Jump to content

Wikipedia:Naming conventions (Armenian)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Explanations and area of application

[edit]

This table is a generally accepted romanization of the Armenian alphabet to be used throughout the English language Wikipedia. It aims to provide Wikipedia with a single system for all articles using proper names, words or sentences in Eastern Armenian language; while Western Armenian language uses the same letters, they can be pronounced differently, and another romanization system has to be used for them. However, for transcriptions of proper names, apart from other Armenian text, it is Wikipedia's general convention to follow English usage, where it exists; this may frequently mean using -ian instead of the systematic -yan as a name ending.

Different transliteration systems exist. They are detailed in Romanization of Armenian. For example, the name of the ex-President of the Republic of Armenia, Ռոբերտ Քոչարյան, can be transliterated either Ṙobert K’očaryan using ISO 9985, or R¯obert K῾oč῾aryan using Hübschmann-Meillet's system, or Rrobert K’och’aryan using BGN/PCGN romanization, and so on.

Those transliteration systems are not commonly used in publications, newspapers, encyclopedias; each source uses its own transcription method. There is no official system. The same example as above is transcribed Robert Kocharian in the website of the presidency, but often Robert Kocharyan in the website of the government.

The system presented here is close to the common English spelling. It's based on BGN/PCGN with one exception: ը is rendered by ë and not by y which renders the consonant յ only. This system can be used in every page involving a transcribed Armenian sentence or text. But a simplified version can be used for the transcription of common or proper names or article titles. For example, Մեր Հայրենիք will be transcribed Mer Hayrenik in the article's title and Mer Hayrenik’ in the text of the song itself.

Transliteration

[edit]

For Modern Armenian, the preferred standard is ISO 9985:

ա բ գ դ ե զ է ը թ ժ ի լ խ ծ կ հ ձ ղ ճ մ յ ն շ ո չ պ ջ ռ ս վ տ ր ց ւ փ ք օ ֆ ու և
a b g d e z ē ë t’ ž i l x ç k h j ġ č̣ m y n š o č p ǰ s v t r c’ w p’ k’ ò f ow ew

In linguistic literature on Classical Armenian, the commonly used transliteration is that of Hübschmann-Meillet (1913):

ա բ գ դ ե զ է ը թ ժ ի լ խ ծ կ հ ձ ղ ճ մ յ ն շ ո չ պ ջ ռ ս վ տ ր ց ւ փ ք օ ֆ ու և
a b g d e z ē ə t῾ ž i l x c k h j ł č m y n š o č῾ p ǰ s v t r c῾ w p῾ k῾ ō f u ew

(note the differing conventions marked in boldface)


Loose transcription

[edit]

Note: all the examples below are given personal names.

Armenian letter Normal transcription Example Simplified transcription Example
(when differences exist)
Ա, ա a Արմեն = Armen
Հրանտ = Hrant
a
Բ, բ b Բագրատ = Bagrat
Աբրահամ = Abraham
b
Գ, գ g Գաբրիել = Gabriel
Սարգիս = Sargis
g
Դ, դ d Դանիել = Daniel
Վարդան = Vardan
d
Ե, ե ye
(at the beginning of a word)
Եղիազար = Yeghiazar ye
e
(everywhere else)
Սերիկ = Serik e
Զ, զ z Զավեն = Zaven
Ղազար = Ghazar
z
Է, է e
(at the beginning of word only)
Էդվարդ = Edvard e
Ը, ը ë Ընձակ = Ëndzak e Ընձակ = Endzak
Թ, թ t’ Թովմաս = T’ovmas
Վախթանգ = Vakht’ang
t Թովմաս = Tovmas
Վախթանգ = Vakhtang
Ժ, ժ zh Ժիրայր = Zhirayr
Սերժ = Serzh
zh
Ի, ի i Իսրայել = Israyel
Գագիկ = Gagik
i
Լ, լ l Լևոն = Levon
Ալբերտ = Albert
l
Խ, խ kh Խորեն = Khoren
Անախաս = Anakhas
kh
Ծ, ծ ts Ծովինար = Tsovinar
Աստվածատուր = Astvatsatur
ts
Կ, կ k Կարապետ = Karapet
Մակար = Makar
k
Հ, հ h Հակոբ = Hakob
Վահան = Vahan
h
Ձ, ձ dz Ձոնիկ = Dzonik
Ընձանուշ = Ëndzanush
dz
Ղ, ղ gh Ղուկաս = Ghukas
Աղավնի = Aghavni
gh
Ճ, ճ ch Ճարպիկ = Charpik
Պերճ = Perch
ch
Մ, մ m Մեսրոպ = Mesrop
Սողոմոն = Soghomon
m
Յ, յ y Յովաբ = Yovab
Հայկ = Hayk
y
Ն, ն n Ներսես = Nerses
Գայանե = Gayane
n
Շ, շ sh Շահակ = Shahak
Անուշավան = Anushavan
sh
Ո, ո vo
(at the beginning of a word)[a]
Ոսկան = Voskan vo
o
(everywhere else)
Պողոս = Poghos o
Չ, չ ch’ Չինար = Ch’inar
Խաչատուր = Khach’atur
ch Չինար = Chinar
Խաչատուր = Khachatur
Պ, պ p Պետրոս = Petros
Նահապետ = Nahapet
p
Ջ, ջ j Ջավահիր = Javahir
Երջանիկ = Yerjanik
j
Ռ, ռ r’[b] Ռուբեն = R’uben
Առուշան = Ar’ushan
r Ռուբեն = Ruben
Առուշան = Arushan
Ս, ս s Սամվել = Samvel
Աղասի = Aghasi
s
Վ, վ v Վազգեն = Vazgen
Հովհաննես = Hovhannes
v
Տ, տ t Տիգրան = Tigran
Սատիկ = Zatik
t
Ր, ր r
(rarely at the beginning
of a word)
[b]
Արմինե = Armine r
Ց, ց ts’ Ցողիկ = Ts’oghik
Գեղեցիկ = Geghets’ik
ts Ցողիկ = Tsorik
Գեղեցիկ = Geghetsik
ՈՒ, Ու, ու[c] u Ուստիան = Ustian
Գյուտ = Gyut
u
Փ, փ p’ Փիլիպոս = P’ilipos
Ստեփան = Step’an
p Փիլիպոս = Pilipos
Ստեփան = Stepan
Ք, ք k’ Քաջիկ = K’ajik
Զաքարիա = Zak’aria
k Քաջիկ = Kajik
Զաքարիա = Zakaria
ԵՎ, Եվ, և[c] yev
(in initial position and after vowels)
Եվգինե = Yevgine yev
ev
(in medial and final position of words after consonants)
Գևորգ = Gevorg ev
Օ, օ o
Օլգա = Olga o
Ֆ, ֆ f Ֆերդինանդ = Ferdinand
Ռաֆայել = R’afayel
f

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ The letter Ո, ո is pronounced o at the beginning of two words: ով (ov) and ովքեր (ovk’er). Thus the transcription for those two words is o.
  2. ^ a b The letter Ր, ր rarely occurs at the beginning of a word (the letter Ռ, ռ appears more often), except in rare foreign words or "foreign looking" chosen names, for example the pen name of poet Րաֆֆի (Raffi). In many Western Armenian dialects, the distinction between ր and ռ is no more heard. Thus most usual transcription systems of Armenian transcribe ռ and ր by a single r with no distinction.
  3. ^ a b The letter Ւ, ւ, once the 34th letter of the Armenian alphabet, is no longer used in the modern Eastern Armenian alphabet; ու and և are considered independent letters . ՈՒ and ԵՎ are used in words written in block capitals, Ու and Եվ are used as the first letter of lower case words beginning with a capital, and ու and և are lower case.

Further reading

[edit]
  • Sakayan, Dora (2007). Eastern Armenian for the English-speaking world: a contrastive approach. Yerevan: Yerevan State University Press. ISBN 978-5-8084-0890-6.

See also

[edit]