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1. This dictionary is incomplete.
2. Many may find issue with its presentation.
3. All will want to add specific words that are common in their personalized use of the language.

For many students who speak Western Armenian, there are certain letters that present difficulties in spelling. This is because Western Armenian, unlike Eastern Armenian, does not distinguish the sounds that are represented by the letters in the first and third columns of the list given in the table above.

1. Letters of the first column are uttered, in Eastern Armenian, using one's vocal chords. You can feel them vibrate when your fingers are placed against the front of your throat. Their rough English equivalents are given in the fourth column.
2. Letters in the second column sound, in Eastern Armenian, as those in the first column but without using the vocal chords and while keeping the same mouth and tongue positions. (Difficult to do for some Western Armenian speakers!) For English-speakers it is equivalent to switching from the pronunciation of that (with vocal chords) to think (same mouth position but without using vocal chords). Try to say the words in the fourth column - but without using your vocal chords.
3. Letters in the third column are pronounced in the same way in both Eastern and Western Armenian. Their English equivalents are given in the fifth column.
   
   Other problems may be encountered when distinguishing the sounds of these letter-pairs:

• é, ñ
• Ù, Ý
• Õ, Ë

The spelling rules of ú and ¾ may also be problematic.

These issues are addressed by presenting separate alphabetical lists for each of these difficult letters. This separation was done from a main list of some 8400 words compiled from the dictionaries cited in the bibliography (below). The list includes words that may be difficult to spell and that are found in textbooks of the Armenian school and University entrance examination programs.

The main list also includes the most frequently used words in Armenian (the "minimal" list of 678 words) as determined by Ghazarian (1995). The words in this list are presented even though they may not necessarily present difficulties in orthography.

Finally, please note that

• this document has no pretensions: it does not replace a course of formal study!
• the words are spelt using the Contemporary Orthography of Armenian as used in Armenia.

Acknowledgements

Dr. Prof. Vigen Avakian's help was indispensable in the evolution of this work. His love of Armenian is both passionate and infectious. His erudition is awesome.

 Mr. Rustam Hovhannisian wrote the computer programs that were needed to work with sorting and selecting Armenian text.

 Ms. Anahit Yengibarian painstakingly entered the words from the source dictionaries.

 The American University of Armenia's Extension Program is very grateful for their efforts.

 We welcome your comments and help in making this resource as useful as possible. Please address all your comments to

• aarmenia@aua.am, or
• call (3741) 512-700, or
• facsimile at (3741) 512-840, attention Dr. Atken Armenian, Dean of the Extension Program, who compiled this document.

Bibliography:

ìÇ·»Ý ²í³·Û³Ý
èáõëï³Ù ÐáíѳÝÝÇëÛ³Ý
²Ý³ÑÇï ºÝ·Çµ³ñÛ³Ý

1. Æß˳ÝÛ³Ý è. 600 µ³é, áõÕÕ³·ñ³Ï³Ý ï»ë³Ï»ïÇó ¹Åí³ñáõÃÛáõÝ áõÝ»óáÕ µ³é»ñÇ ó³ÝÏ: ºñ¨³Ý, êáë ê³ñ·ëÛ³Ý Ùß³ÏáõÛÃÇ ýáݹ, 1992:
2. γïí³ÉÛ³Ý ì. È. àõÕÕ³·ñ³Ï³Ý ¨ ϻﳹñ³Ï³Ý áõÕ»óáõÛó: ºñ¨³Ý, î³å³Ý Ññ³ï³ñ³ÏãáõÃÛáõÝ. 1992
3. γïí³ÉÛ³Ý ì. È. àõÕÕ³·ñ³Ï³Ý ¨ ϻﳹñ³Ï³Ý áõÕ»óáõÛó: ºñ¨³Ý, г۳ëï³ÝÇ µ³ó ѳٳÉë³ñ³ÝÇ Ññ³ï³ñ³ÏãáõÃÛáõÝ. 1992
4. Ô³½³ñÛ³Ý ´. гÛ-éáõë»ñ»Ý ¨ èáõë-ѳۻñ»Ý ÙÇÝÇÙáõÙ-µ³é³ñ³Ý: ºñ¨³Ý, Üáñù Ññ³ï³ñ³ÏãáõÃÛáõÝ, 1995
5. ܳ½³ñÛ³Ý è. سÛñ»ÝÇ µáÉáñÇ Ñ³Ù³ñ: ºñ¨³Ý, àëÏ³Ý ºñ¨³ÝóÇ. 1996:
6. ܳ½³ñÛ³Ý è ¨ ². ¶Ûáõ¹³ÏÛ³Ý, àõÕÕ³·ñ³Ï³Ý áõÕ»óáõÛó. 4500 ¨ ³í»É µ³é: ºñ¨³Ý, àëÏ³Ý ºñ¨³ÝóÇ. 1997
7. ܳ½³ñÛ³Ý è. ¨ ì. Îáëï³ÝÛ³Ý àõÕÕ³·ñ³Ï³Ý áõÕ»óáõÛó, 2000 ¨ ³í»É µ³é: ºñ¨³Ý, г۳ëï³Ý Ññ³ï³ñ³ÏãáõÃÛáõÝ, 1992:
8. ØÇñ½áÛ³Ý È. àõÕÕ³·ñ³Ï³Ý, ÑáÙ³ÝÇßÝ»ñÇ, ¹³ñÓí³Í³µ³Ý³Ï³Ý ¹åñáó³Ï³Ý µ³é³·Çñù: ºñ¨³Ý, γÝã Ññ³ï³ñ³ÏãáõÃÛáõÝ, 1997
9. ê³Ñ³ÏÛ³Ý ì. ¸åñáó³Ï³Ý µ³ó³ïñ³Ï³Ý µ³é³ñ³Ý: »ñ¨³Ý, Üáñù ïå³ñ³Ý 1997
   

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