Writing in Armenian letters in internet becomes trendy

ARKA, Armenia
Feb 7 2019

YEREVAN, February 7. /ARKA/. February 7 is marked in Armenia as the Day of Using Armenian Letters on the Internet.  It was first held in 2012, when a blogger Zohrab Yeghanyan asked Internet users to use Armenian letters instead of transliterating Armenian words in Latin and Cyrillic letters. Since then, along with the development of technology, more and more users are switching to the Armenian alphabet.

 “In fact,  writing in Armenian letters has become trendy, especially given the availability of Armenian keyboards on smartphones, tablets and other gadgets” Liana Galstyan from Internet Society public organization, told reporters on Thursday.

"Armenian users began to write more often in the Armenian language on the Internet, moreover, a reverse tendency has appeared when Russian and English words are also written in Armenian transliteration," Galstyan said.

She said the use of Latin or Cyrillic letters when writing Armenian words caused certain difficulties due to some linguistic nuances and the impossibility of transcribing some Armenian letters in other languages.

Switching to the Armenian alphabet allowed registering unprecedented advances in the technology market; in particular, the Armenian keyboard layout and applications in Armenian appeared not only on computers, but also smartphones, in the Android operating system, in Windows, and also in Apple gadgets.

Armenians began using Latin letters in the mid-90s of the 20th century, when the first mobile phones appeared in the country without Armenian keyboards. –0—

Emil Lazarian

“I should like to see any power of the world destroy this race, this small tribe of unimportant people, whose wars have all been fought and lost, whose structures have crumbled, literature is unread, music is unheard, and prayers are no more answered. Go ahead, destroy Armenia . See if you can do it. Send them into the desert without bread or water. Burn their homes and churches. Then see if they will not laugh, sing and pray again. For when two of them meet anywhere in the world, see if they will not create a New Armenia.” - WS