Official Standard

[Arpa]

It has been said numerous times; "If we can travel to the moon, why can't we fix this or the other"?

In another news item it is reported that Yerevan and Moscow are negotiating to cooperate in space exploration once again just as in the old days when Armenia was the virtual brain of technology.

And now we read the following.

It is about time.

To repeat; If Armenia can contend to participate in the space program, and they can, why is it that we still don't have a universal standard language? If 6 billion can use a single standard English text, idiom and orthography, what is the problem with 6 million Armenians, only half of which can read and write in Armenian?

Below we see one of the problems that has snagged the proposal. How to spell "u". I don't see the point. Many languages use diphthongs to produce the sound of "u", "ou", "oo" etc. Having to type a "vo" and a "hyun" to produce the sound of "u" would be my last worry. However, whether the said board does even consider the wide disparity between old orthography, new orthography, classic orthography, Soviet orthography, eastern orthography, western orthography and everything in between should be a matter of serious consideration.

Not to forget another serious matter as well, that is a standard system of transliteration, i.e. writing Armenian with Latin characters. Is it Hayastan, Hayasdan, Hyeastan or Haiasdan? Is it Yerevan, Erevan or Erivan? Is it (see below)Grigorian, Grigoryan, Krikorian? Is it Baron or Paron? This latter may the exception even if it may the key to such confusion, disparity and a terrible yet unnecessary mess.

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See the next item, "Baron/Paron" in Language.

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OFFICIAL STANDARD OF ARMENIAN LANGUAGE FOR USING IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES MAY BE APPROVED IN SUMMER

Arminfo 8 May 2002

YEREVAN -- The official standard of the Armenian language for using

in information technologies may be approved by the government by

the end of this summer. As the executive secretary of the Board on

assistance the development of information technologies of Armenia's

government Armen Grigorian informed an ARMINFO correspondent, the

main difficulty, connected with the writing of the letter "u" (in

Armenian language the letter "u" consists of two symbols) and the

absence of the official standard was connected with the

requirements of several organizations and structures of Armenia, as

well as of the Armenian diaspora. Some wanted the working off of

new writing of the letter "u", consisting of one symbol, others

came out against it. Hence this problem got ots solution and it

won's be a new symbol, which is right, Grigorian thinks. The

orthography of the language will not change as well. There are 50

fonts of Armenian language, moreover, already there is the standard

of the Armenian language, being used in the world. It took place

thanks to the efforts of the Armenian diaspora, which took an

active part in solving the problem. More attention will be drawn

to the issues of using the Armenian language during the forthcoming

forum Armenian-Diaspora at the end of May