Author: David Nargizian

Asbarez – In collaboration with Salmast Heritage Association (SHA), Cambridge Professor of Linguistics, Bert Vaux, conducted a week-long research project on the dialect of Salmast, also believed to be the language of Historic Armenia.

The SHA identified nine Salmasttsi speakers of the dialect, arranged for appropriate space and technological support for interviews, and recorded individual and group sessions. The research subjects were from Haftvan, Mahlam, Sarna, Payajuke, and Akhtkhan. Dr. Vaux studied phonetic as well as written vocabulary words and sentences, and recorded the variations between regional definitions and pronunciations. The totality of the information they shared was qualified as “priceless,” as native speakers of the dialect are aging and not easily accessible. Most importantly, the week-long field work on the Salmast dialect showed that many of the words and definitions brought to light by the nine Salmasttsi interviewees are not found in Muradyan’s dictionary, the foremost authority on Armenian dialects.

Linguistics Professor Vaux received his PhD from Harvard where he taught for nine years. He is an internationally recognized expert in his field, is fluent in several languages including Armenian, and has published several textbooks and numerous papers on such topics as Historical Linguistics, Phonology, Dialectology and related subjects. He enjoys working with native speakers to document endangered languages, especially dialects of Armenian, Abkhaz, and English.

Dr. Vaux’ partial list of publications includes: The Phonology of Armenian; The Armenian Dialect of New Julfa, Isfahan; Eastern Armenian, A Textbook; A Textbook of Western Armenian; Hamshetsma: The Language of the Armenians of Hamshen; The Armenian Dialect of Khodorjur; Vowel Harmony in the Armenian Dialect of Marash; Syllabification in Armenian, Universal Grammar and the Lexicon; Armenian Encyclopedia of Languages and Linguistics and more.

PHOTO: AFP/GETTY

 

The Duke of Edinburgh is retiring from royal duties this autumn, Buckingham Palace has announced, the BBC reports.

The decision was made by Prince Philip himself and is supported by the Queen, a palace spokesman said.

The duke, who turns 96 next month, will attend previously scheduled engagements between now and August but will not accept new invitations.

The Queen “will continue to carry out a full programme of official engagements”, the palace said.

The duke carried out 110 days of engagements in 2016, making him the fifth busiest member of the royal family, according to Court Circular listings.

He is patron, president or a member of more than 780 organisations and will continue to be associated with them, but “will no longer play an active role by attending engagements”, Buckingham Palace said.

In the statement, the spokesman said the duke “may still choose to attend certain public events from time to time”.

Hollywood producer Ralph Winter is encouraging Christians to watch the Armenian genocide film “The Promise” because it highlights the persecution that is still happening across the globe today.

Winter, a devout Christian who has worked on Hollywood mega-blockbusters such as 1984’s “Star Trek: The Search for Spock” and the “X-Men” franchise, says that he got involved with the film because he was captivated by the love story after he read the screenplay.

The Hollywood producer has been vocal about his Christian faith, and he was also behind several faith-based films, including “Three,” “House,” and “Left Behind.”

He said that “The Promise” is an important story for the faith community because of its emphasis on persecution.

“It’s about persecution, and it’s persecution that hasn’t gone away and is still happening today,” Winter said in an interview with .

“In the 20th century, this genocide of a million and a half people in Armenia is the most modern indicator that if we don’t learn our lesson, if we don’t pay attention, if we don’t fight back against this, it’s just going to continue to happen,” he added.

Winter, whose birthday coincides with the day that commemorates the genocide, said that he had participated in genocide rallies in Hollywood and Los Angeles. He is hoping that the film would help the Armenians “get the recognition they deserve.”

Directed by Terry George, “The Promise” stars Christian Bale, Oscar Isaac, and Charlotte Le Bon. The film is scheduled to hit the theaters across the U.S. on April 21.

 

On April 18, the five American Corners in Armenia – in Yerevan, Gyumri, Vanadzor, Charentsavan, and Kapan – celebrated Armenia’s National Library Week by organizing a reading marathon of Mark Twain’s classic novel “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” with participants from throughout the country.

Dozens of community leaders, literary figures, library patrons, and students joined U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Richard Mills, Jr. and his spouse Leigh – a former librarian herself  —  for the all-day marathon, with guests from all five American Corners connected via videoconference as each particiapantread a five-minute excerpt of the novel out loud.

“The story of Mark Twain is a story of the American Dream,” Ambassador Mills said. “Having started with very little, he became a famous author whose works are read and enjoyed all over the world, and whose characters – Tom Sawyer, Huckleberry Finn – have become symbols of American life and the values Americans treasure – freedom, questioning authority, and ultimately our belief in every American’s personal dignity. And while Twain’s success is due to his hard work, talent, and motivation, his local library also played an important role in his career. Twain left school at the age of 12 and thereafter educated himself in public libraries in the evenings, where he said he was able to find wider information than at conventional schools. The example of Twain illustrates the important role that a library can play in a person’s life.”

National Library Week is celebrated in Armenia April 17-23. This year Armenia’s libraries are using the occasion to honor the 25^th anniversary of the establishment of the Armenian Army. In the United States, which celebrated National Library Week last week, April 9-15, this year’s theme was theme “Libraries Transform.”

“This theme – that libraries transform – is a fitting way to think about the role of libraries in our communities,” Ambassador Mills said. “In many cases, they are being physically transformed, becoming more and more spaces that provide hands-on access to – and instruction in – cutting-edge technology. And by providing free access to a wide range of books, journalis, and online resources, they can transform people’s lives, helping them build their knowledge and skills to take advantage of greater educational and professional opportunities. This is especially true of our five American Corners.”

There are five American Corners in Armenia – in Yerevan, Gyumri, Vanadzor, Charentsavan, and Kapan. Last year, a record number of Armenians visited the five Corners for free English lessons, access to English-language books and DVDs, children’s activities, college and university advising, and access to technology such as computers, internet, and 3D printers.

The Russian Investigative Committee has identified Kyrgyzstan native Akbarzhon Dzhalilov, 22, as suicide bomber, who blew himself up in  Saint Petersburg metro on Monday, killing 14 and injuring dozens of people, Sputnik reports.

“The investigation established the identity of the man who carried out an explosion in the metro train carriage in St. Petersburg. It was Akbarzhon Dzhalilov, born on 01.04.1995,” committee spokeswoman Svetlana Petrenko told reporters.

Hovig, who represents Cyprus at Eurovision 2017, follows Germany’s Levina to accept a challenge to sing an Armenian song.

Hovig shared a Video of him singing the Armenian song “Yeraz im hayreni” (My Dream Homeland) by Robert Amirkhanyan.

“Thank you for challenging me and giving me the opportunity to sing one of my favorite Armenian songs,” Hovig said in a message.

Armenia’s entrant Artsvik earlier performed a German song “Das Wandern ist des Müllers Lust” and challenged Germany’s Levina, who sang Armenian folk song “Kakavik”

Artsvik later performed a popular Cypriot song Το γιασεμίν (The Jasmine) and chllenged Hovig, who is of Armenian descent.

Artsvik says Eurovision 2017 theme “Celebrate Diversity” inspired her to launch the series of covers. She’s challenging artists from around Europe to perform their own covers of Armenian folk songs of their choice.

Photo: AFP    

A Federal judge in Hawaii has blocked President Donald Trump’s new travel ban, hours before it was due to begin at midnight on Thursday.

US District Judge Derrick Watson cited “questionable evidence” in the government’s argument that the ban was a matter of national security.

President Trump described the ruling as “unprecedented judicial overreach”.

The order would have placed a 90-day ban on people from six mainly Muslim nations and a 120-day ban on refugees.

Mr Trump insists the move is to stop terrorists from entering the US but critics say it is discriminatory.

An earlier version of the order, issued in late January, sparked confusion and protests, and was blocked by a judge in Seattle.

On March 1, 2017, in accordance with the arrangement reached with the authorities of the Republic of Artsakh, the OSCE Mission conducted a planned monitoring of the Line of Contact between the armed forces of Artsakh and Azerbaijan, in the direction of the Askeran region, near the settlement of Shykhlyar.

From the positions of the Defense Army of the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh Republic), the monitoring was conducted by Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk and his Field Assistants Ghenadie Petrica (Moldova) and Khristo Khristov (Bulgaria).

From the opposite side of the Line of Contact, the monitoring was conducted by Field Assistant to the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Jiri Aberle (Czech Republic), staff member of the Office of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Peter Svedberg (Sweden), and Personal Assistant to the CiO Personal Representative Simon Tiller (Great Britain).

The monitoring passed in accordance with the agreed schedule. No violation of the cease-fire regime was registered. However, the Azerbaijani side did not lead the OSCE mission to its front-line positions.

From the Artsakh side, the monitoring mission was accompanied by representatives of the Republic of Artsakh Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Defense.

The Azerbaijani side violated the ceasefire about 20 times at the line of contact with the Karabakh forces last night, the NKR Defense Ministry reports.

The rival used firearms of different calibers as it fired over 50 shots in the direction of the Armenian positions.

The front divisions of the NKR Defense Army keep control of the operational-tactical situation at the frontline and confidently continue with their military duty, the Ministry said.

The Deputy Prosecutor General of Belarus has decided to satisfy the request of the Prosecutor General of Azerbaijan on the extradition of Russian-Israeli blogger Alexander Lapshin, Chairman of the Armenian Chamber of Advocates

The ruling can be appealed within ten days, he said.

The Armenian Chamber of Advocates has set up a task force to provide professional assistance to Alexander Lapshin within the limits of its capacity.