ZOK: THE ARMENIAN DIALECT OF AGULIS*

Bert Vaux

As someone who was drawn to academia primarily by the

prospect of discovering and reconstructing our linguistic past, I am
honored to contribute this essay in recognition of Dickran
Kouymjian, who among his many accomplishments counts the
(re)discovery of the long-lost 6-7th century Greco-Armenian
papyrus.1 What I would like to discuss here is my attempts to
recapture yet another unique component of the lost Armenian past,
namely Zok, the armenoid language formerly spoken by the
indigenous Armenian inhabitants of the city of Agulis and
neighboring villages.
The data presented here rely heavily on the kind assistance of
Ervand Melik-Moussian, who died on Thanksgiving Day, November
23, 1995, two months shy of his 97th birthday. Mr. Melik-Moussian
was born in January of 1899 in the city of Agulis, located in
southeastern Nakhichevan. Following the massacre of the Armenian
population of Agulis by the Turkish army in 1919, Mr. Melik-
Moussian made his way to Tiflis and thence to Teheran. He
subsequently emigrated to New Jersey following the Revolution; I
had the pleasure of meeting with Mr. Melik-Moussian and his family
in Freehold on February 25 and May 20, 1995. In addition to being
an accomplished painter, photographer, and author, Mr. Melik-
Moussian was a gifted native speaker of Zok. Before his death he
composed a manuscript dealing with the history, culture, and
language of Agulis,2 which is still awaiting publication. In this

*Thanks to Hrach Mardirosyan for many helpful comments on an earlier

draft of this work.
1 Dickran Kouymjian, “A Unique Armenian Papyrus,” Acts of the Vth
International Conference on Armenian Linguistics, D. Sakayan, ed.,
(Delmar, N. Y.: Caravan Books, 1996), pp. 381-386 and James Clackson,
“A Greek Papyrus in Armenian Script,” Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und
Epigraphik 129, pp. 223-258.
2 Ervand Melik-Moussian, Agulis/Igülis, Manuscript (Tehran and Freehold,
New Jersey, 1981).
2 Studies in Honor of Dickran Kouymjian

chapter I present some of the linguistic materials that I collected

from Mr. Melik-Moussian, together with supporting materials from
other sources on the dialect.

1. The Zok Language

Though closely related to it linguistically, Zok is completely
unintelligible to speakers of Standard Eastern Armenian, and is
therefore properly considered a separate language. Speakers of the
language refer to it as zokerēn “Zok language”. Because Zok is so
different from other varieties of Armenian, many myths about its
nature and origins have arisen in the Armenian community. The
most commonly held opinion is that the Zoks are half-Armenian,
half-Jewish merchants who intentionally formed a secret language so
that outsiders would be unable to understand their business dealings.
According to another opinion, expressed to me by a prominent
Armenologist who will remain unnamed, the Zoks are the
descendants of Irish settlers from India! The reality is that the Zoks
are simply one of the indigenous Armenian communities of
Nakhichevan, and have probably lived there since the Classical
Armenian period. Their language is closely related to the nearby
dialects of Karabagh and Julfa, and its unintelligibility to other
Armenians is due primarily to a major realignment that occurred in
its vowel system at an unknown point in the past.
In his 1935 grammar of Zok,3 Hrach‘ya Achaṙian states that the
language was at that time spoken by approximately 10,000
Armenians in Upper and Lower Agulis (Azeri Yuxarı Äylis and
Aşağı Äylis respectively, the latter also sometimes called Dasht) and
the neighboring towns of Allahi (Älähi), Ts‘ghna (Çänänäb), Disar,
Handamēch‘ (Andamiç), K‘aghak‘ik (Käläki(k)), Nasrvaz
(Nasırvaz), P‘aṙaka (Parağa), Řamis, Tanakert (Danaqırt), and
Khurs. I have depicted the location of these villages in the map (Fig.
1), using the modern Azeri names and geographical coordinates
provided at http://www.fallingrain.com/world. (The three largest
cities in Nakhichevan, namely Nakhich‘evan, Julfa, and Ordubad,
have been added for reference.) Řamis does not appear on this

3 Hrach‘ya Achaṙian, K‘nnut‘iwn Agulisi Barbaṙi [Study of the Agulis

Dialect] (Yerevan: State University Press, 1935.)
 Bert Vaux 3

website; I have done my best to interpolate its location from the map
in Lalayian.4

Fig. 1-Villages in Nakhichevan that spoke Zok,

according to Achaṙian.5

A number of Zoks were forced to leave Nakhichevan by Shah

’Abbas at the beginning of the seventeenth century; many of these
migrated to Nazilli in western Turkey.6 At the present day it is not
clear how many native speakers of Zok remain; when I last visited
Yerevan in 2001 my friends in the Nakhichevan Compatriotic Union
knew of only two, both living in Yerevan. Nona Shahnazaryan and I
spent an evening recording our conversation with one of these, Nazik
Avakyan, who was born in Tsghna (Çänänäb) in 1922 and actually

4 Ervand Lalayian, ed., Varanda, Azgagrakan Handēs (1897) 2, pp. 5-244;

3, pp. 338-349.
5 Ibid.
6 Nerses Mkrtch‘yan, Burduri barbaṙĕ [The Dialect of Burdur] (Yerevan:
SSH GA Hratarakch‘ut‘iwn, 1971).
4 Studies in Honor of Dickran Kouymjian

lived there for some time before moving to Yerevan. In the summer
of 2007 I learned of a speaker of the Tanakert subdialect, Mrs.
Jenyan, living in the Meghri region close to Agulis.
The Armenian community in Agulis played an important role in
international trade in the 17th to the 19th centuries, and elements of
Zok enter into Armenian trade documents of the period, particularly
in the writings of Zak‘aria Agulets‘i.7
The first written record of Zok was made by Joachim Schröder
in his 1711 Thesaurus, where he transcribes a few isolated words and
a brief text.8 He first observes on page 303 that Goghthanenses vero
inter duas consonantes in o mutent, ut: faz pro faz panis, .oc pro
.ac crux “the residents of Goght‘n [the ancient Armenian name of
the province containing Agulis] truly change [a] between two
consonants into o, as in hots‘ for hats‘ ‘bread’, khoch‘ for khach‘
[cross].” He then provides the following dialogue on page 356, of
which at least the first line of Gh’s speech appears to be in Zok or
something closely related to it:

(2) Schröder’s Zok dialogue

a. text
G <a[awaj kon;s% ma Paron Tiratour inc or kos;s
sirow lini&
T A\ =on ∫;sa qo ta[d asa*% Kon;s koss;s me∂a
nilma*&
{ >a\i lixoun mo\n lixou a&
’ow∂ mo∂ .ousou[ +ou[;zin a&
Or nasilen gouln golman a
Lixwi qa*ndou[ {a∫anzi a&

7 V. Kazhyan, Bayĕ ew nra khonarhman hamakargĕ Zak‘aria Agulets‘u

Ōragrut‘iwnum [The verb and its conjugational system in Zakaria
Agulets‘i’s Journal] Patmabanasirakan Handēs, No. 2, (1977) pp. 137-150
and Grigor Khalat‘ian, “Shṙöderi t‘ght‘erits‘. Nmoysh Agulets‘ots‘
barbaṙov” [From the pages of Schröder: a text in Agulis dialect]
Yushardzan (Vienna: Mekhitarist Press, 1911), pp. 181-185.
8 Johann Joachim Schröder, Thesaurus Linguae Armenicae, antiquae et
hodiemae, cum varia praxios material, cujus elenchum sequens pagella
exhibet (Amsterdam: [s.n], 1711). Schröder also collected another text that
did not appear in his book but was published by Khalatian in 1911.
 Bert Vaux 5

Mir Wil;aji lixoun porx a&

Aman lixou porx .ousila&

b. transcription
G Shaghavat‘ kones, ma Paron Tiratur inch‘ or koses sirov lini.
T Ay jon p‘esa k‘o taghd asá, Kones koses mĕṙa nilmá.
Gh Khayi lizún moyn lizu a.
Tsovṙ moṙ khusugh Jughets‘in a.
Or nasilĕn guln golman a
Lizvi k‘ándugh Ghap‘ants‘i a.
Mir vileat‘i lizun porz a.
Aman lizu porz khusila.

c. Schröder’s Latin translation

G Gratum erit, sed Domine Tiratur, quidquid dixeris, amice
dictum sit.
T Ast, dilecte Gener, ipse tuum carmen cantes; kuenies,
kuesies ne obliviscaris.
L Armena Lingua est unica Lingua,
Sed mendose loquitur Sjulfajensis,
Dicens: Guln gulmana [sic] (lupus venit.)
Linguae Corruptor Siunensis.
Nostrae provinciae lingua clara est.
Omnem linguam clare loquitur.

d. my English translation of the Armenian9

G Excuse me, but Mr. Tiratur, may whatever you say be
amicable.
T Oh, dear bridegroom, say your verse: don’t forget kones and
koses.
L The Armenian language is one language
The Julfatsi is a deceptive speaker

9 Thanks to Dan Lassiter, who renders the Latin version as “It will be
pleasing, but Sir Tiratur, whatever you say, please say it in a friendly way. /
But, my dear Gener, sing your song yourself; do not forget 'kuenies,
kuesies' / The Armenian language is a single language, / But the man from
Julfa speaks it incorrectly, / Saying: 'Guln gulmana' (The wolf comes.) / The
man from Siuna is a corruptor of the language. / The tongue/language of our
province is clear/pure. / It speaks every tongue/language clearly.
6 Studies in Honor of Dickran Kouymjian

Who says ‘the wolf comes’

The Ghapantsi 10 destroys the language
Our vilayet’s language is simple
Every language is spoken simply.

The first extensive treatment of the Zok language is by Kerovpe

Patkanov,11 who presents a number of texts as well as a brief
description of the morphology and historical phonology of the
dialect. I reproduce and translate four of his texts at the end of this
chapter.
Ṙstam Sargsiants‘ presents the first book-length treatment of
Zok,12 including an impressive number of texts in addition to a
treatment of the grammar. Ms. Lena Petrosyan, herself a descendant
of Zok stock, kindly provided me with a recording of some of these
texts by a native speaker of Zok. The recording differs significantly
from Sargsiants‘’s original in pronunciation, most likely because the
woman Ms. Petrosyan recorded speaks a subdialect other than that of
Ts‘ghna, the one that Sargsiants‘ described.
Zok subsequently enjoyed a brief literary history thanks to the
efforts of Ṙstam Zargariants‘, who wrote twelve plays, poems, and
stories in the Zok language, including the play Adat‘ch‘i (1912) and
the journal Zoki Chroygĕ (1919, 1932).13 Achaṙian 1935 is the most
linguistically sophisticated analysis of the dialect to date, and
presents a number of new texts from various Zok subdialects.

10 The Latin has ‘the Syunetsi’, referring to the name of the region in which
the city of Ghapan is located.
11 Kerovpe Patkanov, Izsledovanie o dialektax‘ armjanskago jazyka [Study
of the dialects of the Armenian language] (Sanktpeterburg‘: Tipografija
Imperatorskoj Akademij Nauk‘, 1869), pp. 27-55.
12 Sargis Sargsiants‘, Agulets‘ots‘ barbarĕ (Zōkeri lezun) [The dialect of
the Agulets‘is (The language of the Zoks)] (Moscow, 1883).
13 Ṙstam Zargariants‘, Adat‘ch‘i. Komedia erku gortsoghut‘iamb [Isn’t It
Normal. A comedy in two acts] (Tiflis: Elektratp, Or. N. Aghaniani, 1912).
I am profoundly indebted to Kevork Bardakjian for obtaining copies of
Adat‘ch‘i for me in Yerevan, and to Lena Petrosyan for sending me legible
copies of the two issues of Zoki Çroygĕ.
 Bert Vaux 7

Achaṙian adds a long discussion of many Zok words.14 Most

recently, Russell offers translation of and commentary on a Zok
benediction that we collected in a 1995 session with Mr. Melik-
Moussian.15

2. Linguistic features
Linguistically, Zok is interesting among other reasons for
possessing a system of vowel harmony, showing penultimate stress,16
participating in Achaṙian’s Law (cf. fnn. 20 and 30), undergoing an
intricate set of vowel shifts, and employing the particles nel and
mätil to form the past tense and obligatory mood respectively. The
past particle nel, which appears to derive from the verb linel ‘be’,
can be seen for example in the phrase ør tou;‘ a n;l iran [or
tvets ä nel irän] ‘which had been given to him’ in the excerpt from
T‘umanyan’s The Little Fisherman presented in section 3 of this
chapter. Mätil most likely derives from Old Armenian piti ‘it is
necessary’, plus an unknown suffix. A variant matam/mätäm appears
in text (6) below.
Zok vowel harmony requires that word roots share a single value
for [back], for which the vowels are specified as in (3):

(3) [+back] a o u
[-back] ä ö ü {e i}

The back vowels {a o u} occur in [+back] domains, but become

{ä ö ü} respectively after a [-back] segment (i.e. a front vowel or
palatal velar consonant). The brackets surrounding i and e indicate
that both are neutral; in other words, they do not show harmonic
alternations, and can occur after [+back] or [-back] vowels (4a), but
spread [-back] to following vowels (4b).

(4) underlying form surface form gloss

14 Hrach‘ya Achaṙian, Hayots‘ lezvi patmut‘iwnĕ [History of the Armenian

Language] Vol. 2, (Yerevan: State University Press, 1951), p. 364ff.
15 James Russell, “Scythians and Avesta in an Armenian Vernacular
Paternoster, and a Zok Paternoster,” Le Muséon 110 (1997), pp. 1-2.
16 Compare Zok gyakhti ‘belt’, with penultimate stress, vs. SEA gotí, with
final stress.
8 Studies in Honor of Dickran Kouymjian

a. gyákhti gyákhti belt

kah-e-l káhil17 trample
aghandz-nér aghandznér roast-plural
b. Avetís-a Avetísä Avetis-genitive
aghandz-nér-av aghandznéräv roast plural-instrumental

The diphthongs ey, oy, ay and uy select [-back] suffixes. The

epenthetic vowel ĕ arises after the application of harmony, and
therefore does not play a role in harmony processes. However, in the
variety of Zok spoken by Mr. Melik-Moussian, ĕ undergoes a
separate harmonic process, becoming u when it follows a round
vowel, as in dürk‘-u ‘door-definite’, ánun-u ‘name-definite’. (See
text (11) for examples. This type of harmony is found in several
other dialects as well, including Marash and Karchevan.)
The innovations just described conspire to make Zok one of the
most divergent varieties of Armenian. Nevertheless, in certain other
respects it is one of the most archaic dialects. Some notable
archaisms include the preservation of the proto-Armenian consonant
series (group 6); the survival of the reflex of proto-Armenian l in
kakhts‘ ‘milk’ < IE *glkt- (cf. Greek galaktos; all other forms of
Armenian show variants of kat‘, with no trace of the original *l); the
maintenance of original plain voiced stops after r (most forms of
Armenian develop voiceless aspirates in this position); and the
preservation of the original diphthong ay, which in most other
dialects becomes e or a. Achaṙian argues that the so-called
penultimate stress systems found in Agulis, Karabagh, and
neighboring dialects cannot be a preservation of the penultimate
stress system postulated for proto-Armenian, but rather must be
innovations.18

17 E regularly raises to i in final syllables of polysyllabic words.

18 Hrach‘ya Achaṙian, Hayots‘ lezvi patmut‘iwn [History of the Armenian
Language] Vol. 2, (Yerevan: State University Press, 1951), pp. 371-372.
See Jos Weitenberg, “Thoughts on Early Armenian Accentuation,” Annual
of Armenian Linguistics 21 (2001), pp. 673, for further discussion.
 Bert Vaux 9

The Agulis dialect is closely related to the Karabagh and New

Julfa dialects; for further details of this relationship, see the
introductory section of Achaṙian.19

3. Texts
In order to provide a flavor of the Zok language I present a
number of translated texts here, arranged in chronological order.

(5) The old man and Death, from Patkanov 20

a. text
Felawoure ;u mofe
Mo\n felawour mord m;,oume ∫a\ta n;l ketara‘ ;u
forxne kapa‘% der;‘ \onsin% tanam ton! Ibor westaka‘a
n;l b;∂ni ‘endroujiunize ;u yene∫afize% ∫a\te w;ra der;l
;u inqe iuran sertame terten=alis a n;l ouran
a[katouj;an wara% park sasaw kancala mofin% or giu
iuran per‘ezani dartize! Brdan mofe nerwafala sero ;u
afalaja^ ou#nces nixam an]aniz! Felawourin =oune of ou
dou[ a enk;l ;u afal a ja^ qixandour ou=a\em kancal% or
gius fok forxne ∫a\te bezerzanis% deris \onsis waran!

b. transcription
Hĕlavurĕ ew mohĕ
Muyn hĕlavur mord meshumĕ21 p‘ayt a nel kĕtarats ew horznĕ
kapats, dĕrets yonsin,22 tanam ton: Ibor vĕstakatsa nel beṙni
tsĕndrut‘iwnits‘ĕ ew chĕnĕp‘ahits‘ĕ, p‘aytĕ ver a dĕrel ew ink‘ĕ üran
sĕrtamĕ tĕrtĕnjalis a nel üran aghkatut‘ean vara, park 23 sasav 24

19 Hrach‘ya Achaṙian, “K‘nnut‘iwn Nor Jughayi Barbaṙi,” [Study of the

New Julfa Dialect] (Yerevan: State University Press, 1940).
20 Patkanov, Izsledovanie o dialektax‘ armjanskago jazyka.
21 meš-um-ĕ = forest-locative-definite, from the common Armenian
dialectal form for ‘forest’, meša (cf. Azeri mešä, Turkmen meše).
22 yons-i-n = SEA us-i-n ‘shoulder-genitive-definite’. The n in the Zok
form may be a preservation of the nasal in the Indo-European ancestor of
this word, *omso-, or it may be the same sort of pre-strident nasal insertion
that we see in non-standard dialect forms like mendz ‘big’ (< mets). Cf. also
Zok unch‘ ‘no(t)’ < och‘ in footnote 21.
23 park (Achaṙian, K‘nnut‘iwn Agulisi Barbaṙi, has park‘) = SEA pirk
‘strong, loud’.
10 Studies in Honor of Dickran Kouymjian

kanch‘ala mohin, or gü üran pĕrtsĕts‘ani dartits‘ĕ: Bĕrdan 25 mohĕ

nĕrvahala26 sĕro ew ahalat‘a` u#nch‘ĕs nizam andzanits‘: Hĕlavurin
junĕ oh u dugh a ĕnkel ew ahal a t‘a` k‘izandur27 ujayĕm28 kanch‘al,
or güs hok29 horznĕ p‘aytĕ bĕts‘ĕrts‘anis,30 dĕris yonsis varan:

c. translation
The Old Man and Death
An old man had cut wood in the forest and bound it as firewood.
He put it on his shoulder and took it home. When he had become
tired from the weight and the journey, he put the wood down and
grieved in his heart at his poverty. He began to call loudly to Death,
that it come and free him of his pain. Suddenly, Death appeared to
him and said: “What do you want from me?” The old man’s soul fell
into fear and trembling, and he said: “I called you so that you would
come and take this load of wood and put it back on my shoulder.”

(6) The dog and the thief, from Patkanov 31

a. text
<one ;u gou[e
Qe,aran gou[e foz a giz;l ,oun a∂acq% or ∫;rxi%
\arab kafil a deronaw .abil nero& ama ,one afalaja^
a\* mord% dou ma\tkes naram or am louxes kapis% or is
facimounc amta\ris .a\rin ou=a% ama ,ot .abwames%
andour or qou sti b;[a∫il ara‘ e[kojiunizd nerwalis a%
or matama orjoun menom or dou kharis ounc wenas tos!

b. transcription
Shunĕ ew gughĕ

24 sas-av = sas ‘voice’ (also used in Karabagh dialects, from Turkic säs
‘mouth’) + instrumental -av.
25 bĕrdan (from Turkish birden ‘suddenly’) = Std. Arm. mekēn.
26 nĕrvahal a = SEA erewel ē ‘appeared’.
27 k‘izandur = Std. Arm. k‘ez andur ‘you-for.that’.
28 ucha-y-ĕm = ucha ‘for’ + ĕm ‘I am’, with epenthetic -y- inserted to break
the vowel hiatus.
29 hok ‘this’.
30 Bĕts‘ĕrts‘anis = Class. Arm. bardzrats‘anes ‘you (sg.) raise’.
31 Patkanov, Izsledovanie o dialektax‘ armjanskago jazyka.
 Bert Vaux 11

K‘ĕsharan gughĕ hots‘ a gits‘el shun aṙach‘k‘, or p‘erzi,32 yarab

kähil33 a dĕronav khabil nĕro. ama shonĕ ahal a t‘a` áy mórd, dü
35
maytkĕs naram34 or am lüzĕs kapis, or is hach‘im unch‘ am tayris
khayrin uja,36 ama shot khabvamĕs, andur or37 k‘u sti beghap‘il arats
ĕghkotyunits‘ĕd38 nĕrvalis a, or matam a39 ort‘un40 mĕnom or du
käris unch‘ vĕnas tos:

c. translation
The dog and the thief
At night the thief threw bread in front of a dog so that [the dog]
might try it and [the thief] be able thereby to deceive him. But the
dog said, O man, you think you can bind my tongue that I not bark
for my master’s benefit, but you are quite deceived, since from your
sudden false kindness it appears that I have to stay awake so that you
are unable to do harm.

(7) The frog and the ox, from Patkanov41

a. text
G\a∂nouke ;u ixne
G\a∂nouke exafal a or ixni counq da∂na\% skes;l a
e∂ofnil% g\a∂noukin ]høge ferot a tew;l iuran more% or at
banize fe∂ana& ama no al niuri skes;la e∂ofnil% ]høge
sas aral ja* diu ye[wis al ixnin fesanal cis!
Irinqinyin al nouri g\a∂nouke e∂ofal a ;u ye[w;l!

32 p‘erzi = SEA p‘ordzē ‘try. subjunctive. 3rd. singular’.

33 kähil = Class. Arm. karenal ‘be able to’.
34 dü maytk əs naram = ‘you think’. Note the application of Achaṙian’s
Law in du ‘you (sg.)’ > dü. maytk = Std. Arm. mitk‘ ‘mind’, naram = SEA
anum ‘do’.
35 hach‘im unch‘ = Std. Arm. hach‘em och‘ ‘I don’t bark (subjunctive)’.
36 am tayris khayrin uja – literally ‘for the good of my master’. am = Std.
im ‘my’, tayr = Std. tēr ‘lord’, khayr = dialectal kher ‘good’, uja = ‘for’.
37 andur or ‘since’.
38 ĕghkot‘yun = Std. Arm. aghekut‘yun ‘kindness’.
39 matam a ‘it is necessary’. Ačařyan 1935 has mätäm ä.
40 ort‘un = Std. Arm. art‘un ‘awake’.
41 Patkanov, Izsledovanie o dialektax‘ armjanskago jazyka.
12 Studies in Honor of Dickran Kouymjian

b. transcription
Gyaṙnukĕ42 ew iznĕ
Gyaṙnukĕ ĕzahal a43 or izni ch‘unk‘ daṙna, skĕsel a ĕṙohnil.44
g aṙnukin dzögĕ45 hĕrot46 a tĕvel üran morĕ, or at banits‘ĕ hĕṙana.
y

ama no al nüri 47 skĕsel a ĕṙohnil. dzögĕ sas aral t‘á dü chĕghvis48 al

iznin hĕsanal ch‘is: Irik‘inchin 49 al nüri gyaṙnukĕ ĕṙohal a ev
chĕghvel:

c. translation
The frog and the ox
The frog wanted to be like an ox, so it began to swell up. The
frog’s child advised its mother to stay away from such a thing, but
the frog began to swell up again. The child called out: you’ll burst
and still not attain the ox’s [size]. On the third try the frog swelled
up again and burst.

(8) Two friends, from Patkanov 50

a. text
Arkou barikam yena∫afen n;l n;lis& serouz e∂astakal
mou\ne or=& serouz mou\ne ,ot wira ;lal ‘a∂i waran% or
ounca iuran .ajo ce giu% an mou\n enal ma\tn a baral or%
or=e ma∂a‘ ou.manin dipil ci% g\atnin waran ]egafal a%
\ani ja* ma∂a‘ a! Or=e metekafal a nero derour tew;l%
barane der;l a nero beranin ;u enkeynarin waran& ibor

42 Gyáṙnuk = Std. Arm. gortnuk ‘frog’.

43 ĕzahal a ‘wanted’ = (as it were) Std. Arm. uzatsats ē.
44 ĕṙohnil = Std. Arm. uṙch‘il ‘swell up’.
45 dzög = SEA dzag ‘offspring’, with the regular Zok sound changes of
rounding of a to o in stressed syllable and fronting of the vowel after a
voiced obstruent (Achaṙian’s Law).
46 hĕrot = Std. khrat ‘advice’.
47 nüri = SWA norēn ‘again’?
48 chĕghvis ‘you (sg.) burst/split (subjunctive)’ = Std. chegh(k)es.
49 irik‘inch‘in ‘third’ = irik‘ ‘3’ + the Turkish ordinal suffix -inci ‘-rd’ + the
Armenian definite article -n.
50 Patkanov, Izsledovanie o dialektax‘ armjanskago jazyka.
 Bert Vaux 13

tafal a or eski na∫as ce tous g;lis& jou[ a aral%

fe∂afal! |atnan an mou\n fengire or ‘a∂ize w;ra akal%
serfoaniz ferzafal a ja^ or=e an ounca afal sero enkyin&
so\al =e[ob a tew;l ja^ or=e an] ferot tew;l ja^ an
ou.manin an] dost ci \imanam% ibor ∫;rxa‘ cim am
q\amba.tejiunis mace!

b. transcription
Arku barikam chĕnap‘ahĕn nel nelis. sĕruts‘ ĕṙastakal51 muynĕ
orj. Sĕruts‘ muynĕ shot vira elal tsaṙi varan, or unch‘a üran khat‘o 52
ch‘ĕ gü. an muyn ĕnal maytn a baral or, orjĕ maṙats53 ukhmanin 54
dipil ch‘i, gyatnin varan dzĕgahal a, yani t‘á maṙats a: Orjĕ
mĕtĕkahal a55 nĕro dĕrur tĕvel,56 baranĕ dĕrel a nĕro bĕranin ew
ĕnkĕchnarin 57 varan. ibor tahal a or ĕski nap‘as58 ch‘ĕ dus gelis,
t‘ugh a aral, hĕṙahal: Yatnan 59 an muyn hĕngirĕ or tsaṙits‘ĕ vera akal,
sĕrohanits‘ hĕrts‘ahal a t‘a` orjĕ an unch‘ a ahal sĕro ĕnkchin. soyal60
jĕghob a tĕvel ta` orjĕ andz hĕrot tĕvel t‘a` an ukhmanin andz dost
ch‘i yimanam, ibor p‘erzats ch‘im am kyambakhtĕt‘yunis mach‘ĕ:

c. translation
Two friends
Two friends were walking on the road. A bear encountered them.
One of them quickly went up a tree, so that it might not reach him.
The other one had the thought that a bear would not touch a corpse.
He cast himself upon the ground as if he were dead. The bear

51 ĕṙast akal < ṙast ‘encounter, meeting’ + akal = SEA ekel ‘come.ppl.’.
52 khat‘o = Arabic ħattā ‘until, up to’.
53 maṙats, literally ‘dead’, here = ‘corpse’.
54 ukhman = Std. Arm. ok‘min, omn ‘one, a certain one’.
55 mĕtĕkahal a = SEA motkats‘el ē ‘approached’.
56 dĕrur tĕvel ‘moved’, from Classical Arm. ĕnd irear tal (cf. New Julfa
dirur tal, Karabagh tü’rür tal).
57 ĕnkĕj-nar-i-n ‘ear-pl.-genitive-definite’.
58 nap‘as < Arabic/Persian nafas ‘breath’.
59 yatnan = SEA yetnits‘ ‘afterwards’. (Note that Zok uses the
“Western”/Classical ablative -ē (> -a).
60 so-y-al = SWA sa al ‘he too’.
14 Studies in Honor of Dickran Kouymjian

approached and came up close to him, put its mouth to his mouth and
ears. When he saw that no breath at all was coming out, he left him
and went away. Afterwards his friend who was up the tree asked him
what the bear said in his ear. He replied: The bear advised me, ‘a
person cannot be known to me as a friend until I have tried him in
my misfortune.’

(9) In praise of Agulis, 19th century 61

a. text
I Gov;st Agoul;az

Ekiulise arkou ]iuri ma=i a%

Wounqn ou tanirn nro ma=ti[ terwi‘ a
Hkinariqn hl nronz korqqan enki‘ a
Giutn hl gha[i ma=ta[ize n;lis a!

Egeliziq \arg afo[ou sa\ro[ n;l%

Arti ør gourqire nrouz ,ot l;w g\awam n;l%
Artour o=a\ ør^ For a Binaro amram n;l%
Ardi ør hørtoks sarin .o[arn nafam n;l!

Ja ør <ofabase q\anti ounc n;l Egiulis%

ouw a gitam ounc a n;lil Egiulis%
so[ a,.arqam mo\n [f]ot a n;lil Egiulis
Antour fxor ton a ela‘ Egiulis!

b. transcription
I Govest Aguleats‘

ĕgülisĕ arku dzüri maji a,

vunk‘n u tanirn nro majtigh tĕrvits a,
ek‘inarik‘n 62 el nronts‘ kork‘k‘an ĕnkits a,
gütn el gäghi majtaghits‘ĕ nelis a: 63

61 Recorded by the teacher Khach‘atur Khojamireants‘ in Tiflis; held in the

HSSH state central archive, font 429, work 17, page 91. Reproduced with
glosses of thirty of the words in Argam Ayvazyan, Agulis:
patmamshakut‘ayin hushardzanner [Agulis: historico-cultural monuments]
(Yerevan, Hayastan Hratarakch‘ut‘iwn, 1984), pp. 18-19.
62 ek‘inarik‘n = Std. Arm. ayginerĕ ‘the vineyards’.
63 nelis a = SEA gnum ē ‘he/she/it goes’.
 Bert Vaux 15

ĕgĕlits‘ik‘ yarg ahoghu 64 sayrogh 65 nel,

arti or gurk‘irĕ nruts‘ shot lev gyavam nel,66
artur ojay or` Hora Binaro amram nel,67
ardi or örtoks68 sarin69 khogharn 70 naham nel: 71

t‘a or Shohabasĕ kyanti unch‘ nel72 ĕgülis,

uv a gitam unch‘ a nelil73 ĕgülis,
sogh74 ashkhark‘am muyn khot75 a nelil ĕgülis,
antur hzor76 ton a ĕlats ĕgülis:

c. translation
In praise of Agulis

Agulis is in two valleys

The monastery and houses are placed in its middle
The vineyards fall on their sides
And the river flows through the middle of the village.

Aguletsis love to recite songs

That’s why the books praised them highly

64 ahogh = SEA asogh ‘saying’.

65 sayrogh = SEA sirogh‘loving’.
66 gyavam nel = SEA govum ēin ‘they praised’.
67 The meaning of this line is unclear to me. Ayvazian 1984 glosses hora as
hayi/hayotsh ‘Armenian-gen.’, Binaro as banirn ‘things’, and amram nel as
asum en ‘they say’, but all three of these are probably incorrect.
68 örtoks = Std. Arm. ayzhm isk ‘even now, still’.
69 sarin = Std. Arm. sirun ‘lovely’.
70 kho[gh]arn = Std. Arm. khaghern ‘games’.
71 naham nel = SEA asum ēin ‘they said’.
72 k‘ranti unch‘ nel = Std. Arm. ch‘k‘ander, ch‘averer ‘hadn’t destroyed’.
73 unch‘ a nelil = SEA inch kliner ‘what would have been’.
74 sogh = Std. Arm. hamayn ‘all’; from Turkish sağ.
75 khot = Std. Arm. hat ‘unit, piece’.
76 hzor = Std. Arm. hazar ‘1000’.
16 Studies in Honor of Dickran Kouymjian

And Hora Binaro […???]

That’s why even now they talk about its beautiful games.

If Shah ’Abbas hadn’t destroyed Agulis

Who knows what Agulis might have been
In the entire world there was only one Agulis
That Agulis of a thousand homes.

(10) Our endangered homeland, by Harut‘yun T‘umanyan (from

Achaṙian 77)
a. text
Mir feg\ada∂n wajane

0fi ma=in% mofi ma=in

Mir wajane l;lis a&
Owman ciko% qomag ari
S;w .eb;re g\;lis a!

<o∂ a tew;‘
Mir e,.arqi ouloure%
Faramiq aka‘ lezw;z
Mir axgi courq bouloure!

Ekenlousi% me,tele[i%
joxa k\anqi g\arounqin^
s;w me∂o= a% jo.p a aka‘
k;twa‘ fa\oz \;rkenqin!

Dou,mounn aka‘% ca∫mi, naram%

Mir o=a[e q]andam a%
Fa\i yeroge fengezanam%
A,.arq ernow narkam a!

Mix k\anq tewo[% mix ,ounc tewou[

Xokestoune ma∂nam a%
Nor eq% nor eq% q\amba.t xokar%
<out fesafiq-ma∂nam a!

Joumananaz Farej\oun

77 Achaṙian, K‘nnut‘iwn Agulisi Barbari.

 Bert Vaux 17

In fear, in death
Our homeland weeps
No one is there, I made a mound
Black tidings come

It is turned away and twisted

The turbulence of our land
Brigands have come and filled
All four corners of our nation

In the spring of good news, good fortune, and fresh life

A black fog and a cloud have come
and clumped over the Armenian sky

The enemy has come and is pillaging

He is destroying our home
The candle of the Armenian wanes
The land is dyed with blood

Giver of life to us, giver of breath

Zokastan is dying
Come back, o ill-starred Zoks
Arrive quickly--it is dying.

The following translation of the Lord’s Prayer was collected

from Mr. Melik-Moussian in 1995. This is the lone sample for which
I have been able to indicate the position of word stress, as I have a
recording of Mr. Melik-Moussian reading it.

(11) The Lord’s Prayer

anoun for ;u ørjø ;u øqo\n ser∫ø amm;n! mir a∫i ør
;rkenqoumes% sour∫ nhan qou anounou& qou jaqaworouj\oune
mir wharin menø mi,t% famman ezhafha‘ej katarwi% ourti
;rkenqoumn% anti hal ;rkri wharin! Mir orwa foze fesani
mix% ;u jou[ mi,t mix partakan% or miq hal portq
cemenonq mirouz% ;u mi,t mix fha∂i phafis cariz% mhanhak
∫erkis carouj\ouniz& qani or e,.arqames jaqaworouj\ounou%
ouvou% nan patiwe% qounn a mi,t! amm;n!
18 Studies in Honor of Dickran Kouymjian

b. transcription
ánun hor yev ort‘ó yev ok‘úyn sĕrp‘ó amen. mir ap‘í or
yerkĕnk‘úmnĕs, surp‘ nän k‘u ánunu. k‘u t‘ak‘avorut‘yúnĕ mir värín
mĕno misht, hamman ĕzähätsĕt‘ katarvi, úrti yerkĕnk‘úmn, ánti äl
yerkrí värín: mir orva hots‘ĕ hĕsáni miz, yev t‘ugh misht miz
partakan, or mik‘ äl portk‘ ch‘ĕmĕnonk‘ miruts‘, yev misht miz hä´ři
pähis ch‘arits‘, mänäk p‘ĕrkis ch‘arut‘yúnits‘, k‘ani or
ĕshkhárk‘amĕs t‘ak‘avorut‘yúnu, úzhu, nän pátivĕ, k‘unn a misht:
ammen:

c. translation
[In the] name of [the] father and of [the] son and of the holy spirit,
amen. Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name. Thy
kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. Give us
this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, As we
forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into
temptation, But deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and
the power, and the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

(12) Excerpt translated from Hovhannēs T‘umanyan’s The Little

Fisherman (Melik-Moussian78)

a. text
>;[y Oura,ima% \imafal ci ør =ofilouj;an ga[tniqe =adou
aroua‘ sandou[i man=in ha hlha‘ bndou;‘% ør tou;‘ ha n;l
irhan ‘øwi takin aprou[ na.,out Shn-Ninin! Jijiw
.;lqhaw w∂ax-w∂ax b;z ha aral sandoure ;u amman biun
krzafal! +rkou;l a =øfil ;u ;rkar k;anqiz ;u ba.tauor
apr;lou wa\;lqiz! Fama no sa\rou[% axniu sart øni n;l ;u
nhafhal ha irha srtin ;atqiz! At a patya∂e% ør minc;u
frdio hal :aponakan ;rkrou me∂afa‘ cin Ouri,ima\in% ;u
nro ga[tni patmoujiune! :u ,ot t;[;rham nrø pa,tamen
andour fhati ør% minc;u angam astoua‘n;ri anfog
a,.aram% Shn-Ninii nmoun ,a.,outin se\r;lou wa.tam al%
mo∂afal ci irha faraxatn;rin ;u irha a.qat whajhane!

b. transliteration
Kheghch Urashima, yimahal ch‘i or johilut‘yan gaghtnik‘ĕ jadu
arvats sandughi manjin ä eläts bĕndvets, or tĕvets ä nel irän tsovi

78 Melik-Moussian, Agulis/Igülis.
 Bert Vaux 19

takin aprugh nakhshut Sen-Ninin: t‘it‘iv khelk‘äv vĕṙaz-vĕṙaz bets‘ ä

aral sandughĕ ew amman bün kĕrts‘ahal: Zĕrkvel ä johil yev yerkar
kyank‘its‘ yev bakhtavor aprelu vayelk‘its‘: Hama no sayrugh, azniv
sart oni nel yev nähäl ä irä sĕrtin yatk‘its‘: At a patchaṙĕ, or
minch‘ev hĕrdö äl Yaponakan yerkru mĕṙahats ch‘in Urashimayin,
yev nĕró gaghtni patmut‘yunĕ: Yev shot tegheräm nĕro pashtamĕn
andur häti or, minch‘ev angam astvatsneri anhog ashkharam, Sen-
Ninii nĕmun nakhshutin sĕyrelu vakhtam al, mořahal ch‘i irä
harazatnerin yev irä akhk‘at vät‘änĕ:

c. translation
Poor Urashima didn’t know that the secret of youth was bound up in
the magic box, which had been given to him by the beautiful Sen-
Nini, who lived under the sea. With a light mind he impatiently
opened the box and lost everything. He was deprived of youth, long
life, and the enjoyment of living happily. But he had a kind and
loving heart, and he went after his heart. This is the reason why even
up to the present day in Japan they have not forgotten Urashima and
his secret history. And in many places they worship him for this
reason, that even in the carefree realm of the gods, loving a beauty
like Sen-Nini, he did not forget his family and his poor homeland.