Hayasa School

🔺Only a century ago, Western Armenian was spoken by millions of Armenians living in their ancestral homes under the Ottoman rule and later in Turkey.

🔺 After the Armenian Genocide, most of the Western Armenian speakers were massacred, and thus, the language of the Armenian Enlightenment turned to an “Endangered Language’’, bearing the threat of extinction.

📌Because of the tragic history of Western Armenian, many of us feel emotional connection with the language.

❤️ We initiated a new video series on Western Armenian. Meet our wonderful presenter Armine, who will be the guide of your Western Armenian journey.
Our first video is available on YouTube (find the link in our bio).

Sabrina, who is learning Armenian to communicate better with her Armenian boyfriend’s family, just finished the beginner’s course. Let’s give her a big round of applause for all her efforts and great progress.

Today we are sharing with you the reflections and artworks of one of our brightest students, Diane, about her experience of learning Armenian.
“ I grew up in a household where both my parents spoke Armenian fluently. As I was so intent on fitting in with my English-speaking peers, I never showed interest in learning Armenian. Curiously though, I went on to study Spanish and work abroad in Latin America.

At some point, within the last year, I started to question the “it’s not possible to learn a language later in life “ narrative. I began to do the math. I’m 57 years old. If I live until roughly 90 (like my grandmother and my mother), that’s another 33 years of life.

Is it really possible that I won’t be able to learn ANYTHING in 33 years??????

OF COURSE NOT!

Saying this out loud sounded so silly. By recognizing this false narrative, I was able to rethink how I had deprived myself of an opportunity to learn and grow.

So, I started lessons with my Armenian teacher, Shushi, who’s located in Yerevan. All thanks to Zoom! We connect and she patiently introduces me to all that I don’t know. Even if I learn one new word, that’s one more word than I knew before I started.

Here are my key take-aways after several months:

-the Armenian alphabet is really tough and, even after all this time, there are some letters I STILL can’t remember 🤦🏻‍♀️
-many times I just hear sounds running together and can’t recognize anything
-I then get so excited when I recognize a word! 😂
-there are so many ways to expose myself to the language (music, reading, practice apps)
-it’s FUN even if it’s hard OR maybe because it’s hard
-I am a true novice and that’s such a great feeling…exhilarating actually
-I’m not getting a grade so there’s NO stress
-no one is expecting me to perform at a certain level
-in a very real way, I feel connected to my family, our ancestors and my history

Is there something you’ve talked yourself out of doing?

If you could quiet the self-limiting voice in your head, what might you be willing to try?”

Друзья! У нас есть отличные новости для вас. Hayasa School начинает групповые онлайн занятия для тех, кто хочет сделать первые шаги в разговорном армянском языке. Курс продлится 4 месяца, групповые занятия будут проходить по средам и воскресеньям в 8 часов.
По окончанию курса вы научитесь

- представляться на армянском языке,
- запрашивать информацию и отвечать на вопросы,
- рассказывать о своей повседневной жизни и деятельности,
- общаться как в настоящем, так и в прошедшем времени,
- читать и писать на армянском языке․

Чтобы зарегистрироваться на курс, пожалуйста, перейдите по ссылке в нашем био.

#урокиармянского #армения #армянский

Our student Ginny has been learning Western Armenian for the past 3 months. Look at the progress she’s made so far!

It is your turn now!

B(p)arev language learners! We’ve prepared answers for your frequently asked questions!
Do you have more questions? Ask them in the comments below!

Mother Armenia Photo Credits to Aram Nersesyan

Our today’s word is Կենաց [Est. kenats, Wst. genats]. That is what Armenians say when they raise glasses and make a toast. The root of kenats derives from the Classic or Ancient Armenian ( V - XIX century) word Կեանք[kjank’] meaning life.

It is believed that the way people say cheers in different languages shows what they need the most. And when we say Կենաց, we mean “To Life.”

What about your native language? What does the word for cheers mean?

Armenian has its own alphabet, created in the 5th century by St. Mesrop Mashtots. The Armenian script is a system of 39 letters in which each letter corresponds to a distinct sound.

We have a few more letters than the alphabet you’re used to, but learning the script is worth the effort. After you learn the alphabet, understanding the language will get easier. Sure, you can learn the basics of Armenian without knowing the letters, but if you want to do anything more than reading phonetic transliterations aloud, you'll have to know it.

If you are 39 letters away from your Armenian journey, we are ready to help you!

(In the picture, you can see the statue of Mesrop Mashtots)