Editing Armenian language (section)

==Dialects==
{{Main|Armenian dialects}}
[[File:Armenian dialects, Adjarian 1909.png|thumb|upright=1.6|Map of the [[Historical dialects of Armenian|Armenian dialects in early 20th century]]:
{{legend|#00FF00|-owm dialects, nearly corresponding to Eastern Armenian}}
{{legend|#808080|-el dialects (intermediate)}}
{{legend|#FFD800|-gë dialects, nearly corresponding to Western Armenian}}]]
Armenian is a [[pluricentric language]], having two modern [[Standard language|standardized]] forms: [[Eastern Armenian]] and [[Western Armenian]]. And numerous other non-standard dialects, many of which are extinct.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Dolatian |first1=Hossep |title=Adjarian’s Armenian dialectology (1911): Translation and commentary |date=2024 |publisher=Language Science Press |location=Berlin |url=https://langsci-press.org/catalog/book/385}}</ref> The most distinctive feature of Western Armenian is that it has undergone several phonetic mergers; these may be due to proximity to Arabic- and Turkish-speaking communities.

[[File:WIKITONGUES- John speaking Armenian.webm|thumb|A man speaking in Western Armenian]]
Classical Armenian (Grabar), which remained the standard until the 18th century, was quite homogeneous across the different regions that works in it were written; it may have been a cross-regional standard.<ref name="Fortson 2004 338–340">{{harvnb|Fortson|2004|pp=338–340}}</ref> The Middle Armenian variety used in the court of Cilician Armenia (1080–1375) provides a window into the development of Western Armenian, which came to be based on what became the dialect of Istanbul, while the standard for Eastern Armenian was based on the dialect around Mount Ararat and Yerevan.<ref name="Fortson 2004 338–340"/> Although the Armenian language is often divided into "east" and "west", the two standards are actually relatively close to each other in light of wealth of the diversity present among regional non-standard Armenian dialects. The different dialects have experienced different degrees of [[language contact]] effects, often with Turkic and Caucasian languages; for some, the result has been  significant phonological and syntactic changes.<ref name="Fortson 2004 338–340"/> Fortson notes that the modern standard as well has now attained a subordinate clausal structure that greatly resembles a Turkic language.<ref>{{harvnb|Fortson|2004|p=340}}:"The modern standard language has not been free of these influences either; in many areas of syntax, such as subordinate clausal structure, it more greatly resembles a Turkic language than a European one."</ref>

Eastern Armenian speakers pronounce ({{lang|hy|թ}}) as [tʰ], ({{lang|hy|դ}}) as [d], and ({{lang|hy|տ}}) as a [[tenuis consonant|tenuis]] occlusive [t˭]. Western Armenian has simplified the occlusive system into a simple division between voiced occlusives and aspirated ones; the first series corresponds to the tenuis series of Eastern Armenian, and the second corresponds to the Eastern voiced and aspirated series. Thus, the Western dialect pronounces both ({{lang|hy|թ}}) and ({{lang|hy|դ}}) as [tʰ], and the ({{lang|hy|տ}}) letter as [d].

There is no precise linguistic border between one dialect and another because there is nearly always a dialect transition zone of some size between pairs of geographically identified dialects.

Armenian can be divided into two major dialectal blocks and those blocks into individual dialects, though many of the Western Armenian dialects have become extinct due to the effects of the Armenian genocide. In addition, neither dialect is completely homogeneous: any dialect can be subdivided into several subdialects. Although Western and Eastern Armenian are often described as different dialects of the same language, many subdialects are not readily mutually intelligible. Nevertheless, a fluent speaker of one of two greatly varying dialects who is also literate in one of the standards, when exposed to the other dialect for a period of time will be able to understand the other with relative ease.

Distinct Western Armenian varieties currently in use include [[Homshetsi dialect|Homshetsi]], spoken by the [[Hemshin peoples]];<ref>{{cite book |first1=Victor A. |last1=Friedman|editor1-last=Ball|editor1-first=Martin J.|title=The Routledge Handbook of Sociolinguistics Around the World: A Handbook|year=2009|publisher=Routledge|isbn=978-0415422789|page=128|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AtCNAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA128 |chapter=Sociolinguistics in the Caucasus}}</ref> the dialects of Armenians of [[Kessab]] ([[:hy:Քեսաբի բարբառ|Քեսապի բարբառ]]), [[Latakia]] and [[Jisr al-Shughur]] (Syria), [[Anjar, Lebanon]], and [[Vakıflı, Samandağ]] (Turkey), part of the "Sueidia" dialect ([[:hy:Սվեդիայի բարբառ|Սուէտիայի բարբառ]]).

Forms of the [[Karin dialect]] of Western Armenian are spoken by several hundred thousand people in Northern Armenia, mostly in [[Gyumri]], [[Artik]], [[Akhuryan]], and around 130 villages in [[Shirak Province]],<ref>{{cite journal|last=Baghdassarian-Thapaltsian|first=S. H.|script-title=hy:Շիրակի դաշտավայրի բարբառային նկարագիրը|journal=Լրաբեր հասարակական գիտությունների (Bulletin of Social Sciences)|volume=6|year=1970|issue=6|pages=51–60|url=http://lraber.asj-oa.am/1696/|access-date=24 March 2013|language=hy|archive-date=15 September 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190915004421/http://lraber.asj-oa.am/1696/|url-status=dead}}</ref> and by [[Armenians in Samtskhe–Javakheti]] province of Georgia ([[Akhalkalaki]], [[Akhaltsikhe]]).<ref name="Hovannisian">{{cite book|editor=[[Richard Hovannisian|Hovannisian, Richard]]|title=Armenian Karin/Erzerum|year=2003|publisher=Mazda Publ.|location=Costa Mesa, California|isbn=9781568591513|page=48|quote=Thus, even today the Erzerum dialect is widely spoken in the northernmost districts of the Armenian republic as well as in the Akhalkalak (Javakheti; Javakhk) and Akhaltskha (Akhaltsikh) districts of southern Georgia}}</ref>

[[Nakhichevan-on-Don]] Armenians speak another Western Armenian variety based on the dialect of [[Armenians in Crimea]], where they came from in order to establish the town and surrounding villages in 1779 ([[:hy:Նոր Նախիջևանի բարբառ|Նոր Նախիջևանի բարբառ]]).

Western Armenian dialects are currently spoken also in [[Gavar]] (formerly Nor Bayazet and Kamo, on the western shore of [[Lake Sevan]]), [[Aparan]], and [[Talin, Armenia|Talin]] in Armenia ([[Mush dialect]]), and by the large Armenian population residing in [[Abkhazia]], where they are considered to be the first or second ethnic minority, or even equal in number to the local Abkhaz population<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.opendemocracy.net/od-russia/islam-tekushev/unlikely-home|title=An unlikely home|first=Islam |last=Tekushev|publisher=[[openDemocracy]]|date=5 January 2016|access-date=22 August 2016|archive-date=20 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160920130336/https://www.opendemocracy.net/od-russia/islam-tekushev/unlikely-home|url-status=dead}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|+Examples
!English
! [[Eastern Armenian language|Eastern Armenian]] 
![[Western Armenian language|Western Armenian]]
|-
| Yes
| Ayo ({{lang|hy|Այո}})
| Ayo ({{lang|hy|Այո}})
|-
| No
| Vočʻ ({{lang|hy|Ոչ}})
| Voč ({{lang|hy|Ոչ}})
|-
| I see you
| Yes kʻez tesnum em ({{lang|hy|Ես քեզ տեսնում եմ}})
| Yes kez(i) gë desnem ({{lang|hy|Ես քեզ(ի) կը տեսնեմ}})
|-
| Hello
| Barev ({{lang|hy|Բարեւ}})
| Parev ({{lang|hy|Բարեւ}})
|-
| I'm going
| Gnum em ({{lang|hy|Գնում եմ}})
| G'ertam (gor) ({{lang|hy|Կ՚երթամ (կոր)}})
|-
| Come!
| Ari! ({{lang|hy|Արի՛}})
| Yegur! ({{lang|hy|Եկո՛ւր}})
|-
| I will eat
| Utelu em ({{lang|hy|Ուտելու եմ}})
| Bidi udem ({{lang|hy|Պիտի ուտեմ}})
|-
| I must do
| Piti/petkʻ ē anem ({{lang|hy|Պիտի/պետք է անեմ}})
| Bēdk ē ënem ({{lang|hy|Պէտք է ընեմ}})
|-
| I was going to eat
| Utelu ēi ({{lang|hy|Ուտելու էի}})
| Bidi udēi ({{lang|hy|Պիտի ուտէի}})
|-
| Is this yours?
| Sa kʻonn ē? ({{lang|hy|Սա քո՞նն է}})
| Asiga kugt ē? ({{lang|hy|Ասիկա քո՞ւկդ է}})
|-
| His grandma
| Nra tatikë ({{lang|hy|Նրա տատիկը}})
| Anor nēnēn / mej maman ({{lang|hy|Անոր նէնէն / մեծ մաման}})
|-
| Look at that one!
| Dran nayir ({{lang|hy|Դրան նայիր}})
| Ador nayē / Anor nayē ({{lang|hy|Ատոր նայէ / Անոր նայէ}})
|-
| Have you brought these?
| Du es berel srankʻ? ({{lang|hy|Դո՞ւ ես բերել սրանք}})
| Asonk tun peraj es? ({{lang|hy|Ասոնք դո՞ւն բերած ես}})
|-
| How are you? I'm fine.
| Inčʻpes es? / Voncʻ es? Lav em ({{lang|hy|Ինչպե՞ս ես։ / Ո՞նց ես։ Լավ եմ։}})  
| Inčbēs es? Lav em ({{lang|hy|Ինչպէ՞ս ես։ Լաւ եմ։}})
|-
| Did you say it? Say it!
| Du asacʻir (asecʻir)? Asa! ({{lang|hy|Դո՞ւ ասացիր (ասեցիր): Ասա՛։}})
| Tun ësir? Ësē! ({{lang|hy|Դո՞ւն ըսիր։ Ըսէ՛։}})
|-
| Have you taken it from us?
| Mezanicʻ es vercʻrel? ({{lang|hy|Մեզանի՞ց ես վերցրել}})
| Mezmē araj es? ({{lang|hy|Մեզմէ՞ առած ես}})
|-
| Good morning
| Bari luys ({{lang|hy|Բարի լույս}})
| Pari luys ({{lang|hy|Բարի լոյս}})
|-
| Good evening
| Bari yereko ({{lang|hy|Բարի երեկո}})
| Pari irigun / Parirgun ({{lang|hy|Բարի իրիկուն / Բարիրկուն}})
|-
| Good night
| Bari gišer ({{lang|hy|Բարի գիշեր}})
| Kišer pari ({{lang|hy|Գիշեր բարի}})
|-
| You love me
| Sirum es inj ({{lang|hy|Սիրում ես ինձ}})
| Inji gë sires ({{lang|hy|Ինծի կը սիրես}})
|-
| I am Armenian
| Yes hay em ({{lang|hy|Ես հայ եմ}})
| Yes hay em ({{lang|hy|Ես հայ եմ}})
|-
| I missed you
| Karotel em kʻez ({{lang|hy|Կարոտել եմ քեզ}})
| Garōdcay kezi ({{lang|hy|Կարօտցայ քեզի}})
|}