Nor K’erakanut’yun Angleren Lezvits’ Hogut hay Yeritasardut’yun Parunakum e Nurb/yntrvats Angleren artahaytut’yunner [New Grammar of the English Language for the benefit of Armenian Youth Contains Exquisite English Phrases]
- SIGNED
- [Constantinople: Armenian Print Shop], 1881
[Constantinople: Armenian Print Shop], 1881. Good.. 239pp. Later black quarter morocco and cloth; original cloth covers, gilt, laid down. Light wear to binding. Minor soiling and wear to text, lightly toned. A guide to learning the English language for Armenians in the Ottoman Empire. As author states in the preface, it is incredibly hard for an Armenian to learn English, because most of the sounds can’t be even transcribed to Armenian -- but it’s worth trying, as it’s the most wide-spread European language in the world. The author mentions possible use for immigrants to a number of places, including the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and Hong Kong. Interestingly, the author apologizes for not including Armenian proverbs as examples because they usually cannot be translated to English. He includes German, French, and Russian proverbs instead. The grammar progresses from easier topics to more advanced, starting with the alphabet and ending with short texts in English, which can be used for translation practice. One of the examples includes a piece on Charles Darwin’s "The Origin of Species" -- half a century before the first translation into Armenian.
A short dictionary is also supplied, alongside commonly used phrases. The choice of phrases provides a bit of insight about the intended audience of the work -- a lot of naval terminology; phrases to be used while trading, traveling, negotiating, and even litigating; alongside with ‘I long for home’ and ‘Be wide awake’. The majority of the Armenian population left Turkey in the beginning of 20th century, following the Armenian Genocide. However, immigration was already underway by the 1880s, with small Armenian communities noted in locations along the East Coast such as New York City, Providence, and Worcester. A work such as this would assist those prospective immigrants in learning the language of their new country all the faster. Not located in OCLC.
A short dictionary is also supplied, alongside commonly used phrases. The choice of phrases provides a bit of insight about the intended audience of the work -- a lot of naval terminology; phrases to be used while trading, traveling, negotiating, and even litigating; alongside with ‘I long for home’ and ‘Be wide awake’. The majority of the Armenian population left Turkey in the beginning of 20th century, following the Armenian Genocide. However, immigration was already underway by the 1880s, with small Armenian communities noted in locations along the East Coast such as New York City, Providence, and Worcester. A work such as this would assist those prospective immigrants in learning the language of their new country all the faster. Not located in OCLC.