words in nominative and accusative cases written both with իւ, and եւ: հեւր-հիւր, աղբեւր-աղբիւր (in other cases and in composite words when followed by another root or a suffix եւ changes to իւ also in Mesropian Armenian).
In three words եւ before a consonant is pronounced as "eo" or "yo": արդեւք - ardeok' / art'eok', եւթն - yot'ən, գեւղ - geoł / k'eoł. These words are also written with եաւ or եօ instead of եւ (that is, արդեօք, եօթն, գեօղ), but the more ancient orthography is considered to be with եւ.
# The diphthong աւ when followed by a consonant is pronounced as simple "o" (though this was not so in the Mesropian times), because of which in the 11th-12th centuries the letter "o" was introduced into the Armenian alphabet to use instead of  աւ when it is pronounced as "o".  But this does not mean that after that աւ of the closed syllables stopped being used in Classical Armenian texts. Both ways of writing were used. Examples: ամաւթ // ամօթ - amot', աւր // օր - or, առաւաւտ // առաւօտ - ar'avot / ar'avod. BUT: աւազան - avazan, տաւիղ - tavił / davił (because in these examples աւ is not followed by a consonant).Exception: աղաւնի - ałavni (though աւ is followed by a consonant here, it is pronounced as "av" and not "o").
# The digraph ու when preceding a vowel is pronounced as "v": զուարթ - zvart', արուեստ - arvest / arvesd. There is only one exception which we shall learn when studying the past imperfect tense of verbs.
# We know that the letter ո in initial position is pronounced as "vo" instead of its ancient pronunciation which was "o": ոսկի - voski / vosgi, ոսոխ - vosox. But we also learned the word ով which is pronounced as "ov". Тhere are other words too in which the initial ո is pronounced as "o". Those words are proper nouns and loans: ովկիանոս - ovkianos* / ovgianos, ովսաննայ ovsanna, ոլիմպոս - olimpos / olimbos, ովասիս - ovasis, Ոսրոյենէ - osroyene, Ովսէէ - ovsee, Ովբէդ ovbed / ovp'et'. (* In many loan words you may find the Greek ω (Omega) transcripted in Armenian letters as ով instead of simple ո.)

Now we know the main rules for reading Classical Armenian texts.

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FOR PRACTICE
EA pronunciation: յոյս (huys), լոյս (luys), գոյանալ (goyanal), գոյութիւն (goyut'iun), թուական (təvakan), ստուար (stvar), բաւական (bavakan), ստուեր (stver), գոյ (goy), խոյ (xoy), դղեակ (dəłyak), արիւն (ariun), անկիւն (ankiun), յարութիւն (harut'iun), բեւր (biur), հարեւր (hariur), լեառն (lear'ən), պատեան (patean), վայրկեան (vayrkean), աբեղայ (abeła), ագուգայ (aguga), կաթսայ (kat'sa), ճայ (chay), բայ (bay), Նոյ (noy), վայ (vay), կեանք (keank'), աստուածային (astvacayin), ով (ov), ովսաննայ (ovsanna), որոգայթ (vorogayt'), ոզնի (vozni), մարդոյ (mardo or mart'o), յարգոյ (hargo), այգւոյ (aygvo), բարւոյ (barvo), հովանի (hovani), տերեւ (terev), դեւ (dev), կարաւտ // կարօտ (karot), աւտար // օտար (otar), ակաւս // ակօս (akos), աղաւթք // աղօթք (ałot'k'), աղաւնի (ałavni), զուարթ (zəvart'), անսուաղ (ansəvał), արդեւք // արդեաւք // արդեօք (ardeok'), եւթն // եաւթն // եօթն (yot'ən), գեւղ // գեաւղ // գեօղ (geoł)։ 

WA pronunciation: յոյս (huys), լոյս (luys), գոյանալ (k'oyanal), գոյութիւն (k'oyut'iun), թուական (t'əvagan), ստուար (əsdvar), բաւական (p'avagan), ստուեր (əsdver), գոյ(k'oy), խոյ (xoy), դղեակ (t'əłyag), արիւն (ariun), անկիւն (angiun), յարութիւն (harut'iun), բեւր (p'iur), հարեւր (hariur), լեառն (lear'ən), պատեան (badean), վայրկեան (vayrgean), աբեղայ (ap'eła), ագուգայ (ak'uk'a), կաթսայ (gat'sa), ճայ(jay), բայ (p'ay), Նոյ (noy), վայ (vay), կեանք (geank'), աստուածային (asdvadz'ayin), ով (ov), ովսաննայ (ovsanna), որոգայթ (vorok'ayt'), ոզնի (vozni), մարդոյ (mart'o), յարգոյ (hark'o), այգւոյ (ayk'vo), բարւոյ (p'arvo), հովանի (hovani), տերեւ (derev), դեւ (t'ev), կարաւտ // կարօտ (garod), աւտար // օտար (odar), ակաւս // ակօս (agos), աղաւթք // աղօթք (ałot'k'), աղաւնի (ałavni), զուարթ (zəvart'), անսուաղ (ansəvał), արդեւք // արդեաւք // արդեօք (art'eok'), եւթն // եաւթն // եօթն (yot'ən), գեւղ // գեաւղ // գեօղ (k'eoł)։

To listen to the Armenian words of this lesson, click on the following link -
http://www.mediafire.com/listen/jyoansae2s7ykjf/Classical_Armenian-6-mp3.mp3

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