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The Armenian language has two standardized forms: Western Armenian and Eastern Armenian. Before the Armenian genocide and other significant demographic changes that affected the Armenians, several dozen Armenian dialects existed in the areas historically populated by them.

Classification by Hrachia Acharian

The title page of the 1909 French edition.

Classification des dialectes arméniens (Classification of Armenian dialects) is a 1909 book by the Armenian linguist Hrachia Acharian, published in Paris. It is Acharian's translation into French of his original work Hay Barbaṙagitutʿiwn ("Armenian Dialectology") that was later published as a book in 1911 in Moscow and New Nakhichevan. The French translation lacks dialectal examples.

Acharian surveyed the Armenian dialects in what is now Turkey, Armenia, Georgia, Iran, Azerbaijan and other countries settled by Armenians.

Unlike the traditional division of Armenian into two dialect groups ( Western Armenian and Eastern Armenian), he divided Armenian into three main dialect groups based on the present and imperfect indicative particles that were used. He called as the -owm (-ում) dialects, -gë (-կը) dialects, and -el (-ել) dialects.

After the Armenian genocide, linguists Gevorg Jahukyan, Jos Weitenberg, Bert Vaux and Hrach Martirosyan have extended the understanding of Armenian dialects.

Map

Map of Armenian dialects in the early 20th century:
  -owm dialects, roughly corresponding to Eastern Armenian.
  -el dialects.
  -gë dialects, roughly corresponding to Western Armenian.

List

-owm dialects

Dialect
Areas spoken (country and city names as of 1909)
1 Yerevan   Russian Empire: Erivan, Novo-Bayazet, Ordubad, Shamshadin, Shulaver, Havlabar quarter ( Tbilisi)
  Ottoman Empire: Bayazid, Kulp
2 Tbilisi   Russian Empire: Tbilisi (except Havlabar quarter)
3 Artsakh   Russian Empire: Shusha, Elisabethpol, Nukha, Baku, Derbent, Ağstafa, Dilijan, Karakilis, Kazak, Lori, Jebrayil, Goris
Qajar Persia: Karadagh, Mujumbar; Lilava quarter of Tabriz
  Ottoman Empire: Burdur, Ödemiş villages near Izmir
4 Shamakha   Russian Empire: Shamakhi, Kuba and nearby villages
5 Astrakhan   Russian Empire: Astrakhan, North Caucasus
Qajar Persia: Tabriz
6 Julfa   Russian Empire: Julfa
Qajar Persia: Isfahan ( New Julfa quarter), Shiraz, Hamadan, Bushehr, Tehran, Qazvin, Rasht, Bandar-e Anzali
7 Agulis   Russian Empire: Agulis, Tsghna, Handamej, Tanakert, Ramis, Dasht, Kaghaki

-el dialects

-el dialects
Dialect
Areas spoken (country and city names as of 1909)
1 Maragha Qajar Persia: Maragha and surrounding villages
2 Khoy Qajar Persia: Khoy, Salmas, Maku, Urmia
  Russian Empire: Igdir, Nakhichevan;
Zangezur settlements: Kori, Alighuli, Mughanjugh, Karashen, Alilu, Angeghakot, Ghushchi-Tazakend, Tazakend, Uz, Mazra, Balak, Shaghat, Ltsen, Sisian, Nerkin Kilisa
3 Artvin   Russian Empire: Artvin, Ardahan, Artanuj, Olti

-gë dialects

Dialect
Areas spoken (country and city names as of 1909)
1 Erzurum   Ottoman Empire: Erzurum, Ispir, Kaghzvan
  Russian Empire: Kars, Alexandropol, Akhalkalak, Akhaltskha
2 Mush   Ottoman Empire: Mush, Sasun, Bitlis, Khizan, Khlat, Arjesh, Bulanikh, Manazkert, Khnus, Alashkert
  Russian Empire: Aparan; Mets Kznut and surrounding villages;
4 villages in Javakhk: Eshtia, Ujmana, Toria, Martuni
3 Van   Ottoman Empire: Van, Diadin, Moks, Bashkale, Shatakh
  Russian Empire: Basargechar and surrounding villages
4 Diarbekir   Ottoman Empire: Diarbekir, Lice, Hazro, Hazzo, Khizan, Severek, Urfa (Edesia)
5 Kharberd-Yerznka   Ottoman Empire: Kharpert, Yerznka, Balu, Tchapaghjur, Chmshkatsag, Charsanjak, Kghi, Dersim, Kamakh
6 Shabin-Karahisar   Ottoman Empire: Shabin-Karahisar, Akıncılar
7 Trebizond   Ottoman Empire: Trebizond, Bayburt, Gyumushkhane, Kirasun
8 Hamshen   Ottoman Empire: Hamshen, Ünye, Fatsa, Terme, Çarşamba
  Russian Empire: Sukhumi, Sochi, Poti,
9 Malatia   Ottoman Empire: Malatia, Adıyaman
10 Cilicia   Ottoman Empire: Hadjin, Zeytun, Marash, Kilis, Alexandretta, Payas, Svedia
11 Syria   Ottoman Empire: Aramo
12 Arabkir   Ottoman Empire: Arabkir, Divrig, Gürün, Darende, villages of Kesaria
13 Akn   Ottoman Empire: Akn and surrounding villages
14 Sivas   Ottoman Empire: Sivas and 45 surrounding villages
15 Tokat   Ottoman Empire: Tokat, Amasia, Marsivan, Ordu, Samsun, Sinop
16 Smyrna   Ottoman Empire: Smyrna, Manisa, Menemen and surrounding villages
17 Izmit   Ottoman Empire: Nicomedia, Adapazar and the following villages: Yalova, Partizak, Geyve, Ortaköy, Sölöz, Benli, İznik, etc.,
18 Constantinople   Ottoman Empire: Constantinople
19 Rodosto   Ottoman Empire: Rodosto, Malgara
20 Nakhichevan-on-Don   Russian Empire: Nakhichevan-on-Don, Rostov-on-Don, Stavropol, Yekaterinodar, Yekaterinoslav, Anapa, Maykop, Taganrog, Dneprovskaya, Nogaysk, Novocherkassk, Theodosia, Simferopol, Karasubazar, Bakhchysarai, Eupatoria
21 Austria-Hungary Russian Empire Poland
Austria-Hungary Bukovina, Transylvania, Hungary

Sources

  • Adjarian, Hrachia (1909). Classification des dialectes arméniens [Classification of Armenian dialects] (PDF) (in French). Paris: Librairie Honore Champion. Retrieved July 8, 2012.