Classical Armenian (, , ; meaning "literary [language]"; also Old Armenian or Liturgical Armenian) is the oldest attested form of the Armenian language. It was first written down at the beginning of the 5th century, and most Armenian literature from then through the 18th century is in Classical Armenian. Many ancient manuscripts originally written in Ancient Greek, Hebrew, Syriac and Latin survive only in Armenian translation. Classical Armenian itself, in turn, was heavily influenced by the Iranian languages, in particular by Parthian.
Classical Armenian continues to be the liturgical language of the Armenian Apostolic Church and the Armenian Catholic Church and is often learned by Biblical, Intertestamental, and Patristic scholars dedicated to textual studies. Classical Armenian is also important for the reconstruction of the Proto-Indo-European language.
Phonology
Vowels There are seven monophthongs: , , , or open e , or closed e , , and (transcribed as a, i, ə, e, ē, o, and u respectively). The vowel transcribed u is spelled using the Armenian letters for ow , but it is not actually a diphthong.
There are also six traditional diphthongs: ay , aw (later ), ea , ew , iw , oy .
Consonants In the following table is the Classical Armenian consonantal system. The stops and affricate consonants have, in addition to the more common voiced and unvoiced series, also a separate aspirated series, transcribed with the notation used for Ancient Greek rough breathing after the letter: p῾, t῾, c῾, č῾, k῾. Each phoneme has two symbols in the table. The left indicates the pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA); the right one is the corresponding symbol in the Armenian alphabet.
Labial Alveolar Palatal Velar /Uvular Glottal Nasals Մ Ն Stops voiced Բ Դ Գ unvoiced Պ Տ Կ aspirated Փ Թ Ք Affricates voiced Ձ Ջ unvoiced / ejective Ծ Ճ aspirated Ց Չ Fricatives voiced Վ Զ Ժ unvoiced Ֆ Ս Շ Խ Հ Approximants lateral Լ Ղ median Ր Յ Trill Ռ
Numbers in Old Armenian +NumberOld ArmenianPIEOneմի (mi)*sémih₂ < feminine of *sḗm ("one")Twoերկու (erku)*dwoy- < *dwóh₁ (the motives of the unusual developments are not fully understood)Threeերեք (erekʻ)*tréyesFourչորք (čʻorkʻ) քառ (kʻaṙ)*kʷtwr̥(s?) < zero-grade of *kʷetwóresFiveհինգ (hing)*pénkʷeSixվեց (vecʻ)*suwéḱs < *swéḱsSevenեօթն (eōtʻn)*septḿ̥Eightութ (utʻ) < proto-Armenian *owtu*(h₁)oḱtṓwNineինն (inn) < proto-Armenian *enun-*h₁nuno- < zero-grade of *h₁néwn̥Tenտասն (tasn)*déḱm̥
Personal pronouns in Old Armenian +PronounOld ArmenianPIEIես (es)*éǵh₂Youդու (du)*túh₂He, she, itնա (na) < *no- նոյն (noyn) < *no-ēn (adverbial suffix)*h₁nós ("over there") *h₁nó-eyni- ("over there" +"that")Weմեք (mekʻ) < *mes*wéyYou (all)դուք (dukʻ)*túh₂ with pluralization suffix -k'Theyնոքա (nokʻa)*h₁nós +pluralization suffix The pluralization suffix -k', which since Old Armenian was used form the nominative plural, could be linked to the final -s in PIE *tréyes > Old Armenian երեք (erekʻ) and չորք (čʻorkʻ), which then can point to a pre-Armenian *kʷtwr̥s (< *kʷetwóres). Otherwise, it derives from the number "two", երկու (erku) and was originally used as a mark for the dual number.
There are no dual prefixes or dual plurals in Old Armenian.
Two examples of verbs in Old Armenian +բերել (berel, "to bear")PronounOld ArmenianPIEIբերեմ (berem)*bʰéroh₂Youբերես (beres)*bʰéresiHe, she, itբերէ (berē)*bʰéretiWeբերեմք (beremkʻ)*bʰéromosYou (all)բերէք (berēkʻ)*bʰéreteTheyբերեն (beren)*bʰéronti +կարդալ (kardal, "to read")PronounOld ArmenianPIEIկարդամ (kardam)*gʷr̥Hdʰh₁oh₂Youկարդաս (kardas)*gʷr̥Hdʰh₁ésiHe, she, itկարդայ (karday)*gʷr̥Hdʰh₁étiWeկարդամք (kardamkʻ)*gʷr̥Hdʰh₁omosYou (all)կարդայք (kardaykʻ)*gʷr̥Hdʰh₁éteTheyկարդան (kardan)*gʷr̥Hdʰh₁onti The pluralization suffix -k' can again be seen in the forms of the first and second person plural. The first person suffix -em comes from the PIE suffix in athematic verbs *-mi.
An example of noun in Old Armenian Nouns in Old Armenian can belong to three models of declinations: o-type, i-type and i-a-type. Nouns can show more than one model of conjugation and retain all cases from PIE except for the vocative, which merged with the nominative and the accusative. All the strong cases lost their suffix in the singular; by contrast, almost every weak case in the singular keep a suffix. The cases are: nominative, genitive, dative, accusative, ablative, locative and instrumental. The o-type model shows an extremely simplified paradigm with many instances of syncretism and the constant use of the pluralization suffix -k' in the plural; not only do strong cases tend to converge in the singular, but most of the weak cases converge into -oy, perhaps from the PIE dative *-oey. There is no suffix for the dual number. +արտ (art, "field"), o-typeCaseOld Armenian (singular)Old Armenian (plural)Nominativeարտ (art) < PIE *h₂éǵrosարտք (artkʻ) < PIE *h₂éǵroesGenitiveարտոյ (artoy) < *h₂éǵroey?արտոց (artocʻ) < *h₂éǵroHomDativeարտոյ (artoy) < *h₂éǵroeyարտոց (artocʻ) < *h₂éǵromosAccusativeարտ (art) < *h₂éǵromարտս (arts) < *h₂éǵromsAblativeարտոյ (artoy) < *h₂éǵroey?արտոց (artocʻ) < *h₂éǵromosLocativeարտ (art) < *h₂éǵrey/oyարտս (arts) < *h₂éǵroysuInstrumentalարտով (artov) < *h₂éǵroh₁արտովք (artovkʻ) < *h₂éǵrōys
An example of adjective in Old Armenian Adjectives in Old Armenian have at least two models of declension: i-a-type and i-type. An adjective, provided that it is not indeclinable, can show both models. Most of the declension show a great deal of syncretism and the plural shows again the pluralization suffix -k'. The instrumental plural has two possible forms. +երկար (erkar, "long")CaseOld Armenian (singular)Old Armenian (plural)Nom.երկար (erkar) < PIE *dweh₂rósերկարք (erkarkʻ) < PIE *dweh₂róesGen.երկարի (erkari) < *dweh₂rósyo?երկարաց (erkaracʻ) < *dweh₂róHomDat.երկարի (erkari) < *dweh₂róeyերկարաց (erkaracʻ) < *dweh₂rómosAcc.երկար (erkar) < *dweh₂rómերկարս (erkars) < *dweh₂rómsAbl.երկարէ (erkarē) < *dweh₂réadերկարաց (erkaracʻ) < *dweh₂rómosLoc.երկարի (erkari) < *dweh₂réy/óyերկարաւք (erkarawkʻ) < *dweh₂róysu երկարօք (erkarōkʻ) < *dweh₂róysuInstr.երկարաւ (erkaraw) < *dweh₂róh₁երկարս (erkars) < *dweh₂rṓys The adjective "long" shows the same sound changes of the numeral "two": PIE *dweh₂rós / *dwoy- > erkar / erku.
See also List of Armenian writers Proto-Armenian language Armenian alphabet
Bibliography Adjarian, Hrachia. (1971–9) Etymological Root Dictionary of the Armenian Language. Vol. I – IV. Yerevan: Yerevan State University. Godel, Robert. (1975) An Introduction to the Study of Classical Armenian. Wiesbaden: Dr. Ludwig Reichert Verlag () Meillet, Antoine. (1903) Esquisse d'une grammaire comparée de l'arménien classique [Outline of a comparative grammar of classical Armenian]. Schmitt, Rüdiger. (1981) Grammatik des Klassisch-Armenischen mit sprachlichen Erläuterungen [Grammar of Classical Armenian with linguistic explications]. (1981, second edition 2007). Thomson, Robert W. (1989) An Introduction to Classical Armenian. Caravan Books. ()
References
External links
Classical Armenian Online by Todd B. Krause and Jonathan Slocum, free online lessons at the Linguistics Research Center at the University of Texas at Austin New Dictionary of the Armenian Language (Nor Bargirk Haekazian Lezvi, Նոր Բառգիրք Հայկազեան Լեզուի), Venice 1836–1837. The seminal dictionary of Classical Armenian. Includes Armenian to Latin, and Armenian to Greek. Pocket Dictionary of the Armenian Language (Arrdzern Barraran Haekazian Lezvi, Առձեռն Բառարան Հայկազնեան Լեզուի), Venice 1865 (second edition). New Dictionary Armenian-English (Նոր Բառգիրք Հայ-Անգլիարէն), Venice, 1875-9. Grabar Dictionary (Գրաբարի Բառարան), Ruben Ghazarian, Yerevan, 2000. Grabar Thesaurus (Գրաբարի Հոմանիշների Բառարան), Ruben Ghazarian, Yerevan, 2006. A grammar, Armenian and English by Paschal Aucher and Lord Byron. Venice 1873 Brief introduction to Classical Armenian also known as Grabar A video introduction to Classical Armenian at glottothèque – Ancient Indo-European Grammars online, an online collection of introductory videos to Ancient Indo-European languages produced by the University of Göttingen