Armenian Language Corner
Do Not Invent Words That Do Not Exist
Life is far from having a straight course. There are curves, shortcuts, reversals. Looking from outs...
You Drink the Same Wine in English and in Armenian
After Noah’s Ark rested “upon the mountains of Ararat” (Genesis 8:4) and the covenant was establishe...
Honey and the Bees
The words honey (English) and Honig (German) are cousins; together with other similar words in Swedi...
How Time and Place Are Tied to Each Other
We all know that the English name for the head of a certain board is chairman. But don’t rush: the A...
When Speakers Invent New Words
People apparently tend to think that the diphthongs yoo (իւ) and ioo (իու) are pronounced in the sam...
How Do You Say Basturma in Armenian?
For more than a century, pastrami has become as ubiquitous in a deli as salami. Its name was probabl...
You Put Gloves On, But Not Pants
The reader is probably acquainted with the old English proverb: “A cat in gloves catches no mice.” T...
When Singing, Keep Thinking
The patriotic song popularly known by its first two words, “Harach Nahadag,” is one of the most popu...
“A Cup of Black Water, Please!”
They say that Ethiopia was the homeland of native wild coffee, and the first reference to coffee dri...
How “Salt” and Agh Are the Same Word?
The custom of offering bread and salt to guests is common to many Eastern European, but also Middle ...