Classical Armenian nouns (also adjectives) have 6 cases, though sometimes in some grammar books one may see that 7 or 10 cases are mentioned. We’ll speak about all of them. But first, let us know that there are 9 declensions, that is, there are 9 ways in which the cases are formed. Please, don’t be frightened of these numbers: 10, 9 :); you are not going to learn all of them at once.
The first declension we are going to learn in this lesson is the i-declension. Why i (ի)? Because this is the vowel that is added to the noun to make the genitive case.
Ի-DECLENSION
SINGULAR
1. բան – word (nominative: usually used as the subject of the sentence) արքայ – king
2. բանի – of word (genitive: denotes possession)
արքայի – of king
3. բանի – to word (dative: used with verbs like to give, to help, to believe sb or sth, etc)
արքայի – to king
In this and most other declensions the genitive and dative cases are identical in form. As you can see, it is easy to form them: just add the letter ի (i) to the word.
4. (զ)բան – (the) word (accusative: usually used as a direct object) – We know this case, so again, no difficulty.
(զ)արքայ – (the) king
5. ի բանէ – from/of word (ablative)
յարքայէ - from/of king
Here the final letter ի changes to է and the preposition ի is placed before the word. This preposition is written separately when followed by a word with initial consonant. If you remember from the previous lessons, this preposition becomes յ before a word with initial vowel and this յ is not written separately.
6. բանիւ – with/by/through word (instrumental) (pronounced as “baniv / p’aniv”)
արքայիւ – with/by/through king (pronounced as “ark’ayiv”)
Here the letter ւ is added to the genitive case, that is, իւ to the nominative case.
The above cases are the main ones. The following 4 may be considered or not as separate cases.
7. ի բանի – in word (locative)
յարքայի – in king
Here the preposition ի (յ) is added to the genitive/dative case.
8. զբանէ – about/concerning word (narrative)
զարքայէ – about/concerning king
9. զբանիւ – around word (circumdative)
զարքայիւ – around king
10. ո՛վ բան – O word! (vocative)
ո՛վ արքայ
Please note that you don’t have to learn the last three cases now. Just know about their existence but forget them for now!
PLURAL
We have already learned how to form the plural of nominative and accusative cases. Do you remember? We add the ending –ք to the singular nominative and –ս (English “s”) to the accusative: բան – բանք, զբան – զբանս, արքայ – արքայք, զարքայ – զարքայս.
As we noted above, the genitive and dative cases are identical in most of declensions. This is true both for singular and plural nouns. But in plural we add the letter ց (ts') to the singular genitive/dative: բանի – բանից (of words, to words); արքայի – արքայից.
The plural ablative case is made of the plural genitive case by simply adding to it the preposition ի (յ): բանից – ի բանից (from words), արքայից – յարքայից (from kings).
The plural of the instrumental case is formed of the singular instrumental case by adding to it the letter ք (in this and several other declensions): բանիւ – բանիւք (pronounced as “baniuk’ / / p’aniuk’”) (by/with words); արքայիւ – արքայիւք (“ark’ayyuk’”)- by/with kings.
The plural of the locative case is formed of the ի (յ) preposition and the plural indefinite accusative (that is, without the preposition զ): բանս – ի բանս (in words); արքայս – յարքայս (in kings).
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Here are some other words that belong to the ի-declension. They are declined just the same way as the words բան and արքայ.
բանտ (prison), երկիւղ (fear - “yerkiuł / yergiuł”), վախ (precipice), ամենայն (all), ուխտ (covenant), երկին* (heaven, sky), ծառայ (servant), տաւն / տօն (feast), քայլ (step), հաց (bread), երեկոյ (evening), երախայ (child, catechumen), մատեան* (book), սիրտ* (heart).
* In the words marked with an asterisk, sound change occurs in the following way: մատեան – մատենի (the second ա is lost due to the change of stress); երկին - երկնի, սիրտ – սրտի (ի is lost for the same reason).
This is the rule: In Classical Armenian, the weak vowels and diphthongs change when they lose the stress. And they lose the stress when they stop being in the last syllable of a word. As we know, in Armenian, the stress is usually on the last syllable.
սի՛րտ – սրտի՛
մատեա՛ն – մատենի՛
The weak vowels ի and ու are lost (ջուր - ջրոյ).
The diphthong եա changes to ե, the diphthong ոյ changes to ու (գոյժ - գուժի).
♦♦♦♦♦♦
Reading
(The translation is literal. If needed, see the transcriptions of the new words in the vocabulary page of this blog.)
Դուռն դրախտի (door of paradise)։ Բարձրութիւն երկնից (height of heaven/heavens)։ Թերթ մատենին (sheet of the book)։ Ուրախութիւն տաւնի (joy of feast)։ Գալուստ երեկոյի (coming of evening)։ Վիշտք ծառայից (sorrows/afflictions of servants)։ Իմանալ սրտիւ (to understand by heart)։ Կամիմ ի սրտէ (I wish from heart)։ Երգեմք ի տաւնին (We sing in the feast)։ Երկիւղիւ Տեառն հաստատեալ է սիրտ նորա (By fear of Lord established is (=is established) his heart)։ Կե՛ր ի հացէ այտի (Eat (singular imperative) from bread that!)։ Կողովք հացից (baskets of breads)։ Ճանաչեմ զնա ի քայլից նորա (I know/recognize him/her from steps his/her (=his/her steps))։ Երկինք երկնից (heaven(s) of heavens)։ Զուարճանայք տաւնիւք (You (plural) are glad/joyful with feasts)։ Չէ չարութիւն ի սրտի քում (There is no wickedness in heart your (singular))։ Ի հացից նոցա առնումք մեզ (From breads their (= their breads) we take us (dative case = for us / to us ))։
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To listen to the audio recording of the Classical Armenian words and sentences of this lesson, use the following link -
