Armenian

Armenian (հայերեն|hayeren) is an Indo-European Language and the official language of Armenia. Eastern Armenian is the official language of the Republic of Armenia. It is also spoken by Armenians living in Iran, Russia, Georgia, and the former Soviet republics. Western Armenian is the dialect most-commonly spoken among Armenians outside of Armenia. It's spoken by the majority of Armenians living in the Middle East, North and South America, Europe, Africa, and Australia, collectively called the Armenian Diaspora.

Orthography

Armenian is written in the Armenian alphabet developed in the 450s.The following letters are all the letters of the Armenian Alphabet. Աա Բբ Գգ Դդ Եե Զզ Էէ Ըը Թթ Ժժ Իի Լլ Խխ Ծծ Կկ Հհ Ձձ Ղղ Ճճ Մմ Յյ Նն Շշ Ոո Չչ Պպ Ջջ Ռռ Սս Վվ Տտ Ռր Ցց Քք Օօ Ֆֆ և

Sample Text in Armenian

Բոլոր մարդիկ ծնվում են ազատ ու հավասար իրենց արժանապատվությամբ ու իրավունքներով։ Նրանք օժտված են պատճառը, խղճի ազատություն, եւ պետք է գործի նկատմամբ մեկը մյուսին է եղբայրաբար վերաբերվեն։ (ից համընդհանուր հռչակագիր Մարդու իրավունքների հոդված 1)

Transliteration:

Bolor mardik tsnvum yen azat u havasar irents’ arzhanapatvut’yamb u iravunk’nerov. Nrank’ ozhtvats yen patcharry, khghchi azatut’yun, yev petk’ e gortsi nkatmamb meky myusin e yeghbayrabar veraberven.

Translation:

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood. (From Universal Declaration of Human Rights article 1)

Common difficulties

The Foreign Service Institute has classified Armenian as a "Hard" language. It is estimated that learning Armenian to a Professional Working Proficiency in the language (a score of Speaking-3/Reading-3 on the Interagency Language Roundtable scale) will take an average of 44 weeks (1100 class hours).

Resources

Pimsleur offers courses in Eastern and Western Armenian.