Aims

At the end of the course,the student must be able to write and read ancient Armenian, as well as to master the morphology and the syntax of the ancient Armenian language, in order to read and to understand by himself texts of average difficulty, such as the Armenian translation of the New Testament or works by ancient authors like Eznik. He will also have an insight into the history of the Armenian language and of its place among the indo-european languages.

Main themes

The course focuses on the structures and the functioning of the Armenian language in ancient times (Vth-VIIIth cent.). After an introduction devoted to the Armenian language, its history and place among the indo-european languages (as well as its relationship with the languages of the Caucasus), the course presents the morphology (morphology of nouns and of verbs) and the syntax (sentence patterns, use of moods and tenses) of ancient Armenian.

Content and teaching methods

The course consists of the following parts:
- introduction to the Armenian language, its history and place among the indo-european languages (as well as its relationship with the languages of the Caucasus);
- reading and writing of the Armenian alphabet;
- morphology (nominal and verbal);
- syntax;
- reading and grammatical analysis of Armenian texts;
- introduction to Armenian culture (history, literature).

Other information (prerequisite, evaluation (assessment methods), course materials recommended readings, ...)

Prerequisite: none.
Evaluation: continuous evaluation through the involvement in the preparation of the lessons, and oral exam at the end of the year.
Reference book (to buy): R.W. Thomson, An Introduction to Classical Armenian, Delmar, NY, Caravan Books (1st ed. 1975; 2d ed. 1989).

Other credits in programs