Introduction

In a globalized, intensely interconnected world, the program aims to bring together what have until recently been two isolated entities, namely the diasporic community of Western Armenians and the Eastern Armenian citizens of the former Soviet Republic. This approach reflects an increasingly changing reality that calls for fostering mutual enrichment and productive exchange between these two linguistic and cultural communities, all to the benefit of the student.

The Program

The Armenian language program offers four levels of instruction in Western Armenian:
elementary, intermediate, advanced, and a heritage course.
At the elementary level, learners acquire skills to communicate about topics relating to
themselves and their immediate environment. They learn to express basic feelings and needs, to
ask and to respond to questions.
At the intermediate level, learners acquire skills to communicate about a wide range of topics
relating to the world beyond their immediate surroundings, including: biography, education,
travel, holidays, health, arts, etc. At this level, students expand their knowledge of grammar and
are able to read full-length texts.
At the advanced level, learners continue to develop their skills in reading, writing, and grammar.
As they expand their knowledge of the Armenian world, they learn to describe, narrate, express
an opinion, and argue a point of view.
For heritage speakers, or students with skills in Armenian, the program offers a level that
combines the elementary and intermediate courses: Armenian for Heritage Speakers.
The sequence of courses of the Armenian Language Program is designed for students with little
or no knowledge of the language. Students wishing to study Armenian at a level above the
introductory level, or seeking to waive a language requirement, must consult with the instructor.

Description of Courses

In Elementary Armenian I and II, students acquire skills to communicate about topics relating to themselves and their immediate surroundings. They read authentic materials such as signs, advertisements, timetables, and texts in the form of tales, fables, and songs in unaltered original language.

In Intermediate Armenian I and II, students acquire skills to communicate about a wide range of topics relating to the world beyond their immediate surroundings. Topics include biography, geography, travel, holidays, education, health, arts, etc. At this level, students deepen their knowledge of grammar and begin to read full-length authentic short stories, excerpts from plays, newspaper headlines, and selected passages in newspaper articles in unaltered original language.

In Advanced Armenian I and II, students develop competence to communicate with regard to topics relating to social, historical, political, and cultural issues of Armenian society and Armenian Diaspora. They perfect their knowledge of grammar and write short essays using complex forms of the language. They read longer literary works with the use of a dictionary.

In Readings in Armenia Texts, students are introduced to texts literary and historical texts. Emphasis is on analyzing context, syntax and grammatical structures as clues towards comprehension. In addition to grammar and vocabulary analysis, students produce translations, brief summaries and commentaries on the texts they read, both orally and in written form. The content of the course changes each term, allowing students to take the course more than once.

Teaching Approach and Method

While the courses are designed to allow students full proficiency in Western Armenian, and acquire at a minimum passive knowledge of the Eastern standard, it is very much conceivable to gain equal proficiency in both languages. Although the main language of instruction is Western Armenian, all materials are presented in both languages consistently (grammar lessons, listening, reading materials, etc.). Students’ proficiency in Eastern Armenian will vary depending on their interest in developing their speaking skills in that form.

Differences Between Eastern and Western Armenian

Western Armenian is the language spoken in the Armenian diaspora by multilingual communities living in various cities around the world. It is spoken in Armenian homes, in community centers and community schools, and used in written form in community publications, as well as in some literary and poetic works by a number of diaspora artists. As a diasporic language, it does not enjoy an official or national status anywhere. Eastern Armenian, on the other hand, is the official language of the Republic of Armenia, of Nagorno Karabakh, and is spoken by Armenian communities of Georgia, Iran, and Russia.

Although Western and Eastern Armenian are mutually intelligible, there exist marked differences in rhythm, pronunciation, orthography, grammar, and usage of words:

• Western Armenian is spoken at a slower pace in comparison to the quick rhythm of Eastern Armenian;
• Traditional orthography in Armenia was changed to a phonetic system in the 1920s, whereas Western Armenian and Eastern Armenian communities in Iran and Georgia retained the rules of the classical orthography;
• Eastern Armenian has distinct sounds for all the letters of the alphabet, whereas in Western Armenian, the sounds of some letters have shifted and have no distinction in pronunciation;
• Grammatical differences in conjugation and case endings, as well as differences in usage of vocabulary.

Placement, Testing, Proficiency Exams

The sequence of courses of the Armenian Language Program is designed for students with little or no knowledge of the language. Heritage students or students with basic knowledge of Armenian need to be evaluated for proper placement. Students with a background in Armenian who would like to take a proficiency exam to fulfill a language requirement can write to arrange for an evaluation: Charry Karamanoukian