Product Description

An estimated 8 million people speak Armenian worldwide, split between the 3.5 million people in the Republic of Armenia who speak Eastern Armenian, and the Diaspora communities who primarily speak Western Armenian.

• Romanized for English speakers
• 4,500 total dictionary entries
• Extensive 32-chapter phrasebook
• Basic Eastern Armenian grammar and pronunciation
• Practical cultural information
• Perfect for travelers, businesspersons, and foreign aid workers

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #724562 in Books
• Published on: 2003-10
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 240 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780781810067
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

About the Author
Nicholas Awde, a regional consultant, has written or edited several books on the region, including The Armenians: People, Culture, and History (Bennett & Bloom); Armenian Perspectives (Curzon Press); and Armenian First Names (Hippocrene Books). Peter Maghdashyan is a freelance journalist, analyst, and consultant on regional, political, and economic issues based in Yerevan, Armenia.

Customer Reviews

Usable, but has a major flaw
First the bad news...
All the Armenian is ROMANIZED (ie. written in the alphabet used for the English language); NONE of it is written in the Armenian alphabet, not even in parentheses. For learning, this is really not a good thing. I know because when I hear Hebrew I visualize the words in Cyrillic (Russian alphabet), because I learned from a book where all the Hebrew was translated into Cyrillic. Once you learn that way it's just more work to re-learn it in the correct alphabet. At least the book contains a page that explains the transliteration system, so you can reverse-engineer the words back into Armenian.

Now the good news...
There is, as the author calls it, `a very basic grammar' section (eight pages long) in the front of the book. The second half of the book contains topic sections such as accommodation, shopping, health, politics, etc. that list useful vocabulary and a lot phrases. There are also cultural notes.

disappointment
this dictionary is either out-dated or the writers simply did not think about how one would need to actually communicate while visiting Armenia. For the most part this dictionary is useless! Common words and phrases are not listed (like: how are you?), but what is in the dictionary is a section on war and relief aid---totally USELESS for your time in Yerevan or even in the village where I went to work for several weeks! some of the helpful parts were the "grey boxes" which highlighted food and drink or "common expressions" In fact, the word for yes is almost exclusively used as: Ha! not ayo, which is more of the western style.

Armenian Phrasebook
This is very good "pronunciation" dictionary for everyday travel phrases. It does not provide much help for reading, such as Armenian street signs or restaurant menu. If you're planning a brief stay in Armenia and want a small book for your jacket pocket, then this is probably the choice for you.