Hello everyone.
I'm new to the board, though I've been coming here on and off for a few months. Before I make my first post, let me introduce myself!
I was born (and live) in Los Angeles to immigrant parents. They are both ethnic Armenian, born and raised in Syria (though only my mom was raised in an Armenian-speaking home), so I speak Western Armenian. I also attended one of the Armenian day schools here in LA for 14 years, so I can read and write as well. Over the last several years, I've become increasingly interested in the Armenian culture, specifically the language. I love learning about its history and dialects and all that good stuff. Okay, it's kind of an obsession!!! lol I read the Armenian paper daily, I read Armenian books, etc.
Which leads to the point of my post...Part of my passion is fueled by the realization that the Western Armenian dialect specifically is nearing the end of its existence.
While Eastern Armenian has a state/government to support its longevity, the Western dialect has no such protection. Instead, speakers are scattered across the globe -- which isn't the problem in and of itself. Many languages survive without being state languages. The problem is -- assimilation.
In the West, I fear Armenian (both dialects) will no longer be used in just a few generations' time. Armenian youth in the USA, Canada, South America, Europe, even Turkey -- they have trouble maintaining the ability to speak (let alone read and write) Armenian. I was born in the US to immigrant parents and, even though I wish and I try to speak Armenian more often and better than English, it just doesn't happen. US-born Armenian youth speak English with friends, cousins, etc. And I suspect this is the same in all Western countries. And even though I had Armenian-language education for 14 years, my English capabilties are still stronger and English is still my more dominant language.
The only place that I see hope for the Western dialect is in the communities of the Middle East (Lebanon, Syria, Iraq). There, assimilation is either nonexistent or very, very slow, due to reasons I'm not entirely sure of (possibilties: they don't feel they have to or want to assimilate into a Muslim society; the countries are not as globalized; they are geographically and emotionally closer to the facts of the Genocide, etc). In any event, the new Armenian generations in the Middle-East speak Armenian all the time (and with what ease and quality!). Arabic remains a second language, or at least equal along with Armenian.
But is this enough? Will the Middle East Armenian community be able to sustain and maintain the language? Will the communities themselves remain?
That is why I have a proposal (you knew I had to be going somewhere, didn't you? lol): Establish schools, libraries, organizations, fellowships, SOMETHING in Armenia to protect the future of the Western dialect. Perhaps creating the option of studying Western Armenian as a foreign language? Or establishing a (private) school that instructs primarily in Western Armenian, like the Armenian schools across the US and Middle East, perhaps for Diasporan Armenians to send their children to should they move back to Armenia?
Or is it futile? Will Western Armenian speakers in Armenia simply "assimilate" into the Eastern dialect as occurred decades ago during the "nerkaght"?
Do any of you have any thoughts on this? Am I a bit extreme in my worries? (perhaps!! lol) Is it a useless battle to fight? Has the war already been lost?
(I want to end this with a disclaimer -- I have nothing, absolutely nothing against the Eastern dialect. In fact, I'm trying to learn verb conjugation in EA. My concern is simply with trying to secure the Western dialect, as it is very disconcerting and saddening to see it die a slow death in America and elsewhere, especially since it survived through the Genocide. Just another step on the road to the end of the "jermag chart.")
