‘He Wasn’t Able to Understand What I Was Saying’: The Experiences of Returnees’ Speaking Western Armenian in ‘Eastern’ Armenia

Karamanian, AS

‘He Wasn’t Able to Understand What I Was Saying’: The Experiences of Returnees’ Speaking Western Armenian in ‘Eastern’ Armenia

Karamanian, AS

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Publisher:: University of Technology, Sydney (UTS)
Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: PORTAL Journal of Multidisciplinary International Studies, 16, (1-2), pp. 120-140

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Karamanian, AS
dc.date.accessioned	2020-06-04T20:59:54Z
dc.date.available	2020-06-04T20:59:54Z
dc.identifier.citation	PORTAL Journal of Multidisciplinary International Studies, 16, (1-2), pp. 120-140
dc.identifier.issn	1449-2490
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/141096
dc.description.abstract	<jats:p>Since Armenia’s independence in 1991, thousands of diasporans have made the decision to return and settle in the ancestral homeland. The returnees, who speak Western Armenian, one of the two standardised forms of modern Armenian, are switching to the use of Eastern Armenian, the official variant of the homeland. Using two determinants of language perception—standardisation and vitality—this paper analyses the reactions received by thirty returnees who emigrated from nine countries, when speaking Western Armenian to an Eastern Armenian-speaking society. The vitality of the language shows signs of increasing through an encouragement by locals aware of the language’s historical significance, and an admiration of its ‘beauty’ and terminology. A heightened vitality has led returnees to feel confident about its use during social interactions and the possibility of the standard being incorporated into the nation’s linguistic narrative. However, confusion and ridicule due to a differing pronunciation, vocabulary, terminology, and the inability to be understood by some in Armenian society, has led to discomfort by returnees who are shifting to the usage of Eastern Armenian. At present, the use of Western Armenian in the homeland remains within the confines of family, friends and returnee circles. Despite the changing status of Western Armenian through a notable welcoming of the language into the linguistic narrative of the country, some segments of Armenian society do not perceive Western Armenian as an acceptable standard for broader use in Armenian society and national institutions. The homeland’s inconsistent, and at times questionable, acceptance of the language perpetuates the status quo that Western Armenian remains an unacceptable standard within the homeland and for use only in the diaspora.</jats:p>
dc.language	en
dc.publisher	University of Technology, Sydney (UTS)
dc.relation.ispartof	PORTAL Journal of Multidisciplinary International Studies
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.5130/pjmis.v16i1-2.6290
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
dc.subject	2002 Cultural Studies, 2005 Literary Studies
dc.title	‘He Wasn’t Able to Understand What I Was Saying’: The Experiences of Returnees’ Speaking Western Armenian in ‘Eastern’ Armenia
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	16
utslib.for	2002 Cultural Studies
utslib.for	2005 Literary Studies
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
utslib.copyright.status	open_access	*
dc.date.updated	2020-06-04T20:59:51Z
pubs.issue	1-2
pubs.publication-status	Published online
pubs.volume	16
utslib.start-page	120
utslib.citation.issue	1-2

Abstract:

Since Armenia’s independence in 1991, thousands of diasporans have made the decision to return and settle in the ancestral homeland. The returnees, who speak Western Armenian, one of the two standardised forms of modern Armenian, are switching to the use of Eastern Armenian, the official variant of the homeland. Using two determinants of language perception—standardisation and vitality—this paper analyses the reactions received by thirty returnees who emigrated from nine countries, when speaking Western Armenian to an Eastern Armenian-speaking society. The vitality of the language shows signs of increasing through an encouragement by locals aware of the language’s historical significance, and an admiration of its ‘beauty’ and terminology. A heightened vitality has led returnees to feel confident about its use during social interactions and the possibility of the standard being incorporated into the nation’s linguistic narrative. However, confusion and ridicule due to a differing pronunciation, vocabulary, terminology, and the inability to be understood by some in Armenian society, has led to discomfort by returnees who are shifting to the usage of Eastern Armenian. At present, the use of Western Armenian in the homeland remains within the confines of family, friends and returnee circles. Despite the changing status of Western Armenian through a notable welcoming of the language into the linguistic narrative of the country, some segments of Armenian society do not perceive Western Armenian as an acceptable standard for broader use in Armenian society and national institutions. The homeland’s inconsistent, and at times questionable, acceptance of the language perpetuates the status quo that Western Armenian remains an unacceptable standard within the homeland and for use only in the diaspora.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/141096