Customer Reviews

Armenian Dictionary in Transliteration: Western Pronunciation : Armenian-English English-Armenian

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am a complete beginner in Armenian. My interest in it cameabout as a result of my having an Armenian roommate. Having beenraised in Bowie, Maryland, he speaks English as well as I do, so communication isn't the issue. However, as a linguist who has dabbled in languages as diverse as Arabic and Esperanto, my curiosity is peaked every time I hear him speak Armenian on the phone with his family members. So when I stumbled across this book, I was very pleased. The dictionary is accompanied by a six-page phrase book with very useful terminology dealing with mealtime vocabulary, telling time, greetings, directions, and the names of the most common places a person might go in the course of a day including such generic terms as "inside", "downstairs" and "home" as well as "store", "movie theatre", "restaurant", etc. Days of the week, family members, and the basic emotions are also covered, and a few more common person words are included, as well, such as "friend",an Armenian speaker. And, at $10, the price is right, too. Incidentally, the book can be useful to those who already speak Armenian but need a reference for spelling. I'd be interested in hearing about others' experiences with this book so feel free to write me if you wish. I'd also be interested in tips on other books or anything else that might help me to gain more skill at speaking and understanding Armenian. END

If you're interested in learning how to speak the Armenian language, but don't have the luxury of knowing how to read Armenian script, this book is for you. I'm often asked to recommend a basic Armenian dictionary and phrase book, and this is the one that gets the gold stars. From observation, I can share that the novice students, American-born youth of Armenian descent, and non-Armenian spouses who picked up this book now have a grasp of Armenian [and can pronounce tricky words like khaghogh -- grapes] because of this one-of-a-kind volume.

I really like this dictionary! It's transliteration is easy to understand and the font is VERY easy to read. There are some fonts, when used for Armenian, that make some of the letters confusing, but the font in this book makes the different letters quite clear. If you are adept at reading AND spelling in Armenian, you might prefer a dictionary that puts the Armenian spelling first in the Armenian-English section, but then again, if you are adept at Armenian, you probably don't need a dictionary! I would say that it's best suited for beginners only because it contains a basic vocabulary. Other than that, it's great!

As an American of Armenian descent, I can only speak what little Armenian I learned from my mother. I like to say that I can speak "toddler Armenian," because the extent of my Armenian is limited to phrases like, "Stop that!" "Come here!" and "What is it?" plus a few simple words like sister, water, milk, etc. Forget reading the language. I can write my name, and that is about it.

With most Armenian dictionaries, not knowing how to read the alphabet hinders your ability to learn the language. This dictionary solves this problem to a certain extent- it isn't a textbook, but does have phrases, and if you're good with languages, you can figure out enough of the grammar to apply what you've learned and create new phrases/sentences. While this dictionary might not have EVERY word you've ever wanted, it is quite good, and the phrases in the back are very helpful.

Amazon hasn't carried this dictionary for a while now, but look around- sometimes Armenian Church bookstores or other specialty retailers will carry it for list price (this is how I found it- through an Armenian specialty retailer). It's worth the effort to find it, if you're interested in expanding your knowledge of Western Armenian. I think it's especially good for people like me, people who have been exposed to Armenian, know how to pronounce words, but don't really know the language, or have only a very basic, rudimentary knowledge of the language.

well, for those who only speak Armenian, this is an extremely helpful book. But if you can read the Armenian language, stay away. You'll be frustrated by the "mix up" of the different T's, P's, K's, etc. Although this book does have quite a few "modern" words that other dictionaries lack, it is not helpful for those pursuing scholarly activities.