Some people say that Armenian is similar to Greek, while others claim it is closer to Persian. Like that, there are several languages similar to Armenian.
If you know a language, learning a new, similar language is easy because it makes learning productive. Today, we will introduce some languages similar to Armenian.
Languages Similar To Armenian – 9 Languages
Armenia is a country located in the southern Caucasus region, between Europe and Asia. Armenian is an official language in the country and 97% of the population speaks it.
It is one of the world’s oldest languages, and around 6 million people speak it. In addition, Armenian has many similar languages, making it a popular one to learn.
For instance, Albanian, Greek, Latin, Slavic, Persian, and English have many common points with Armenian.
There are around 6,700 languages in the world today. That means there are a lot of different ways to say things!
While some languages are very different from one another, others share similarities. Generally, languages in the same family usually share common features.
Following the principle, languages similar to Armenian share common characteristics. For instance, their writing systems, order, and some of their vocabulary.
If you want to learn Armenian or improve your skills in languages similar to Armenian, this is for you!
Now, we will explore how different languages share some common things with Armenian.
1. English Is Very Similar To Armenian:
English has a lot in common with Armenian. Firstly, they are both Indo-European languages.
This means they share a lot of their grammar, including verb tenses and noun declensions.
For instance, both languages have a subject-verb-object word order. Also, they use the genitive case to show possession.
Too they have adjectives before nouns. Plus, they use adverbs to modify verbs, adjectives, and other adverbs.
Another point between Armenian and English is that they both have a rich vocabulary. With many loanwords from other languages, both are dense in word collection.
For example, both languages have words of French origin, like “garage” and “restaurant”.
What’s more, English has adopted a lot of words from Armenian. A common example is the word “zero” which comes from the Armenian word “zer”.
Another similarity between the two languages is that they go from left to right. This makes them easier for people who already know one of the languages to learn the other.
2. Persian Is A Close Language:
Persian would definitely come up in a list of languages similar to Armenian.
Due to Muslim conquests, there was a large exchange of languages between the two cultures. Today, there are many similarities between Armenian and Persian.
The two languages share a lot of common vocabulary, as well as some grammatical features.
For instance, both languages have a subject-object-verb word order.
A lot of vocabulary is also shared between the two languages. For example, words like “book” being “ketab” in Persian and “k’ataba” in Armenian match each other.
Additionally, both languages use postpositions rather than prepositions. This means that words like “in”, “on”, and “at” come after the noun rather than before it.
A common thing between Armenian and Persian is that both have a lot of loanwords from Turkish. Such as the word “otobus” means “bus” in both languages.
So, Persian is a good choice for someone who wants to learn a language similar to Armenian.
3. Turkish Is A Distant Relative:
Turkish and Armenian belong to the Turkic language family. It includes languages like Uzbek and Kazakh.
While the two languages do not share as many common features, there still share some points.
The two languages share many common phonetics and many similar words. Some alphabet used in both languages have Latin origin, with a few additional letters.
Also, both languages use the same writing system, with words written from left to right.
Many words in Armenian and Turkish are similar. For instance, the word for “yes” is “evet” in Turkish, which is very close to the Armenian word “ev” (meaning “yes”).
Moreover, Both languages are agglutinative. It means new words become by adding suffixes to existing words.
In addition, there are some dialects of Armenian that are very close to Turkish dialects. For instance, the Western Armenian dialect is close to the Turkish style in Istanbul.
4. Azerbaijani Is Also Similar:
Azerbaijani is another language that is similar to Armenian. The two languages share several features, including their alphabetic sounds and grammatical structures.
Additionally, both languages have a subject-object-verb word order. Plus, Azerbaijani has some vocabulary loaned from Armenian.
Further, these languages have vowel harmony. It means that words have vowels that match each other in terms of backness and roundness.
Another similarity between them is that they both use the genitive case. It means when indicating possession; both languages use the same word order as in English.
There are also some similarities in the pronunciation of Armenian and Azerbaijani.
For example, both languages have a glottal stop. A sound is produced by stopping the airflow in the throat. This sound is not found in most other languages.
So, if you’re looking for languages similar to Armenian, take into account Azerbaijani!
5. Georgian Has Many Similarities:
There are several similarities between Armenian and Georgian. For example, both languages are Indo-European languages.
Like Armenian, Georgian is also a highly inflected language. So there can be many different forms of a single word, depending on how anyone uses it in a sentence.
Moreover, Georgian and Armenian also share some similarities in grammar. For example, both languages use the genitive case (means possession words are present).
Additionally, both languages have glottal stops in their pronunciation. This means a brief pause in the airflow comes when you make certain sounds.
Many words are cognates (words that have the same roots from ancestors) in both languages.
If you’re looking for a language like Armenian but not as commonly studied, Georgian may be a good option.
6. Latin Has Many Connections To Armenian:
Latin and Armenian are both Indo-European languages. This means that they share a common ancestor language.
Many of the similarities between Latin and Armenian are due to this shared ancestry. For example, both languages have grammatical gender, i.e., male, female, and neuter.
Moreover, declensions, a system for organizing nouns, pronouns, and adjectives, is common.
Further, conjugations (a system for organizing verbs) are features of both languages.
Another point between the two is the use of inflection to change the function of words in a sentence.
For example, the word ‘domus’ in Latin can mean ‘home,’ ‘house,’ or ‘building.’ The word’s function changes based on how you deal with it.
The word ‘տուն’ in Armenian has a similar range of meanings.
Finally, both languages are to be highly poetic and have a long literary tradition. Many famous works of literature are present in Latin and Armenian.
7. Greek Is Also In The Same Family:
Armenian is also similar to Greek. Like Latin, Greek is another Indo-European language.
The same point between Armenian and Greek is that they are influenced by Ancient Greek.
Like, many Armenian words are of Greek origins, such as սիրա (sira, meaning love) and հայ (hay, meaning Armenian).
In addition, the two languages share some common grammar features. Like, both have a subject-object-verb word order.
Armenian and Greek are inflected languages, meaning that the way to use a word in a sentence can change its form.
The writing style also plays a role in the similarity between these languages. Like, both languages use some form of the Latin alphabet.
For instance, the Armenian alphabet consists of thirty-eight letters. They are directly derived from or closely related to their Greek counterparts.
Slavic languages are languages that belong to the Slavic language family. The most spoken Slavic languages are Russian, Polish and Ukrainian.
Armenian is not a Slavic language, but it shares some features with Slavic languages.
For instance, both Armenian and Slavic languages use some form of the Latin alphabet. The Armenian alphabet consists of thirty-eight letters.
The alphabet is directly derived from or closely related to its Greek counterparts. Similarly, the Cyrillic alphabet, used in Slavic languages, is from the Greek alphabet.
Armenian and Slavic languages also share some similarities in grammar and syntax.
For instance, both languages use inflection to indicate grammatical function. And both have a rich system of conjugations and declensions.
Slavic languages are a good place to start if you’re looking for languages similar to Armenian.
9. Maltese Has Some Similarities To Armenian:
Languages similar to Armenian also include Maltese. It is a Romance language spoken on the Mediterranean island of Malta.
Maltese is also considered to be a language with Indo-European roots. Armenian, the Maltese alphabet consists of various letters. Many of them are from Latin or Greek roots.
Furthermore, Maltese has a number of similarities with Armenian in terms of grammar. For instance, you can find similar stem changes in conjugations and declensions.
Another similarity between Armenian and Maltese is the so-called “partitive genitive” construction.
This means that in Maltese (and also in Armenian), you can say “of a book” to mean “some of the books” or “a few books”.
Finally, it is worth telling that Armenian and Maltese are different from the Latin alphabet. Instead, they both use their unique writing systems.
Conclusion:
Learning a new language is fun! However, you never know when you might come across another similar language to your already studying.
Many people pick a second language close to their first one to make learning more manageable.
While talking about Armenian, Georgian, Persian, Turkish and Latin languages are some good options. Also, English, Maltese, and Azerbaijani can help in this regard.
So, if anyone wants to learn Armenian and is looking for languages similar to Armenian, this article will be helpful.
- Explore Some Commonly Used Slang Words For Knives - November 6, 2023
- Here Are Some Of The Slang Words For Jeep Commonly Used - November 3, 2023
- Did You Know The Commonly Used Slang Words For King? - November 3, 2023