Ethnologue 14 report for language code:ARM

ARMENIAN: a language of Armenia

The following is the entry for this language as it appeared in the 14th edition (2000).
It was superseded by the corresponding entry in the 15th edition (2005). See also the corresponding entry in the current edition of Ethnologue.

SIL code: ARM

ISO 639-1: hy

ISO 639-2(B): arm

ISO 639-2(T): hye

Population

3,197,000 in Armenia (1993 Johnstone). 91% of the ethnic group in the former USSR spoke it as mother tongue (1979 census). Population total all countries 6,000,000 (1999 WA).

Region

Throughout the country. Also spoken in 29 other countries including Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Canada, Cyprus, Egypt, Estonia, France, Georgia, Greece, Honduras, Hungary, India, Iran, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon.

Alternate names

HAIEREN, SOMKHURI, ENA, ERMENICE, ERMENI DILI, ARMJANSKI YAZYK

Dialects

EASTERN ARMENIAN, EREVAN (ERIWAN), TBILISI (TIFLIS), KARABAGH, SHAMAKHI (SCHAMACHI), ASTRAKHAN (ASTRACHAN), DZHULFA (DSCHUGHA, DSCHULFA), AGULIS, KHVOY-SALMST (CHOI-SALMST), URMIA-MARAGHEH (URMIA-MARAGHA), ARTVIN (ARTWIN), KARIN (ERZURUM, ERZERUM), MUS (MUSCH), VAN (WAN), TIGRANAKERT (DIYARBAKIR, DIARBEKIR), KHARBERD (CHARBERD, ERZINCAN, ERZENKA), SHABIN-KARAHISSAR (SCHABIN-KARAHISSAR), TRABZON (TRAPEZUNT), HAMSHEN (HAMSCHEN), MALATYA (MALATIA), KILIKIEN, SYRIA (SYRIEN), ARABKIR, AKN, SEBASTE, EWDOKIA (TOKAT), SMYRNA (IZMIR), NORTH KOMEDIA, CONSTANTINOPLE (KONSTANTINOPEL, ISTANBUL), RODOSTO, CRIMEA (KRIM), ASHKHARIK.

Classification

Indo-European, Armenian.

Comments

All dialects in all countries usually reported to be inherently intelligible. Russian (about 30% of Armenians in Armenia). Eastern Armenian (Ashkharik) spoken in Armenia, Turkey, Iran. National language. SVO. Unique alphabet. National Armenian Christian Church. Bible 1883-1994.

Also spoken in:

Azerbaijan

Language name	ARMENIAN
Alternate names	HAIEREN, SOMKHURI, ERMENICE, ARMJANSKI
Dialects	WESTERN ARMENIAN.
Comments	Christian, Monophysite. Bible 1853-1978. See main entry under Armenia.

Cyprus

Language name	ARMENIAN
Population	2,740 in Cyprus (1987).
Alternate names	HAIEREN, SOMKHURI, ERMENICE, ARMJANSKI
Dialects	WESTERN ARMENIAN.
Comments	Most speak Greek. The older ones speak Turkish. Urban population. Christian. Bible 1853-1978. See main entry under Armenia.

Iran

Language name	ARMENIAN
Population	170,800 in Iran (1993).
Alternate names	HAIEREN, SOMEKHURI, ERMENICE, ARMJANSKI
Dialects	EASTERN ARMENIAN, AGULIS, ASTRAKHAN, EREVAN, JOLFA (DZHULFA), KARABAGH SHAMAKHI, TBILISI (TIFLIS), ARTVIN, KHOI-SALMST (KHVOY), URMIA-MARAGHEH.
Comments	Dialects listed are Eastern. Eastern Armenian is spoken in Armenia and its Turkish and Iranian borderlands; Western Armenian is spoken elsewhere. Western Armenian is understood only by some in Iran. Christian. Bible 1883-1994. See main entry under Armenia.

Iraq

Language name	ARMENIAN
Population	60,000 in Iraq.
Dialects	WESTERN ARMENIAN.
Comments	Christian. Bible 1853-1978. See main entry under Armenia.

Israel

Language name	ARMENIAN
Population	3,000 in Israel (1971 The Armenian Review).
Alternate names	HAIEREN, SOMKHURI, ERMENICE, ARMJANSKI
Dialects	WESTERN ARMENIAN.
Comments	Bilingualism in South Levantine Arabic. Eastern Armenian is spoken in Armenia, Turkey, and Iran; Western in other countries, including Israel. SVO. Christian. Bible 1853-1978. See main entry under Armenia.

Jordan

Language name	ARMENIAN
Population	8,000 in Jordan (1971 The Armenian Review).
Dialects	WESTERN ARMENIAN.
Comments	Christian. Bible 1853-1978. See main entry under Armenia.

Lebanon

Language name	ARMENIAN
Population	234,600 in Lebanon, 6% of the population (1986).
Alternate names	ERMENICE, ARMANSKI, HAIEREN, SOMKHURI
Dialects	WESTERN ARMENIAN.
Comments	Eastern dialect (4,341,000) spoken in Armenia and in its Turkish and Iranian borderlands. Western dialect (879,612) spoken elsewhere. Language of wider communication. Christian. Bible 1853-1978. See main entry under Armenia.

Syria

Language name	ARMENIAN
Population	320,000 in Syria (1993), 2.8% of the population (1986).
Alternate names	HAIEREN, SOMKHURI, ERMENICE, ARMJANSKI
Dialects	WESTERN ARMENIAN.
Comments	Eastern dialect spoken in Armenia and its Turkish and Iranian borderlands. Western dialect spoken elsewhere. In Syria, people in Kessaberen (northeastern mountain village of Kessab) and the village of Musa Dagh (now relocated to Lebanon) speak related varieties which other Western Armenian speakers do not understand. Most speakers of Kessaberen have now learned Western Armenian. Language of wider communication. Christian. Bible 1853-1978. See main entry under Armenia.

Turkey (Europe)

Language name	ARMENIAN
Population	40,000 first language speakers out of 70,000 ethnic group in Turkey (1980 estimate), 1,022 monolingual speakers (1965 census).
Alternate names	HAIEREN, SOMKHURI, ERMENICE, ARMJANSKI
Dialects	EASTERN ARMENIAN.
Comments	Eastern dialect spoken in Armenia and its Iranian and Turkish borderlands. Western dialect spoken elsewhere. Western (Turkish) Armenian and Ararat (Russian) are easily intelligible. 96% bilingual in Turkish. Christian. Bible 1883-1994. See main entry under Armenia.