Arewmtahayerên

language

Also known as: Western Armenian language

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Last updated

July 15, 2026

Quick Summary

Arewmtahayerên is the Western Armenian variety of the Armenian language. Armenian is an independent branch of the Indo-European language family and is spoken by about 6.7 million people worldwide, with the majority residing in Armenia.1

There are three main historical stages of the Armenian language: Old Armenian (Grabar), Middle Armenian (Miǰin hayerên), and Modern Armenian (Ashkharhabar). Modern Armenian is further divided into two written varieties: Western Armenian (Arewmtahayerên) and Eastern Armenian (Arewelahayerên).1

Western Armenian, based on the dialect of Armenians in Istanbul, and Eastern Armenian, based on dialects from Yerevan and Tbilisi, have significant differences in pronunciation and grammar, making them nearly distinct languages. Both varieties were reformed to remove "Muslim" loanwords, replacing them with words from Grabar.1

Armeno-Turkish refers to Turkish spoken by Armenians in Turkey, incorporating Armenian words.2

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Armenian language
…two written varieties—Western Armenian (Arewmtahayerên) and Eastern Armenian (Arewelahayerên)—and many dialects are spoken. About 50 dialects were known before 1915, when the Armenian population of Turkey was drastically reduced by means of massacre and forced exodus; some of these dialects were mutually unintelligible.
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…two written varieties—Western Armenian (Arewmtahayerên) and Eastern Armenian (Arewelahayerên)—and many dialects are spoken. About 50 dialects were known before 1915, when the Armenian population of Turkey was drastically reduced by means of massacre and forced exodus; some of these dialects were mutually unintelligible.
Read More