When the Armenian boggles the mind.

 Vahe H Apelian

It is January 6. 

The Armenians overwhelmingly are celebrating Christmas. Most of the celebratory messages are not in Armenian, understandably so.  We have turned into a global nation and most of the Armenians live outside Armenia, in the Diaspora where they converse in the language of the greater society among which they live. Consequently the Armenian Christmas celebratory messages are expected to be in Arabic, in English, in French, in Russian, in Spanish, and in other languages too. But naturally in Armenian as well. Today, among my emails, I also came across AGBU’s bilingual Armenian Christmas celebratory message. It is posted below. 

AGBU was established in Cairo, Egypt on April 15, 1906. The AGBU website notes that right after its founding, “AGBU began its longstanding mission of service under the leadership of Boghos Nubar and Yervant Aghaton.” Indeed, it has been a stellar service to the welfare of the Armenian nation. Quoting Wikipedia:  “1906 and 1912, the AGBU provided the villagers of the Western Armenia with seeds, agricultural instruments, etc. It established schools and orphanages in Western Armenia, Cilicia and other Armenian-populated regions of the Ottoman Empire. In 1914, AGBU had 142 branches in Western Armenia, Cilicia, USA, Argentina, Europe and Africa with 8,533 members.”

The founders of the AGBU were Western Armenians.   Its long-standing founding president Boghos Nubar Pasha (1906-1928), was also the Western Armenian representative at the Paris Peace Conference that was held in January 1919 at the Versailles, just outside Paris and came with the namesake treaty, the Treaty of Versailles. The Eastern Armenian representative was Vartkes Aharonian whose John Hancock – signature – graces the treaty.

AGBU's Christmas celebratory message was is in English and in Armenian. What is so strange to note having the Armenian Christmas celebratory message in Armenian? A reader rightfully may ask. Well, I meant to say that it was in the official  Armenian orthography – that is to say the conventional spelling of the Republic of Armenia, often referred to Apeghyan spelling or reformed Armenian orthography. It came about in Soviet Socialist Republic of Armenia mostly between 1922 to 1924. Phonetically it is Eastern Armenian like. But its orthography, is different. Furthermore, It is phonetically and in orthography different than the Western Armenian, often referred as traditional orthography Armenian, which - Western Armenian is the founding language of the AGBU. 

My mother taught Armenian language and literature for five decades. She was decorated with St. Mesrob Mashdotz ecclesiastical decree. In the proclamation from Etchmiadzin, the late Catholicos of All Armenians of Blessed Memory, Karekin I, noted that she kept the spoken and the written Armenian language pristine. Of course, the Catholicos was referring to the Western Armenian because that was the Armenian language she knew and was brought up with in Kessab, the all-Armenian enclave of her youth. But my Armenian spelling is poor. I used to be a voracious reader of the Armenian books our relatives sent from Soviet Armenia. My mother attributed my poor Armenian spelling to my reading books in Western Armenian also, whose orthography is often referred to as the traditional spelling, in distinction to classical Armenian  references   the old Armenian or the liturgical Armenian. I imagine what the state of mind of an Armenian wanting to learn Armenian can be.

Much has been written about the matter and quite a bit has been done to come out with a resolution, understandably it is not an easy matter to resolve. It pertains to the core of who we are and what we uphold as a cultural legacy entrusted from generation to the other. 

Boghos Nubar and Yervant Aghaton.

The only suggestion I have is for a Diaspora organization to officialize the orthography of its own Armenian language communication. Should an organization want to uphold the Western Armenian or the traditional  orthography, it should stick to it and have its communication in Western Armenian or in traditional orthography. Surely it can also have it in modern or reformed Armenian orthography as well, but not instead of their official language. The only person I know who does it consistently is the columnist, Harut Sassounian. His columns appear in English and in the two versions of the Armenian, in classical and in reformed orthography.

Surely a Diaspora organization may choose to adopt modern Armenian or reformed Armenian orthography to harmonize its Armenian communication with that of Republic of Armenia orthography for easier communication.  

Whatever the choice is, it would and should be fine. There cannot possibly be an argument against the choice the organization makes, whether it is an educational, philanthropic, political, or ecclesiastical.  After all, It is principled choice, and cannot lend itself to argument. 

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