Western Armenian

Western Armenian is a standard form of the Armenian language. It is mainly based on the Istanbul dialect and historically spoken by Armenians in Constantinople in the Ottoman Empire. It is largely used by the Armenian diaspora in the Middle East, Europe, Asia minor, the Americas and Australia.^[1][2][3]

Classification

Western Armenian belongs to the Indo- European language family's Armenic branch.^[4] Main phonological differences from Eastern Armenian include speechless pronunciation of stops( e.g., * pʰ *, * tʰ *, * kʰ *) where Eastern Armenian uses raised stops.^[5] The dialects are largely mutually comprehensible for literature speakers but may pose challenges in lower registers.

Historical context

Before the Armenian genocide (1915 – 1923), Western Armenian was the primary variant, with dialects like Homshetsi, Karin, and Cilician spoken across Anatolia. Post-genocide, its speakers were disappeared, leading to a decline in native operation. UNESCO classifies Western Armenian as" Vulnerable" due to interrupted intergenerational transmission.^[1][3]

Modern usage

Western Armenian lacks official status in any country but is taught in diaspora communities. Communities like American Armenians, French Armenians, Iranian Armenians and Polish Armenians^[6] mainly use the western form of the Armenian language. According to recent UN data report there are a total of 200,000 number of people who speak Western Armenian.^[7]

Writing system

Western Armenian uses the Armenian alphabet in classical orthography, differing from Eastern Armenian's reformed orthography.^[8]