LingoflyՍառցադաշտ, հանքավայր, կանաչապատում: the -ա- seam in the middle of a word
At first glance these are unpronounceable long words. In fact almost each one is two simple words stitched with one vowel. Once you see the seam, you can read words you have never met. For example: “Սառցադաշտը կը նահանջէ ամէն տարի” (sarrtsatashdə gə nahanche amen dari) — The glacier retreats every year. A rule from the Western Armenian course: worked out on examples, not memorized as a wording.
How it works
At first glance these are unpronounceable long words. In fact almost each one is two simple words stitched with one vowel. Once you see the seam, you can read words you have never met.
The linking -ա- goes between the roots. Հանք + վայր (vayr) → հանքավայր (hank'avayr) (a deposit); աղբ (aghp) + վայր (vayr) → աղբավայր (aghpavayr) (a dump); կանաչ (ganach) + պատում → կանաչապատում (ganachabadum) (landscaping); կեղտ (geghd) + ջրեր → կեղտաջրեր (geghdachrer) (sewage).
The first root often loses its tail. Սառոյց (sarruyts) + դաշտ (tashd) gives սառցադաշտ (sarrtsatashd) (a glacier): the ոյ drops out. Likewise ածուխ (adzukh) + ծին → ածխածին (carbon). An unstressed vowel in the middle does not survive. The tail -ավայր means "a place", -արան "premises". So you can parse հանգստավայր (a resort) and գրադարան (krataran) (a library) without a dictionary.
Table
| Part 1 | Part 2 | The word | In English |
|---|---|---|---|
| հանք (ore) | վայր (vayr) (place) | հանքավայր (hank'avayr) | a deposit |
| աղբ (aghp) (garbage) | վայր (vayr) (place) | աղբավայր (aghpavayr) | a dump |
| սառոյց (sarruyts) (ice) | դաշտ (tashd) (field) | սառցադաշտ (sarrtsatashd) | a glacier |
| ածուխ (adzukh) (coal) | ծին (birthing) | ածխածին | carbon |
| կեղտ (geghd) (dirt) | ջրեր (waters) | կեղտաջրեր (geghdachrer) | waste waters |
By example
How the rule settles in your head
A rule is not memorized from an explanation. It is memorized from an attempt to use it and a mistake — that is why the app delivers it mixed in with words, not as a separate lesson: it resurfaces exactly where you forgot it.
Frequently asked
Սառցադաշտ (sarrtsatashd), հանքավայր (hank'avayr), կանաչապատում (ganachabadum): how does it work in Western Armenian?
At first glance these are unpronounceable long words. In fact almost each one is two simple words stitched with one vowel. Once you see the seam, you can read words you have never met.
What does it look like in a Western Armenian example sentence?
“Սառցադաշտը կը նահանջէ ամէն տարի” (sarrtsatashdə gə nahanche amen dari) — The glacier retreats every year. A rule is easier to test on sentences like this than to memorize as a wording: what surfaces in conversation is the sentence.