Armenian

Introduction

The Armenian language is a Langue which sets up with it only a group independent within the family of the Indo-European Langues. One distinguishes actually three different states of language:
  1. old Armenian (or grabar ), written as from the 5th century and conveying a rich person literature theological, historical, poetic, mystical and epic;
  2. Eastern Armenian, official language of the republic of Arménie; he is also spoken by the Armenian community about Iran and Russia;
  3. Western Armenian, spoken by the Armenian Diaspora.

The full number of speakers is evaluated to 7 million (a including little more than 3 million in Arménie).

The Armenian present of the resemblances to the Greek (many etymological parallels, use of the Augment, particular treatment of the Laryngeal S of the Indo-European ), like underlined it the French linguist Antoine Meillet. In addition, the consonants of the proto-Armenian knew the First consonant shift, which somewhat brings it closer to the Germanic languages.

During its history, it borrowed many words from the Persan, then with the Greek (6th century), with the Turkish (as from the 11th century), with the French (at the age of the Croisade S, then at the time modern), with the Latin (16th-18th centuries) and with the Russian (modern time).

The Armenian is written by means of a Alphabet specific created to the 5th century: the Armenian alphabet. The Armenian is written as he decides.

Armenian etymology

The Armenian language belongs to the family of the Indo-European languages just like French. Here a short list of words having a common root with Latin.

Elements of grammar

One will find hereafter some characteristics grammatical general of the Armenian.

Word order

There is in general of type SVO (prone - verb - object), but remains rather free. The attribute is placed between the subject and the verb.

Punctuation and intonation

  • the double-point is equivalent to the final point of French, but relates to also the exclamative or interrogative sentences.

  • the not is equivalent to the semicolon or the double-point of French.

  • the comma is used as in French.

  • the end is placed in front of a word or a group words which it highlights.

  • the signs of interrogation and exclamation, which have clean forms, are placed on the last syllable of the word concerned. The chécht is placed on the last syllable of a word highlighted in apostrophe or.

  • the tonic Accent is always on the last syllable of the word, before (E) the final possible one.

The noun and the adjective

There is no female kind or masculine in Armenian. The variation of the names includes/understands five to seven Cas, according to the points of view:

  • direct Case (joins together the personal one and the accusative)
  • Génitif
  • Datif (identical to the genitive)
  • Ablatif
  • Instrumental
  • Locatif

Only the direct case and the dative can have the Article defined at the end of the word; the definite article also applies to the proper names.

There exist seven types of variations, which are divided in two categories:

  • interior variations (presence with the genitive and the dative of a vowel different from that of the direct case)
  • external variations (endings being added to the last letter of the word).

Two names have a particular variation: aghtchik “girl” and sér “love”.

The Armenian uses prepositions, but also a great number of postpositions; the ones and the others govern particular cases.

The adjectives in Armenian are invariable: they do not agree with the name.

The verb

There exist two groups of Verbe S: verbs in (ex: khemél “to drink”) and verbs in (ex: kartal “to read”). The personal Pronom prone is not essential in front of the verb.

The Armenian knows the personal modes: Indicative, Subjunctive, Imperative Obligatif and , plus the Infinitive , the Participle (past, present and future) and the concomitant one, which express an additional action with that of the principal verb.

The time are close to those of French. There does not exist past anterior nor of former future, but a past and a future of probability are found. The obligatif one presents a past and a perfect . The six people are the same ones as in French.

Made up times are formed with the auxiliary verb EM “I am”. The auxiliary follows the base normally, but it precedes it if the verb is negative or if one wants to highlight a term of the sentence located before the verb. There exist two other verbs to be, one meaning “to be usually” and whose forms supplement those of EM , the other meaning “to exist”, “to be (there)”.

The Causatif is marked by a suffix placed before the termination of infinitive, and the passive by the insertion of between the radical and the ending.

The verb agrees in person and of number with the subject; in the compound tenses, it is the auxiliary which agrees.

Generally, the Armenian prefers the participle, infinitive or the concomitant one with the relative or conjunctive clauses.

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