Western Armenian Alphabet, Lesson 5B: The Last Few Letters

First read: Introduction to the Western Armenian Alphabet Posts

You can find the specific (slightly edited) Powerpoint lesson here: Alphabet Lesson 5, The Last Few Letters

We’re in the home stretch! Here are the last few letters, and tips for how to remember them:

• տ = [d], d = like “duh” or “day”
  • Pronounciation note: In Eastern Armenian, this is a “t.” If you pronounce it somewhere between the two, people will know what you mean.
  • This letter is SaD. The capital looks like a capital S, but it falls over! Sad.; Looks like the English letter “S,” – Sun starts with S – the sun gives you vitamin D. S = D.
• կ = [ɡ], g = like “go”
  • Similar to English letter g but open on top
  • Pronounced like “k” in Eastern Armenian. Can be heard as a hard “g” sound, or soft “k” sound, like “candle” or “kale.”
• պ = b = like “bee”
  • Like letters BE in English but rotated counterclockwise 90 degrees.
  • Looks like bear claws, grrr!
  • 
• ճ = jeh = like “jet” or “joke”
• • Like a Jester’s hat
  • 
• ը = [ə], ë, ĕ, uh = like “urn,” “about” (shwa), “early,” or “uhhhhh…”
  • I imagine this letter shape as if the sound was the shape. Wouldn’t you draw “uhhh” or “ugggh” this way?
• ժ = jh, zh = like the sound in “pleasure” or Zhivago
  • Looks similar to ճ, or an exaggerated version of the letter j… (but mostly I just had to memorize this one)
  • Measuring tape
  • 

Let’s read:
տէր
տեառն
տիրոջ
յաւիտեանս
տուր
տեղւոջս
տոմար
տօն
տուն

կերէք
երկինք
կամք
կարօ

կացցուք
կնիք
կենդանի
կենդանարար
կեցո
կեանս
կեանք

կարապետ
պատարագ
պատիւ
երկիր պագեսցուք
պատրաստ
պատուական (Simple rule: When ու is followed by a vowel, oo becomes v. Bad-va-gan not bad-oo-a-gan.)
պարգեւ
պիղծ
պղծութիւն

ճաշ
ճաշակեցէք
աճեցուցանեմ
ճգնաւոր
ճրագ

ընկեր
ընկալ
ընդունելի
ըստ

CONGRATULATIONS! You’ve learned the Western Armenian Alphabet!!
(though there are a few bonus letters, stay tuned…)

Access the rest of the lessons in this series here:

• Western Armenian Alphabet, Lesson 1A: You CAN Learn to Read Armenian
• Western Armenian Alphabet, Lesson 1B: E, E, E
• Western Armenian Alphabet, Lesson 2: False Friends
• Western Armenian Alphabet, Lesson 3A: Odd Couples
• Western Armenian Alphabet, Lesson 3B: Alien Beings
• Western Armenian Alphabet, Lesson 4A: Look Alikes
• Western Armenian Alphabet, Lesson 4B: M & N
• Western Armenian Alphabet, Lesson 4C: An important letter (and more practice reading)
• Western Armenian Alphabet, Lesson 5A: Sound Alikes