The above question was posed to me some time ago by a 12-year-old girl attending Armenian School at my church.
I was her instructor and the dilemma was all too familiar. Many students have pondered that same thought, assuming the Mother Tongue was a lost language in America and a complete waste of time to learn.
But the language she felt was superfluous as a child suddenly became imperative when she visited Armenia—the land of her dreams— this year as a college intern, and toured the many villages and orphanages along her path.
It was her first venture to the country, but not her last.
In addressing a class of students she was once a part of, the coed admitted how critical she had felt toward the language until she visited Armenia.
“I got to understand what they were saying and they understood me,” she told her younger peers. “You don’t realize how important that becomes until you are forced into using it. Take the opportunity to learn the language of your ancestors and you won’t regret it. Trust me!”
Perhaps that young woman mirrored my sentiments when, as a teenager, I was being introduced to Armenian School at the former Holy Cross Armenian Catholic Church. My mother insisted. There was no compromising. Learn Armenian or else.
What she failed to mention was that I was being raised in an Armenian household with a grandmother at my disposal who communicated the language in a modified dialect, using Turkish words. By the time I attended school, I was fluent in both tongues.
But speaking a language is one thing; reading and writing it are another. That comes through schooling and discipline.
I marvel at how well spoken many American-born individuals are in Armenian. You would never know they were not immigrants, and sometimes appear better versed than many natives. My priest (Father Stephan Baljian) is one of those diversified linguists with an impeccable delivery, especially with his sermons. Credit his parents and the schools he attended as a child before entering the seminary.
Teaching Armenian to today’s generation is no simple task. Most are there because they have to be. Others find every excuse not to attend. The role of an instructor is an ongoing challenge. But continue we must.
It’s been insulting at times when they can’t find their papers or textbooks. Discipline is not what it used to be a generation back with their parents.
My young protégé was a work in progress. Now, she’s giving presentations on her trip and opening with an Armenian dialogue, evidence of her innate ability. So why not showcase it as an example for others?
In this ever diverse society, harried and often confused, the motive to learn Armenian is not easy, especially if there’s no such language spoken at home. And those who don’t exercise it will lose it, much the same way I lost five years of French in high school.
I must confess, we didn’t do much to assuage the problem, using English as our principal language and Armenian for special occasions. Perhaps we would have been better off reversing the trend.
In my constant search to exercise the language, I look for opportunities to avoid mortality.
It might be at church, a gathering, perhaps a shop owner in Watertown. It could be an immigrant, an ethnic cruise given the international flare, or simply looking in the mirror and speaking to myself. My wife and I are almost totally English-speaking, despite our grasp on Armenian.
Language is supposed to be a vehicle of thought, but all too often it is just an empty car full of gas. It needs to be accelerated now and then.
I tell my students that my teaching them would be an utter waste of time if they didn’t pay attention to the classwork. I explain to them the potential of maybe teaching their parents once they become somewhat fluent. They take home words and show some initiative.
At the end of the term, putting a sentence or two together becomes the ultimate reward.
The graduate student was well informed with her message to the children.
“I feel fortunate to have the ability to carry this language into the future,” she explained. “We owe it to our ancestors to keep the heritage alive. To save it, we must learn it, speak it, and pass it along to others.”
Having been to Armenia twice and introduced to an entirely different dialect, it took the second trip before I really caught on to some of the nuances.
One day, these students will see the light. They will take pilgrimages to Armenia and face the barriers. Or show the willpower now and become engaged. The choice is theirs to make.
Tom Vartabedian
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I’m 63 yrs old and wish there was someone to teach me the language!!
Hi Vanessa,
You don’t have to go far. Log on to your computer and point your internet browser to http://www.avc-agbu.org/ There you will find many courses on the Armenian language and culture in different languages. You can enroll in an online course of study to learn the Armenian language (Eastern or Western dialects).
I hope you will take advantage of this wonderful resource available to everyone worldwide.
Hratch
A language should never be allowed to die. When any language die, the world suffers a loss.
I am not Armenian, my wife is, but I have been to Armenia and will be going again at the end of the month. I take a language class in an Armenian Apostolic Church. It’s not an easy language and I likely will never have a practical every day use for it. However, it is learning, valuable in itself, and brought me great joy when people in Armenia were able to understand my Armenian which was probably on a 2nd grade level at best. This August, I hope to do a little better.
Excellent. BRAVO keep-up the good work.
I think the Armenian community leaders [in every country] should organize Armenian classes not only for the young, also for the elders. Another solution, if anybody talk other than Armenian {Turkish,Arabic,French,english,Spanish ANSWER IN ARMENIAN
This is for you Bruce. It begins with a single syllable at a time and please do not be daunted by the task. It requires patience, will power and a love for our heritage. In the end, you will appreciate the beauty of a wonderful language. Look at what the others have said and follow their advice.
“Why Should I Learn Armenian?”
For me the very short and straightforward answer would have been… “because you are one”.
A more elaborate answer would have to take us into history and explanations of why culture, heritage and its associated language are important for one of Armenian descent not to mention the importance of resisting and overcoming the threats of annihilation, assimilation, and irrelevance in today’s wicked world, and that goes for everywhere outside of Armenia.
As Armenians living in various countries, it is our collective obligation to keep our identities intact and strong and not succumb to ridiculous liberal fake ideas. We owe it to our ancient history, our ancient race, our families and ourselves. And learning the language is but one of the mechanisms at our disposal to stay Armenian in foreign countries. Some of us were lucky to be born in families already speaking Armenian (see note), but for those that were not so lucky, the key is to take it slow but be diligent.
If you are of Armenian descent, just because you don’t know the Armenian language it does not mean you aren’t Armenian of course. However, once you start learning the language it will work miracles for your identity as an Armenian, because you will understand many aspects of being Armenian as well as get an understanding of how Armenians feel, think and act since I believe that the language affects these in subtle ways that we may not be aware of.
Many people say that Armenian is quite a hard language to learn, perhaps the uniqueness of the language makes it hard, but I imagine it can’t be harder than Arabic or Chinese. For Armenians growing up hearing the language but unable to speak, I guess they would have an easier time than Armenians or non-Armenians who are completely new to the language. For this group, probably the best way to start is with conversational Armenian through people they might know or online resources and take it from there. Knowing some of the language by basic conversation can make things a lot easier later than learning it formally with a new alphabet.
_____
Note: I cringe at the fact that some early Armenian settlers in America ordered their kids NOT to speak Armenian, since they now “started a new life and were now Americans”. Yes, sadly such ‘Armenian’ parents existed, and I would hate to think they still exist. About a century later, we can see how wrong this is. You cannot erase someone’s heritage that simply, nor their desire for discovering or keeping who they are and what their ancestry is. “American” is not a race, everyone in America has a national background. It does not mean they can’t identify as ‘American’ as a nationality – yet the beauty of America is, one can identify as an Armenian and American at the same time.
Language is far more than a form of communication. It is culture, music and identity among other things. As an Armenian, whether you are born in the states or abroad, knowing the language gives you a sense of belonging to Armenian communities in which you live. It makes you feel part of that community and you naturally feel compelled to engage yourself in the life of that community and be part of that community rather than shy away from it because you don’t speak the language and therefore you grow father and farther away from your roots.
To me personally, and despite the fact that many of us have to use a foreign language to conduct our daily lives, the Armenian language is like food that nourishes me. I have to have it every day whether I have it through conversing with fellow Armenians, through listening to the sounds of beautiful and exotic Armenian music, or simply reading the newspaper.
When we lose the ability to speak our mother tongue we lose a precious piece of our identity.
The loss of Armenian, our Mother tongue, is a brutality that was done to us. Learning and speaking Armenian is wonderfully refreshing return to life, the healing of a live long wound.
Onjig
“’I got to understand what they were saying and they understood me,’ she told her younger peers.” Wow, that is very impressive! We speak Western dialect in my family. I speak ok and understand very well, but I couldn’t make heads or tails of what people said in Armenia!
Tom & Nancy,
Thank you for the encouragement. My wife and I enjoyed a wonderful trip to Armenia during August-September. The people were so friendly. It took me two days or so to work up the nerve to try my limited Armenian. It was gratifying when I was understood. Most days at the hotel I was helped by staff with my Armenian and I helped them with their English. Wwe all had a good time and their English is much better than mynArmenian.
Բարև ձեզ։ Ես մի քիչ եմ հայերեն խոսում։ Ես ամերիկացի եմ։
I often say to people that: Language takes you on a voyage of learning, it opens up opportunities and your understanding of language provides you with a real sense of existence. Language is much more than a language, it is a path towards discovery, it is an important asset that will ultimately define you as a person and those around you.