Routledge Dictionary of Language and Linguistics
Branch of Indo-European consisting of only one language with numerous dialects and approx. 5.5 million speakers located in the former Soviet Union, Turkey, Iran, and in numerous other countries. Written documents date from the fifth century AD. Armenian has its own alphabet which continues to be used today and according to tradition was developed by bishop Mesrop in AD 406, based on Aramaic and Greek. Armenian contains numerous loan words, particularly from Persian.
Characteristics: articulatory contrast of voiceless/voiceless aspirated/voiced; rich case system (seven cases); loss of Indo-European gender system; word order: SVO.
References
Bardakjian, K.B. and R.W.Thomson, 1977. A text-book of modern western Armenian. Delmar, NY.
Diakonoff, I.M. 1984. The pre-history of the Armenian people. Delmar, NY.
Godel, R. 1975. An introduction to the study of Classical Armenian. Wiesbaden.
Greppin, J.A.C. and A.A.Khachaturian. 1986. A handbook of Armenian dialectology. Delmar, NY.
Leroy, M. and F.Mawet. 1986. La place de l’arménien dans les langues indo-européennes. Leuven.
Solta, G. 1964. Die armenische Sprache. In B.Spuler (ed.), Handbuch der Orientalistik I, vol.
7: Armenisch und kaukasische Sprachen. Leiden. 80–128.
Thomson, R.W. 1975. An introduction to Classical Armenian. Delmar, NY.
Grammars
Hübschmann, H. 1897. Armenische Grammatik. Leipzig. (3rd repr. Hildesheim and New York 1972.)
Kogian, S.L. 1949. Armenian grammar (west dialect). Vienna.
Meillet, A. 1913. Altarmenisches Elementarbuch. Heidelberg. (Repr. New York, 1981.)
——1936. Esquisse d’une grammaire comparée de l’arménien classique, 2nd edn. Vienna.
Minassian, M. 1980. Grammaire d’Arménien oriental. Delmar, NY.
Schmitt, R. 1981. Grammatik des Klassisch-Armenischen mit sprachvergleichenden Erläuterungen. Innsbruck.
Dictionary
Bedrossian, M. 1879. New dictionary Armenian—English. Beirut.
Journals
Annual of Armenian Linguistics
Revue des Études Arméniennes
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