What a week. January 6th was Armenian Christmas AND the day of the riot at the US Capitol.

I chose to work in the morning, while my mother-in-law had the day off and watched church with our kids. I was planning on celebrating Christmas that evening, but then was so overwhelmed and distracted by the news. I was telling Hagopig, “today is a very important day” – referring to the riot – and Vartan absolutely, rightly called me out on it. Christmas ultimately is more important than anything happening in current events. But I really feel like I missed the opportunity to celebrate and teach Hagopig about Christmas that day.

Thank goodness for the OCTAVE of Nativity, because it gave me the opportunity to try again for the next few days following.

We talked about how we were celebrating Jesus’s birthday, sung “happy birthday” to Jesus, and got Hagop a little activity book about the life of Jesus. It led to some pretty adorable and hilarious singing from Hagop (“happy birthday Jesus birthday hat” and “Jesus shark doo doo” are standouts).

There’s nothing like having a BABY to bring you back to what’s important.  I’ve taken QUITE some time off from writing here, because life has been so busy!  Vartan and I had a second child this summer (a girl, Zabel), and it was a very challenging pregnancy so I wasn’t up for writing.  Also, this just in, toddlers are NO JOKE.  Having young kids, working full time, volunteering as we can, taking Western Armenian classes, trying to make progress in our careers, and oh yeah, dealing with a global PANDEMIC… it’s a LOT.  But while I’ve been gone, I’ve seen engagement on this site (hooray, hello!), so I hope there’s something to value here, and I have more to share. More to come… 🙂

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

---

These last few letters were not originally part of the Armenian alphabet. They’ve been added to the alphabet to help pronounce words from other languages, i.e. Ֆրանսա = France.

• ֆ = [f], f = Like “France”
• 
• o = [o], o = Like “open”
  • Psych! You’ve already learned this one, we’ve come full circle.
• և = [ev/jev], pronounced “yev”
  • This letter is a combination of “ե” and “ւ” and is shorthand for the word “եւ” which means “and.” From what I understand, it’s used more often in Eastern Armenian than Western… to the extent that some Western Armenian speakers don’t consider this a letter on its own.

CONGRATULATIONS! You’ve now officially learned the Western Armenian Alphabet!! You should be able to read any Armenian text you come across now.

Feel like you need to check your work? Try FORVO – the online pronunciation dictionary: https://forvo.com/

Make sure you’re checking the location of the Armenian speaker on that site, because it doesn’t distinguish between Eastern and Western… but it’s a great place to start.

---

Access the rest of the lessons in this series here:

• Introduction to Western Armenian Alphabet Posts
• 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
• Western Armenian Alphabet, Lesson 5B: The Last Few Letters
• Western Armenian Alphabet, Lesson 5C: Bonus Letters

We’ve finally started on the project with Nayiri Translation Services, to get the small book on Vartan’s grandfather, Hagopos Ayvazian, translated into English.  The delay was because we were so busy, we never closed the loop and got started with them… not because of them!  Nayiri seems to have a great team lined up, and we’re really looking forward to working with them.  They estimate they’ll have the translation to us in 3 months, and we’ll get updates along the way.  We’ve had friends of the family informally translate the content for us before, but there’s so much more we can learn with a professional team.  We’re really excited.

Anyone interested in reading the book in Armenian can access it here:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1alyCMpNXasodwMbTQKf5fT7dlVhW9jRR/view?usp=sharing

 

Maybe someday we’ll post some recipes, but for now just a few quick pictures…

Photos while cooking, ahead of my father-in-law’s Darelitz requiem service, for the 1 year anniversary of his passing.

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:

Armenian	տ	կ	պ	ճ	ը	ժ
Pronounced	d	g	b	j	uh	jh/zh

• 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

First read: Introduction to Western Armenian Alphabet Posts

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

---

One very effective way of learning letter shapes in a new language is to group the letters by ones that sound alike. Because of influences from other cultures and languages over the years, Western Armenian has more of these “sound alike” letters than Eastern Armenian does. In Eastern pronunciation, or from other dialects, there are very subtle differences in the way the letters are said. But don’t get hung up on that when learning the basics… you can always learn that level of detail later.

First, let’s review the sound alikes you’ve already learned:

ո	օ	ե	է	ր	ռ	հ	յ	չ	ջ	դ	թ
o		e		r		h		ch		t

Do you notice any similarities or differences between the way these sound alike letters are shaped? Can you use one to help you remember the other?

And now let’s learn our next batch of NEW letters:

Armenian	փ	ք	ձ	վ
Pronounced	p	k	ts	v

փ = [pʰ], p, p’ = like “post”
Line down the center of the shape is the post holding up this squiggly fence. P.

ք = [kʰ], k, k’ = like “kick”
Letter shape looks like a person with their leg out, like they’re kicking. Ki!

ձ = [d͡z][t͡sʰ], ts = like “tzar”

• A pronunciation note: Depending on the dialect, this can sound like: dz, ds, tz, ts… and it’s rarer than other “z” counterparts.
• This letter was very difficult for me to remember, because it’s so unusually shaped. Here are some tricks I tried:
  • Looks like:
    • It’s a lowercase “a” with a squiggle on top! That’s a “ts.”
    • Uppercase for this letter (Ձ) looks like the number “2” or capital letter “Z,” so in lower and upper case, it’s a “false friend.” What do you say to false friends? Tsk tsk tsk!
  • Sounds like:
    • The “sounds like” match is “ց,” which is also a double letter and number false friend. The lowercase looks like a lowercase English “g,” and the capital letter is “Ց,” which looks like the number 8. Double false friends? Tsk, tsk, ts

վ = [v], v = like “voice”
Looks like a fancy chandelier or candlestick missing an arm.
This is the first letter of my husband’s name – վարդան (Vartan)

 

Let’s practice sounding out these new sound alikes:

բ	փ
p

փառս
փառաւոր
փեսայ
փջեմ

գ	ք
k

փառք
քրիստոս
Քրիստոս*
մեք
արքայութիւն
թողումք
հաւատամք
կացցուք
*starts with the capital letter

ձ	ց
ts

փորձութիւն
ձիւն
զանձինս
ձայն
ձեւական
ձմեռ
ձօն

ւ	վ
v

վայելէ
վասն
վերայ
վայ
վաթսուն
վառ

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)

You can find the specific (slightly edited) Powerpoint lesson here:  Alphabet 4, Look Alikes and More

---

---

An important letter:

Armenian	թ
Pronounced	t

• թ = t, t’, [tʰ]

Used for a very important suffix:

Armenian	-թիւն
Equivalent to	-tion (in English)

 

Pronounced:

• “իւ” = eev
• But often, “իւ” = yoo
• -թիւն = tyoon, tiun

 

Some tricks for this letter:

• The letter itself is called “toh,” pronounced like “toe.” I imagine the letter as a trchnakir bird, with its head bent down to look at its toes.
• Someone on the internet came up with: “Jesus had a favorite disciple and his name was Peter. This letter looks like ‘P’, but refers to the ‘ter’ part of his name. It is pronounced ‘t’ as in the second syllable of ‘Peter’. ‘Terminal’ and ‘turban’ share the same hard sound.”
• Or you could think of the curly bit like steam, coming out of a train (picture from Memrise.com):
  

 

Remember:

What does it look like?

What does it sound like?

 

 

You’ve learned a lot of letters now. 
Try sounding out these words:
խաղաղ
խաղաղութիւն
օրհնութիւն
թողութիւն
բազմութիւն
օգնութիւն
բարեխօսութիւն
գոհութիւն
ժամերգութիւն
ողորմութիւն
միածին որդի եւ բանդ Աստուած
սուրբ աստուած սուրբ եւ հզօր սուրբ եւ անմահ որ յարեար ի մեռելոց. ողորմեա մեզ
դեւ
դուռ
ելեւել
եռալ
եռացնել
երաժիշտ
երաշխ
երես
երեւելի
երեւիլ
ծախէ
ծէս
ծուխ
ծով
ծոց
ծոյլ
Հայր
Որդի
սուրբ
Հոգի
ամէն
CONGRATULATIONS
You’ve learned 28 Armenian letters and 3 dipthongs!

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 4: Look Alikes
• Western Armenian Alphabet, Lesson 4: M & N

Have slowed down on posts recently, because we’ve been SO busy. Vartan and I helped put together the silent auction for the 72nd Annual Armenian Bazaar at our church. It took a lot more time and work than we anticipated, but I think we learned some good lessons. It’ll go more smoothly next year. And all in all, I think it did go well. It’s just that there are only so many hours in the day, so if I’m there cutting up bid cards and hanging paintings, I’m not at home polishing / publishing Western Armenian flashcard decks. We had a sample Western Armenian online lesson a few weeks ago with one company, and will be trying another online teacher soon. We’re going to start up lessons for real again soon, so I’ll be back in that brain zone and posting more resources shortly.

In the meantime, here are some fun pictures from the Bazaar: