Yerevan dialect

File:Abovianportrait.jpg is the founder of the modern Eastern Armenian literary language]]

The Yerevan dialect first appears in writing in the 13th century, in the writings of Vardan Bardzaberdtsi. The 17th-century Armenian merchant from Nakhichevan, Zakaria Aguletsi ({{Circa|1630–1691}}),{{cite book |last=Bardakjian |first=Kevork B. |url=https://archive.org/details/referenceguideto00bard/page/573 |title=A Reference Guide to Modern Armenian Literature, 1500–1920 |publisher=Wayne State University Press |year=2000 |isbn=9780814327470 |location=Detroit |page=[https://archive.org/details/referenceguideto00bard/page/573 573] |url-access=registration}} who kept a diary, also wrote in the Yerevan dialect, though with some influence of his local dialect. Some of the first written sources for the Araratian dialect are {{Transliteration|hy|Arhest hamaroghut’yan}} (Art of arithmetic), published in Marseille in 1675, and {{Transliteration|hy|Parzabanut’yun}} (Simplification), published in Venice in 1687.{{cite web|last=Petrosyan|first=Haykanush|script-title=hy:Երևանի բարբառի ընդհանուր բնութագիրը|trans-title=General description of the Yerevan dialect|url=http://hayeren.hayastan.com/st.php?st=st27arm.html|publisher=Armenian State Institute of Linguistics|access-date=2 March 2013|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130302194157/http://hayeren.hayastan.com/st.php?st=st27arm.html|archive-date=2 March 2013|language=hy}}

The historical dialect spoken in Yerevan was usually referred to as Araratian, because Yerevan is located in the Ararat plain. The Araratian dialect was widespread, with rich vocabulary and pronunciation similar to Classical Armenian. These factors gave the dialect of the future Armenian capital a special status. It was used as a basis for the literary Eastern Armenian language. According to Gevorg Jahukyan, the Araratian dialect gained a dominant position{{When|date=November 2023}} due to geographic, historical, linguistic reasons and was used for inter-dialectal communication.{{cite book|last=Jahukyan|first=Gevorg|script-title=hy:Հայոց լեզվի զարգացումը և կառուցվածքը|trans-title=Structure and Development of Armenian language|year=1969|location=Yerevan|page=55|language=hy}}

Khachatur Abovian, who is considered the founder of the modern Eastern Armenian literary language, wrote in the Araratian dialect as he was born in Kanaker, a village near Yerevan (now a district of the city).{{cite book|last=Nichanian|first=Marc|title=Writers of Disaster: Arm. Literature in the Twentieth Century|year=2002|publisher=Gomidas Institute|location=Princeton, New Jersey|isbn=9781903656099|page=87}} Abovian's famous 1841 novel Wounds of Armenia is the first recognized work in modern Eastern Armenian.{{cite book|last=Dum-Tragut|first=Jasmine|title=Armenian: Modern Eastern Armenian|year=2009|publisher=John Benjamins Pub. Co.|location=Amsterdam|isbn=9789027238146|page=3}} Other authors contributed to the making of the Araratian dialect into a literary vernacular, such as Mesrop Taghiadian (1803–1858),{{cite book|last=Cardwell|first=Richard|title=The reception of Byron in Europe|year=2004|publisher=Thoemmes Continuum|location=London|isbn=9780826468444|page=397}} and alumni of Lazaryan School, Nersisyan School, and several Shusha schools, including Gevorg Akhverdian (1818-1861),{{cite journal|title=Modern history abstracts, 1775-1914|journal=Historical Abstracts|year=1989|volume= 40|issue= 3–4|page=892|publisher=American Bibliographical Center}} Kerovbe (1833–1889) and Raphael Patkanian (1830–1892),{{cite book|last=Hacikyan|first=Agop Jack|title=The Heritage of Armenian Literature From The Eighteenth Century To Modern Times.|year=2005|publisher=Wayne State University Press|location=Detroit|isbn=9780814332214|page=68}} but it is widely acknowledged that the Araratian dialect was "made perfect" by Khachatur Abovian.

According to prominent Armenian linguist Hrachia Adjarian's Classification des dialectes arméniens, in early 20th century the Yerevan dialect was spoken chiefly in the towns of Yerevan, Nork, Kanaker, Ejmiatsin, Oshakan and Ashtarak.{{cite book|last=Adjarian|first=Hrachia|title=Հայոց լեզվի պատմություն|trans-title=History of Armenian language|year=1945|location=Yerevan|page=329|author-link=Hrachia Adjarian}} Adjarian points out the fact that the Yerevan dialect was also spoken in the Havlabar district of Tiflis (Tbilisi) and in the Iranian city of Tabriz.{{sfn|Adjarian|1909|p=15|ps=: Le dialecte d'Erivan est parle principalement dans la ville d'Evian et les villages environnants. Il atteint au sud Tauris en Perse, a l'ouest la ville de Kagisman, au sud-ouest Bayazid en Turque. Les frontieres du nord et de l'est sont borders par les dialectes d'Erzeroum et du Karabagh. Deux petits ilots du dialecte d'Erivan se trouvent au nord dans le district de Borchalu (Shulaver, Shamshadin et ses environs) et a Havlabar (un des quartiers de Tiflis).

Erivan dialect is mostly spoken in the town of Evian and the surrounding villages. It reaches south Tauris in Persia, west of the city Kagisman, southwest Bayazid in Turkey. The boundaries of the north and east borders are by the dialects of Erzurum and Karabagh. Two small islands dialect of Erivan are north in the district of Borchalu (Shulaver, Shamshadin and surroundings) and Havlabar (a district of Tiflis).}}

According to linguist Ararat Gharibyan, the dialect was also spoken in the Vayots Dzor, Nor Bayazet, Lori and Spitak districts and formerly in Surmali and Kaghzvan.{{cite book|last=Gharibyan|first=Ararat|author-link=:hy:Արարատ Ղարիբյան|script-title=hy:Հայ բարբառագիտություն|trans-title=Armenian dialectology|year=1953|location=Yerevan|page=219|language=hy}} Haykanush Mesropyan claims that Lori is the largest region where the Araratian dialect is spoken. The Araratian dialect was not and is not homogeneous but has sub-dialects that can be distinguished locally within the dialect area. The Yerevan sub-dialect of the Araratian dialect was chiefly spoken in the neighborhoods and villages of Kanaker, Arinj, Jrvezh, Nork and Kond. Yerevan's Nork district, which was a separate village until the 1920s, was considered the cradle of the Yerevan dialect.

The Araratian dialect has been relatively stable throughout the history, although the dialect had some influence in Lori (from Karabakh and Tiflis) and Gavar (from Mush).{{cite journal|last=Markossian|first=Razmik|title=OA Portal in Armenia |script-title=hy:Արարատյան բարբառի մի խումբ խոսվածքների հնչյունական համակարգը|trans-title=The Phonetic System of the Araratian dialect|journal=Patma-Banasirakan Handes|year=1981|issue=2|url=http://hpj.asj-oa.am/3432/|access-date=16 March 2013|publisher=Armenian National Academy of Sciences|location=Yerevan|issn=0135-0536|language=hy}} Bayazet variant usually considered a sub-dialect, although some linguists argued it was a distinct dialect.{{cite journal|last=Katvalyan|first=Victor|title=OA Portal in Armenia |script-title=hy:Արարատյան և Բայազետի բարբառների փոխհարաբերությունները|journal=Patma-Banasirakan Handes|year=2009|issue=2–3|pages=145–157|url=http://hpj.asj-oa.am/2696/|access-date=16 March 2013|publisher=Armenian National Academy of Sciences|location=Yerevan|issn=0135-0536|language=hy}}

{{clear}}

Today, the Yerevan dialect is the main component foundation of standard spoken Eastern Armenian.{{cite news|last=Sargsyan|first=Levon|script-title=hy:Անապահով տարածություն|url=http://www.azg.am/AM/culture/2009120501|access-date=26 February 2013|date=19 December 2009|agency=Azg Daily|language=hy}} It is now more of a sociolect as it has lost the previous geographic limits and has been "fixed" by the standard Eastern Armenian. The Yerevan dialect now has some differences from the original Araratian dialect;{{cite book|last=Aghayan|first=Eduard|script-title=hy:Ընդհանուր և հայկական բառագիտություն|trans-title=Armenian Dialectology|year=1984|publisher=Yerevan State University|location=Yerevan|pages=110–111|language=hy}} in particular, it has been "cleaned" from other dialectal and foreign (Persian, Arabic, Turkish, and Russian) loan words.

The almost 160-year Russian and Soviet rule of Eastern Armenia (1828–1917, 1920–1991) had left its influence on the colloquial Armenian language. In everyday life, many Russian, Persian, Turkish, Arabic, and other loan words are used. During the Soviet era, the Moscow-based authorities encouraged the Soviet Armenian elite to "free Armenian from Arabic, Turkish and Persian influences." By the late Soviet period in Armenia, Russian was "widespread and derivatives were formed from Russian using native affixes", meanwhile Russian also served as a medium through which European terms entered into Armenian.{{cite book|last=Spolsky|first=Bernard|title=Language policy|year=2004|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=9780521011754|page=37|quote=In Armenia an effort was made to free Armenian from Arabic, Turkish and Persian influences. In the 1920s, Russian terms tended to be avoided, but gradually this changed so that by the 1970s most of the new terms were being borrowed from Russian. Russian was the intermediary for terms from English or French or German. Calquing from Russian was widespread and derivatives were formed from Russian using native affixes.}}

According to Razmik Markossian, in 1989, the Araratian dialect was spoken in 162 villages and 5 cities with the total of 275,000 speakers outside of Yerevan.{{cite journal |last=Poghosyan |first=A. M. |date=1990 |title=Ռազմիկ Մարկոսյան, Արարատյան բարբառ, Երևան, «Լույս» հրատ., 1989, 390 էջ |trans-title=Razmik Markosyan, Ararat dialect, Yerevan, Luys Publishing, 1989, 390 pages |url=https://arar.sci.am/dlibra/publication/41982/edition/37595/content |journal=Lraber Hasarakakan Gitutyunneri |language=hy |volume=5 |issue=5 |page=87 |access-date=13 March 2013}}

There is a tendency of increased significance of the Yerevan dialect within Armenia. Generally, Armenian television channels use the Yerevan dialect instead of the standard Armenian, especially in their entertaining shows, which causes them to be criticized by linguists.{{cite news|last=Sargsyan|first=Levon|script-title=hy:Բարբառային էքսպանսիա կամ գրական հայերենը մեռնում է|trans-title=Dialect expansion and the death of the literary language|url=http://www.azg.am/AM/culture/2009091202|access-date=14 March 2013|date=14 September 2009|agency=Azg Daily|quote=Ավելի ստույգ` հեռուստատեսությամբ մեզ մատուցվողը բարբառ է` Արարատյան բարբառը, որ վաղուց միտում է դառնալու նոր գրական լեզու: Վաղուց ակնհայտ է, որ հեռուստաեթերից (սերիալներ, ժամանցային ծրագրեր) հնչող հայերեն խոսքն օրեցօր հագենում է Արարատյան բարբառին, մասնավորապես Երեւանի խոսվածքին հատուկ բառերով, արտահայտություններով, քերականական իրողություններով: approximate translation: The language served to us from the television is a dialect—the Araratian dialect, which from long ago has a tendency of becoming the literary language. It's obvious that, the Armenian heard from the television (soap operas, entertaining shows) is including more and more words, phrases, grammatical rules from the Yerevan dialect.

|language=hy}}

In Yerevan, the local dialect is seen as superior compared to provincial dialects. Even if the provincial dialect words are much closer to standard Eastern Armenian, they are seen as "village language".

The chart below presents the pronunciation of the words "this way", "that way" and "other way" in standard Eastern Armenian, Yerevan dialect and Karin dialect as spoken in Armenia's second largest city Gyumri.

{{Col-begin}}

{{Col-2}}The word 'is' in standard Armenian is 'է' {{IPA|hy|ɛ|}}; in the dialect it is mostly said 'ա' {{IPA|hy|ɑ|}}.

:"This house is big"

::Standard: Այս տունը մեծ է ays tunə mets e

::Yerevan: Էս տունը մեծ ա es tunə mets a

{{Col-2}}The standard word for 'չէ' {{IPA|hy|tʃʰɛ|}}, "is not", is pronounced 'չի' {{IPA|hy|tʃʰi|}}.

:"This house is not big"

::Standard: Այս տունը մեծ չէ ays tunə mets če

::Yerevan: Էս տունը մեծ չի es tunə mets či

{{Col-end}}

The Yerevan dialect pronunciation is similar to that of Classical Armenian.{{sfn|Adjarian|1909|pp=15–16|ps=: Le dialecte d'Erivan est un des plus rapproches de l'ancien armenien, et dans la branche de -um, c'est le plus archaique de tous; c'est pourquoi on l'a choisi pour servir de base a la formation de la langue litteraire des Armeniens de Russie.

Erivan dialect is closer to one of the old Armenian, and the -um branch, this is the most archaic of all, which is why it was chosen as the basis for the formation of literary language of the Armenians of Russia.}} It has three degrees of consonants:{{sfn|Adjarian|1909|p=17|ps=: Les trois degres des consonnes de 'ancien armenien, si alterees dans les dialectes modernes, se presentent dans le dialecte d'Erivan sous la forme suivante

The three degrees of consonants the old Armenian, if altered in modern dialects, present themselves in the dialect of Erivan in the following form.}}

|-

| դ {{IPA|hy|d|}} || — || տ {{IPA|hy|t|}} || — || թ {{IPA|hy|tʰ|}}

|-

| գ {{IPA|hy|ɡ|}} || — || կ {{IPA|hy|k|}} || — || ք {{IPA|hy|kʰ|}}

|-

| ձ {{IPA|hy|dz|}} || — || ծ {{IPA|hy|ts|}} || — || ց {{IPA|hy|tsʰ|}}

|-

| ջ {{IPA|hy|dʒ|}} || — || ճ {{IPA|hy|tʃ|}} || — || չ {{IPA|hy|tʃʰ|}}

|}

Armenian grammar has a standard simultaneous converb (համակատար դերբայ) form for every verb, the formation of which is realised by adding -is to the end of an infinitive – for example, in standard Armenian, Parel (Պարել) becomes Parelis (Պարելիս). However, in the Yerevan dialect this form is very commonly altered to one which is identical (but not semantically) to the ablative form of the nominalized infinitive. Thus, "Don't eat whilst dancing" "Mi ker parelis" «Մի՜ կեր պարելիս» becomes "Mi ker pareluts'" «Մի՜ կեր պարելուց».

;Russian

Since 1828, when Yerevan was captured by the Russian forces, Eastern Armenian have seen great influx of Russian words into colloquial Armenian.{{cite book|title=Concise Encyclopedia of Languages of the World|year=2009|publisher=Elsevier|location=Amsterdam, Netherlands|isbn=9780080877754|page=70}} Today, "some Armenian words are never heard in spoken Armenian, the Russian equivalent being used instead."{{sfn|Holding|Holding|2011|p=283}} Russian words are often pronounced as they are in Russian, but with stress on the last syllable as in Armenian.{{cite book|last=Dum-Tragut|first=Jasmine|title=Armenian: Modern Eastern Armenian|year=2009|publisher=John Benjamins Publishing|location=Amsterdam|isbn=9789027238146|page=28|quote=Loan words and personal names from Russian are also often pronounced with "Russian-like reduced vowels" in a colloquial Armenian (but with "Armenian" stress on last syllable).}}

Some of the most common ones are listed below.

• :wikt:մարշուտկա 'minibus' from {{Transliteration|ru|marshrutka}} (маршрутка) is used alongside the Armenian yertughayin (երթուղային){{sfn|Holding|Holding|2011|p=287}}
• :wikt:սվետաֆոր (светофор) for 'traffic lights',{{sfn|Holding|Holding|2011|p=288}} although lusatsuyts (լուսացույց) is used more often
• :wikt:կլուբնիկա (клубника) strawberry, although in recent years {{Transliteration|hy|yelak}} (ելակ) is used more often{{sfn|Petrosian|Underwood|2006|p=232}}{{failed verification|date=April 2022}}
• :wikt:գալուբոյ (голубой) for 'gay' from Russian word originally meaning 'sky blue'
• :wikt:բոմժ (Без Определённого Места Жительства (without defined place of residence), БОМЖ) for 'homeless'
• :wikt:դիվան (диван) for 'couch, sofa'
• :wikt:մենթ (мент) derogatory term for a 'policeman'
• :wikt:պրիվետ (привет) greeting often used by teenagers
• :wikt:պլան (план) for 'marijuana'
• :wikt:վաբշե (вообще, vo-obshche) for 'generally'

File:Siege of Erivan Fortress on 1 October 1827.jpg siege in 1827 by the Russian forces marked the transition of Persian rule to Russian rule of Yerevan]]

;Persian

For centuries, the current territory of the Republic of Armenia was part of the Persian empire. From the 18th century to 1828, the Erivan khanate occupied the city of Yerevan and its surrounding areas. As a result of long-time Persian control, today Persian words still have considerable presence in both literary and colloquial languages.

• չաղ čağ (fat) from چاق čağ
• քյաչալ k'yačal (bald) from کچل k'ačal
• հայաթ hayat' (yard) from حیاط hayat'
• դորջար {{Transliteration|hy|dordjar}} (Four-wheel drive) from {{Transliteration|hy|dhord jar}} (four-two in backgammon){{sfn|Holding|Holding|2011|p=287}}
• քուչա k'ucha (yard) from كوچه kucheh (street)

;Other

Other languages also have some influence on the spoken Armenian. Below are some foreign words commonly used in Yerevan.

| girl

| Azeri

|-

| մերսի mersi

| thank you

| merci {{IPA|fr|mɛʁ.si|}}{{sfn|Holding|Holding|2011|p=285}}

| thank you

| French

| brought to Armenia by the repatriates in 1946–1948{{cite news|last=Isahakyan|first=Avik|script-title=hy:Մեր "ախպարները"|trans-title=Our 'brothers'|url = http://www.armtown.com/news/am/arv/20110125/87816/|access-date=24 December 2012|date=25 January 2011|agency=Aravot|language=hy}}

|-

| միտինգ miting

| demonstration{{cite book|last=Atabaki|first=Touraj|title=Central Asia and the Caucasus: Transnationalism and Diaspora|year=2004|publisher=Routledge|location=London|isbn=9780203495827|page=137|author2=Mehendale, Sanjyot |quote=In Armenian the demonstrations were called "mitings" (meetings).}}

| meeting

| an assembly of persons

| English

| via Russian 'митинг'

|-

| չենջ chenj

| exchange office{{sfn|Holding|Holding|2011|p=290}}

| change

| to transform

| English

| used since 1990s, when first exchange offices appeared in the city

|-

| ջեբ jeb

| pocket

| جيب jayb

| pocket

| Arabic

|width=600 |very common in the region, also used in Albanian, Azeri, Bulgarian, Georgian, Greek, Hungarian, Serbo-Croatian, Persian, Turkish

|-

| սաղ sagh

| all, whole, living/alive

| sağ

| right (direction), living/alive

| Turkish or Azeri

|-

| քեշ փող k'esh p'ogh

| cash money

| cash

| physical form of currency

| English

| used since the 2000s

|-

|}

{{reflist|30em}}

• {{cite book|last=Adjarian|first=Hrachia|author-link=Hrachia Adjarian|title=Classification des dialectes arméniens|year=1909|publisher=Librairie Honore Champion|location=Paris|language=fr}}
• {{cite journal|last=Baghdasaryan|first=S. H.|title=OA Portal in Armenia |script-title=hy:Արարատյան բարբառի բաղաձայնական համակարգի մասին|trans-title=Consonants in the Araratian dialect|journal=Lraber Hasarakakan Gitutyunneri|year=1967|issue=4|pages=16–29|url=http://lraber.asj-oa.am/1137/|access-date=13 March 2013|publisher=Armenian National Academy of Sciences|language=hy}}
• {{cite book|last1=Holding|first1=Nicholas|title=Bradt Armenia: With Nagorno Karabagh|year=2011|publisher=Bradt Travel Guides|location=Chalfont St. Peter, Bucks|isbn=9781841623450|last2=Holding |first2=Deirdre }}
• {{cite book|last1=Petrosian|first1=Irina|last2=Underwood|first2=David|title=Armenian Food: Fact, Fiction & Folklore|year=2006|publisher=Yerkir Pub.|location=Bloomington, Indiana|isbn=9781411698659}}

{{Armenian language|state=expanded}}

Category:City colloquials

Category:Armenian language

Category:Armenian dialects