Learning Armenian Online

Birthright Armenia has created the "Depi Hayk" Eastern Armenian language tutorial on its website.

The Depi Hayk on-line tutorial is by far the most exciting component of the list of meaningful tools and resources Birthright Armenia offers to enhance the Homeland experience. Birthright Armenia collaborated with the Arlex International Ltd. team, led by Arlex founder, linguist and attorney Thomas J. Samuelian, on preparing the first phase of the planned three-level on-line language tutorial. The development team consisted of 15 young, talented Armenian professionals, including programmers, artists, actors, musicians, singers, teachers, students, and editors. Dr. Samuelian is the author of the classic two-volume Course in Western Armenian, first published in 1988, as well as team leader for the Discover Armenian computer-assisted Western Armenian language-learning program, recently released by the C.A.K.E. foundation (www.discoverarmenian.com).

The Depi Hayk on-line tutorial is by far the most exciting component of the list of meaningful tools and resources Birthright Armenia offers to enhance the Homeland experience. Birthright Armenia collaborated with the Arlex International Ltd. team, led by Arlex founder, linguist and attorney Thomas J. Samuelian, on preparing the first phase of the planned three-level on-line language tutorial. The development team consisted of 15 young, talented Armenian professionals, including programmers, artists, actors, musicians, singers, teachers, students,
and editors. Dr. Samuelian is the author of the classic two-volume
Course in Western Armenian, first published in 1988, as well as team leader for the Discover Armenian computer-assisted Western Armenian language-learning program, recently released by the C.A.K.E. foundation ().

The Depi Hayk on-line course aims to help learners achieve a basic proficiency in Eastern Armenian. The main goal of this short course is to provide pre-service qualification for the Birthright Armenia sponsored 8-week stays in Armenia. However, consistent with its non-profit objectives, Birthright Armenia is committed to offering access to all others who are interested in learning Eastern Armenian. Tourists, business people, government employees, international agency employees, non-profit organizations who do business in Armenia, diasporans across the globe and Birthright Armenia participants alike can benefit.

" I believe that having a basic understanding of Armenian, especially in the local dialect, helps make one's trip to the homeland so much more meaningful and the overall impact of such a trip all the more emotionally powerful", says Edele Hovnanian, founder of Birthright Armenia. "Having at least basic fluency ensures that one can have greater interaction with local counterparts and thus get a truer sense of what life is like there. It allows one to feel a part of the country and not as an outsider. For those who travel to Armenia on a Birthright travel fellowship, providing a free and easy method to gain such basic fluency is an important first step in ensuring an "immersion" style homeland experience, which Birthright is promoting", adds Hovnanian.

The timing of the language tutorial's launch in early May coincides with the summer program participants' pre-Armenia preparation. Each Birthright Armenia participant begins pre-departure preparation with an interactive on-line tutorial, complete with graphic interface, guiding
them through Hayk, the ancient Armenian name for Armenia. At the end
of the course, successful students receive a certificate in partial fulfillment of the language proficiency requirement for the Birthright Armenia program.

The tutorial comes complete with on-line testing capability and focuses on communication skills. The program includes 12 on-line lessons, covering vocabulary, dialogues, grammar, reading, exercises, songs, and
tests to gauge each participant's progress. The course has a separate
alphabet tutorial, talking dictionary, thematic vocabulary builder, and
a songbook, with lyrics and notes, as well as a phrasebook. The course
even has a slang section to help Western Armenian speakers as well as new learners, grasp the nuances of colloquial Eastern Armenian. The situational dialogues, practical, yet memorable and often humorous, were written and recorded by native speakers, giving an authentic flavor of Armenian as it is spoken today in Armenia.

Novice, or basic-level proficiency, should be achievable by most users upon completion of 150 hours of Depi Hayk's online tutorial. Most importantly, upon their arrival in Armenia, young diasporan adults will be ready to communicate, including being able to ask and respond to simple questions about the most common features of daily life. As they begin to carry out their rewarding community service, their communication skills will improve, building on their knowledge and enhancing their overall immersion experience by being better able to communicate with their Armenian counterparts.

Those interested in supporting the development of phases two (intermediate proficiency) and three (advanced proficiency) of the Depi Hayk Eastern Armenian language tutorial, please contact Birthright Armenia at (610) 291-2165 or via email at info@birthrightarmenia.org.

Birthright Armenia's mission is to strengthen ties between the homeland and diasporan youth by affording them an opportunity to be a part of Armenia's daily life and to contribute to Armenia's development through work, study and volunteer experiences, while developing a renewed sense of Armenian identity. This is accomplished by supporting and complementing the initiatives of existing diasporan organizations that offer youth programs in Armenia, and encouraging them to expand their offerings in depth and breath. Birthright Armenia assists with travel fellowships, language instruction, in-country seminars, orientation and excursions in exchange for community service in Armenia.

Posted by Matt on May 14, 2004 | TrackBack | Email to a friend