LingoflyA fact or a rumour in Western Armenian
An argument about a piece of news: a reliable source, an argument, a refutation and a double-check in Western Armenian. 8 phrases that the conversation is made of: «Կարդացի (gartatsi), որ (vor) գործարանը (kordzaranə) կը (gə) փակուի։ Ճի՞շտ է։» — I read that the factory is closing. Is it true?; «Աղբիւրը (aghpyurə) հաւաստի (havasdi)՞ էր (er), թէ (t'e)՞ պարզապէս (barzabes) խօսակցութիւն։» — Was the source reliable, or just talk?
How the whole thing sounds
The situation: an argument about a piece of news: a reliable source, an argument, a refutation and a double-check. First the whole conversation, then each line on its own, with a translation.
- Կարդացի, որ գործարանը կը փակուի։ Ճի՞շտ է։gartatsi, vor kordzaranə gə p'agui Jishd eI read that the factory is closing. Is it true?
- Աղբիւրը հաւաստի՞ էր, թէ՞ պարզապէս խօսակցութիւն։aghpyurə havasdi er, t'e barzabes khosagtsut'yunWas the source reliable, or just talk?
- uremn asiga gasgadzeli e Bedk' e versdukelThen this is doubtful. It has to be double-checked.
- Երէկ տնօրէնը հերքեց լուրը հարցազրոյցին մէջ։yereg dnorenə herk'ets lurə hartsazruytsin mechYesterday the director denied the news in an interview.
- agnhaydoren yes shdab yezrahankum əradz emEvidently I made a hasty conclusion.
- Հիմք ընդունելով պաշտօնական հաղորդագրութիւնը՝ վաղը պիտի պարզուի։himk' əntunelov bashdonagan haghortakrut'yunə vaghə bidi barzviTaking the official statement as the basis, it will become clear tomorrow.
Lines one by one
| Western Armenian | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Կարդացի (gartatsi), որ (vor) գործարանը (kordzaranə) կը (gə) փակուի։ Ճի՞շտ է։ | gartatsi, vor kordzaranə gə p'agui Jishd e | I read that the factory is closing. Is it true? |
| Աղբիւրը (aghpyurə) հաւաստի (havasdi)՞ էր (er), թէ (t'e)՞ պարզապէս (barzabes) խօսակցութիւն։ | aghpyurə havasdi er, t'e barzabes khosagtsut'yun | Was the source reliable, or just talk? |
| Չեմ գիտեր (chem kider)։ Ես (yes) գիտեմ (kidem) միայն (miayn) լսածով (lsadzov)։ | chem kider Yes kidem miayn lsadzov | I don't know. I only know what I have heard. |
| Ուրեմն (uremn) ասիկա (asiga) կասկածելի (gasgadzeli) է։ Պէտք է (bedk' e) վերստուգել (versdukel)։ | uremn asiga gasgadzeli e Bedk' e versdukel | Then this is doubtful. It has to be double-checked. |
| Իսկ (isg) ի՞նչ (inch) կռուան (grrvan) ունիս (unis), որ (vor) ատիկա (adiga) սուտ (sud) է։ | isg inch grrvan unis, vor adiga sud e | And what is your argument that it is a lie? |
| Երէկ (yereg) տնօրէնը (dnorenə) հերքեց (herk'ets) լուրը (lurə) հարցազրոյցին (hartsazruytsin) մէջ (mech)։ | yereg dnorenə herk'ets lurə hartsazruytsin mech | Yesterday the director denied the news in an interview. |
| Ակնյայտօրէն (agnhaydoren) ես (yes) շտապ (shdab) եզրահանգում (yezrahankum) ըրած (əradz) եմ (em)։ | agnhaydoren yes shdab yezrahankum əradz em | Evidently I made a hasty conclusion. |
| Հիմք ընդունելով (himk' əntunelov) պաշտօնական (bashdonagan) հաղորդագրութիւնը (haghortakrut'yunə)՝ վաղը (vaghə) պիտի (bidi) պարզուի։ | himk' əntunelov bashdonagan haghortakrut'yunə vaghə bidi barzvi | Taking the official statement as the basis, it will become clear tomorrow. |
How to prepare for a conversation like this
Memorizing the lines is not enough: the other person will say their own thing, not what is written. What helps more is catching the key words by ear and keeping three rescue phrases ready: “I don't understand”, “repeat, please”, “slower”.
And one more thing phrasebooks do not mention: awkwardness gets in the way more than not knowing the words.
- Fear of making mistakes gets in the way of learning a language, and noticeably so. The link turns up study after study, and together those studies cover almost twenty thousand people.checked many timesTeimouri, Goetze & Plonsky, 2019, Studies in Second Language Acquisition 41(2) · 19,933 participants from 23 countries; correlation with results r = −0.36.
- That fear can be dealt with — the methods have been tested and they work.checked many timesXiong et al., 2024, Journal of Language and Social Psychology · 37 studies, anxiety reduced by −0.61. Of the seven conditions examined, only age turned out to matter.
Frequently asked
How do you start a conversation in Western Armenian in this situation?
“Կարդացի (gartatsi), որ (vor) գործարանը (kordzaranə) կը (gə) փակուի։ Ճի՞շտ է։” (gartatsi, vor kordzaranə gə p'agui Jishd e) — I read that the factory is closing. Is it true? The first line in such a conversation is almost always the same, and that is the one worth learning: the other person will carry it from there.
What if you did not understand the reply?
Say “I don't understand” and “repeat, please” — both are in the rescue set. Admitting your language is still shaky almost always makes the other person more patient.
Should you memorize the dialogue?
No. It is more useful to catch the key words by ear: the other person will say their own thing, and a memorized line will not always fit their reply.