I don’t know if this has already been asked in the sub but how prevalent is the usage of Western Armenian (specifically the Karin dialect) throughout Shirak Province? Shirak province is the only part of the modern republic of Armenia that still speaks a variety of Western Armenian but my research so far indicates there haven’t been any measures to protect the language. Do they still teach Western Armenian up in Shirak province or is the default language that is taught in education nowadays Eastern Armenian (specifically the Yerevan dialect). Has the language been preserved throughout the generations or is it only older people who avidly speak Western Armenian nowadays? Personally, I wish more was done to preserve Western Armenian in this area as it helps set Shirak province apart and it is a crucial aspect of Armenian culture and history. Considering that Western Armenian is slowly being lost in the diaspora communities I feel Shirak province is the ideal area to preserve the language and ensures it survives to future generations.
https://i.redd.it/vraj0bk3nvvc1.jpeg
Posted by Lettered_Olive
4 Comments
huge footprint
I mean the dialects they speak there are the offshoots of the Karin dialect and are western Armenian.
People from Shirak also tend to be the most comfortable speaking their dialects and not defaulting to Yerevan dialect when it Yerevan. This is because their dialect is very romanticized because of 20th century Armenian cinematography. Speakers of other dialects particularly ones of Artsakh family tend to be shier about their native way of speaking, because it can be seen as rural way of talking.
It’s better to consider this dialect as its own thing rather than simply western armenian which is based on the Istanbul dialect
Western armenian here, spent 3 months in Gyumri a few years ago. What I understood was that they learn standard Eastern armenian in school. There isn’t any official effort to preserve the dialect, it just does by itself (also some media/music here and there).