Օտար յատուկ անունների տառադարձութեան սկզբունքները (Մասն Ա. - մերձաւորարեւելեան լեզուներ)

Abstract

The problem of transliteration of foreign proper names is more than painful for Armenians. Unlike ancient times, when Armenian was united, today a foreign word is transliterated into Armenian in three or four ways, due to the lack of canonized laws. The study is the first section of a series of articles examining the principles of transliterating various languages into Armenian. The author defines transliteration and its purpose, stating that whatever the principles and methods of transliteration, the final sounds and phonetics should not be alien to the Armenian ear and contradict the phonetic principles of the Armenian language. He notes that while transliterating one need to pay more attention to the laws of the borrowing language than to staying close to the sounds of the source language. This study is dedicated to four Middle Eastern languages, Arabic, Persian, Turkish and Azerbaijani. The principles adopted in this study give priority to the historically established traditional transliteration of classical Armenian, which is also adopted in different scientific circles of Armenia and the Armenian Diaspora. The transliteration of consonants follows the rules of the classical three-level phonetic system of the Armenian language. Using several subtleties, the author proposes a set of norms regarding a united transliteration for the above mentioned four languages. The author notes that the canonization of transliteration is a complex and multifaceted phenomenon that cannot be resolved individually. It is a long process which contributes to the strengthening and consolidation of the Armenian language. The author suggests that these issues should be approached publicly, with the joint efforts of specialists in various sciences, and that principles of transliteration should be developed, published and handed over to state language control bodies and language inspectorates. Eventually, the latter should take on the task of transforming the decisions into normative mandatory laws.