Armenian language

Indo-European language

Armenian (endonym: հայերեն (reformed), հայերէն (classical), hayeren, pronounced [hɑjɛˈɾɛn]) is an Indo-European language and the only member of an independent branch of that language family. It is the native language of the Armenian people and the official language of Armenia. Armenian is written in its own writing system, the Armenian alphabet, introduced in 405 AD by the canonized Saint Mesrop Mashtots. The estimated number of Armenian speakers worldwide is between five and seven million.[2][3]

Armenian
Հայերեն Hayeren
Native speakers
5–7 million[1]
Indo-European
  • Armenian
Early forms
Proto-Armenia
  • Old Armenian
    • Middle Armenian
Dialects
Armenian alphabet
Official status
Official language in
Armenia

Recognized and spoken in:


Georgia
Turkey
Iran
Russia
Lebanon
Cyprus
Syria
Greece
United States
Regulated byNational Academy of Sciences of Armenia
Language codes
ISO 639-1hy
ISO 639-2arm (B)
hye (T)
ISO 639-3Variously:
hye – Modern Armenian
xcl – Classical Armenian
axm – Middle Armenian
Linguasphere57-AAA-a (31 varieties)

It is the official language of Armenia, and was the officical language of the separatist Republic of Artsakh, which existed from 1991 until 2023.

The language is also widely spoken by Armenian communities all over the world. It is written in its own Armenian alphabet. The language has two standard forms: Eastern Armenian and Western Armenian.

References

change
  1. Modern Armenian at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
    Classical Armenian at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
    Middle Armenian at Ethnologue (18th ed., 2015)
  2. Martirosyan, Hrach (March 2, 2020). "All You Need to Know about Armenian Language". aspirantum.com. ASPIRANTUM: Armenian School of Languages and Cultures. Archived from the original on 2 May 2021. The total number of Armenians in the world is roughly estimated as 7–11 million, of which ca. 5-5.5 million speak Armenian.
  3. "Language Monday: Armenian". World Book Encyclopedia. April 23, 2018. Archived from the original on 2 May 2021. About 7 million people speak the Armenian language worldwide.