Wikipedia:Naming conventions (Armenian)
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Explanations and area of application
editThis 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
editFor 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 | ṙ | 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 | ṙ | s | v | t | r | c῾ | w | p῾ | k῾ | ō | f | u | ew |
(note the differing conventions marked in boldface)
Loose transcription
editNote: 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- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.