The language workshop about the Western Armenian language organized by the Armenian Culture and Solidarity Association will start this Saturday (18 February). In 2009, the UNESCO added Western Armenian, one of the two forms of modern Armenian, to the "Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger" as a "definitely endangered language".

The workshop will stretch over a period of one year and is designed for 20 students who are continuing from the first, second and third level. The different parts of the workshop will be held at the Talar Sileyan training institution. One course takes three months.

In the first course considered as an "Introduction to Armenian", the students will be familiarized with the different alphabet consisting of 38 letters, reading, writing exercises, deciphering Turkish texts written in the Armenian alphabet and basic vocabulary on topics like numbers, names of months and days, colours, greeting phrases, food, professions, age, verbs in present tense and future tense. The number of new students to enrol is limited to ten.

Western and Eastern Armenian

Armenian is an Indo-European language. The alphabet was invented by clergyman Aziz Mesrob Maşdots in 405 AD. Later on, another two letters were added to the alphabet. Western and Eastern Armenian are the two standardized forms of modern Armenian. Western Armenian is being spoken in Turkey and the Western Armenian Diaspora while Eastern Armenian is mainly being used in Armenia and the area of the former Soviet Republic. (ÇT/VK)