Classical Armenian orthography

Classical Armenian orthography, traditional orthography or Mashtotsian orthography (Հայերէնի դասական ուղղագրութիւն in classical orthography and Հայերենի դասական ուղղագրություն in reformed orthography, Hayereni tasagan ughakrutyun), is the orthography that was developed by Mesrop Mashtots in the 5th century for writing Armenian and reformed during the early 20th century. Today, it is used primarily by the Armenian diaspora, including all Western Armenian speakers and Eastern Armenian speakers in Iran, which has rejected the Armenian orthography reform of Soviet Armenia during the 1920s. In the Armenian diaspora, some linguists and politicians allege political motives behind the reform of the Armenian alphabet.

Classical Armenian orthography uses 38 letters: the original 36 letters of the Armenian alphabet invented by Mesrop Mashtots during the 5th century, and the 2 additional letters included later in the Armenian alphabet during the Middle Ages.

Monophthongs
Armenian has eight monophthongs and ten symbols to represent them ($\langleա, ե, է, ը, ի, ո, օ, ու, իւ, էօ\rangle$). The pronunciation in the examples is Western Armenian. They will be shown here with International Phonetic Alphabet:


 * {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"

! rowspan="2" | ! colspan=2| Front ! rowspan=2| Central ! rowspan="2" |Back ! Unrounded || Rounded ! align="left" | Close ! align="left" | Mid !Open
 * class="nounderlines" style="text-align:center" |  $\langleի\rangle$ ||   $\langleիւ\rangle$ || || class="nounderlines" style="text-align:center" |   $\langleու\rangle$
 * class="nounderlines" style="text-align:center" |  $\langleէ, ե\rangle$ ||   $\langleէօ\rangle$|| class="nounderlines" style="text-align:center" |   $\langleը\rangle$ || class="nounderlines" style="text-align:center;" |   $\langleո, օ\rangle$
 * }
 * }
 * }
 * }
 * }

— $\langleա\rangle$, $\langleա\rangle$

 * 1) At the end of a word, is always written $\langleայ\rangle$ (never $\langleա\rangle$).  For example: Մարգարէ, Վահէ, կը վազէ.
 * 2) At the beginning of a word, is written $\langleայ\rangle$. For example: էջ, էակ.
 * 3) In the middle of a word before a vowel, is written $\langleէ\rangle$. For example: գիտէիր, գործունէութիւն.
 * 4) When followed by two consonants within a root word, is written $\langleե\rangle$. For example: ներկ, ուղերձ, խենդ, փեղկ.
 * 5) When making a noun plural, $\langleէ\rangle$ or $\langleե\rangle$ is added to the end of the noun. For example: տուփ → տուփեր, դրամ → դրամներ.
 * 6) When followed by $\langleէ\rangle$, $\langleէ\rangle$, $\langleե\rangle$, $\langleեր\rangle$, or $\langleներ\rangle$, is written $\langleլ\rangle$ (and not $\langleհ\rangle$). The following are exceptions: դէմ, վէմ and foreign proper nouns: Երուսաղէմ, Դանիէլ.

— $\langleղ\rangle$
is always written $\langleմ\rangle$. For example: ("his"/"her") is written իր.

— $\langleռ\rangle$
is always written $\langleե\rangle$. For example: ("house") is written տուն.

— $\langleէ\rangle$, epenthetical
The vowel is usually not written. For example: ("thought") is written մտածում (not մըտածում), and  ("marvelous") is written սքանչելի (not ըսքանչելի).

$\langleի\rangle$ is written in the following cases:
 * 1) At the start of a word if the following sound is a  ($\langleի\rangle$) or  ($\langleօ\rangle$). For example:  ("to choose") is written ընտրել,  ("friend") is written ընկեր,  ("defiant") is written ըմբոստ and  ("to comprehend") is written ըմբռնել.
 * 2) At the start of a word if the  vowel stems from the  or  sound. For example:  ("to desire") is written ըղձալ because it stems from the noun  ("desire", իղձ). Also,  ("to drink") is written ըմպել because it stems from the noun  ("mouthful", ումպ). It is also written in the case of the Western Armenian verbs  ("to do", ընել),  ("to say", ըսել), and  ("to be", ըլլալ).
 * 3) At the start or the middle of a monosyllabic word whose only vowel is . For example:  ("according to") is written ըստ, and  ("a" or "an", indefinite article) is written մըն.
 * 4) In derivative and compound words if their second part starts with . For example:  ("inadmissible") is written անընդունելի because it is a derivative word that is formed from the prefix  ("un-", ան-) and the root  ("admissible", ընդունելի). Also,  ("swift") is written արագընթաց because it is a compound word that is formed from the root words արագ ("quick") and ընթացք ("gait").
 * 5) Within a word after the letters $\langleո\rangle$, if they are not followed by a vowel they represent . For example: պահուըտիլ ( "to hide") and վաղուընէ ( "from tomorrow").
 * 6) In line-breaking. For example: վնաս (, "harm") becomes վը–նաս, and զգալ (, "to feel") becomes ըզ–գալ.
 * 7) At the end of words, to specify the article "the". For example: լոյսը (, "the light") is formed by adding $\langleոյ\rangle$ to the end of լոյս. Also, արձանները (, "the statues") does the same.

— $\langleօ\rangle$
is always written $\langleո\rangle$. For example: ("village") is written գիւղ.

— $\langleո\rangle$
is a rare sound to write foreign words and is always written $\langleօ\rangle$. For example: the female name ("Eugenie") is written Էօժենի, a transcription of letters.

Diphthongs
Armenian has nine diphthongs:, , , , , , , ,.

— $\langleոյ\rangle$, $\langleօ\rangle$, $\langleոյ\rangle$; occurs in $\langleու\rangle$, $\langleու\rangle$
is written differently depending on its context.


 * 1) at the start of a word is written $\langleը\rangle$. For example:  ("Yanikian", a family name) is written Եանիքեան.
 * 2) Preceded by a consonant, it is written $\langleը\rangle$. For example: ("room") is written սենեակ. However, at the end of a word, $\langleն\rangle$ is written $\langleմ\rangle$. For example:  ("daily") is written առօրեայ. (This rule does not apply to the Classical Armenian imperatives փրկեա՛, ողորմեա՛, etc.)
 * 3) When is preceded by a vowel other than  or, it is written $\langleու\rangle$. For example:  ("station") is written կայան.
 * 4) A disyllabic sequence of a monophthong and a diphthong  is written $\langleը\rangle$ ($\langleիւ\rangle$ when at the end of a word).  For example:  ("together") is written միասին.
 * 5) A disyllabic sequence of a monophthong and a diphthong  is written $\langleիւ\rangle$ (or $\langleէօ\rangle$ at the end of a word). For example:  ("being", the noun) is written էակ.

— $\langleէօ\rangle$, $\langleեա\rangle$, $\langleեայ\rangle$
is written differently depending on its context.
 * 1) At the start of a word, it is written $\langleյա\rangle$. For example: ("dream") is written երազ. $\langleէա\rangle$ between two consonants represents  (see above for details).
 * 2) In the middle of a word, is written $\langleիա\rangle$. For example:  ("mirror") is written հայելի. $\langleեա\rangle$ at the start of a word represents  (see below for details).
 * 3) At the end of a word, is written $\langleեա\rangle$ (never $\langleեա\rangle$). For example:  ("look!") is written նայէ՛.

— $\langleեայ\rangle$; occurs in $\langleյա\rangle$
is never at the start of a word and is written differently depending on its context:
 * 1) A disyllabic sequence of a monophthong and a diphthong  is written $\langleիա\rangle$.  For example:  ("I was") is written էի, and  ("they wanted") is written կ'ուզէին.
 * 2) Otherwise, is written $\langleիայ\rangle$.  For example:  ("May") is written Մայիս. $\langleէա\rangle$ at the start of a word represents  (see below for details).

— $\langleէայ\rangle$
is always written $\langleե\rangle$. For example: ("seven") is written եօթը.

— $\langleյե\rangle$, $\langleյէ\rangle$; occurs in $\langleե\rangle$, $\langleե\rangle$
is written differently depending on its context:
 * 1) At the start of a word, is written $\langleյե\rangle$. For example:  ("oil") is written իւղ.
 * 2) After a vowel other than or, it is written $\langleյե\rangle$. For example:  ("firm") is written կայուն. $\langleյէ\rangle$ at the start of a word represents  (see below for an example).
 * 3) The disyllabic sequence of the monophthong and the diphthong  is written $\langleյե\rangle$. For example:  ("union") is written միութիւն.
 * 4) The disyllabic sequence of the monophthong and the diphthong  is written $\langleյի\rangle$. For example:  ("essence") is written էութիւն.
 * 5) To write the suffix, -թիւն is used. For example: ("knowledge") is written գիտութիւն.

— $\langleէի\rangle$
can occur at the end of a word only for monosyllabic words. It is written $\langleէի\rangle$. For example: ("field") is written այգի,  ("mother") is written մայր and  ("verb") is written բայ. A polysyllabic word ending in $\langleյի\rangle$ is pronounced, the $\langleյի\rangle$ becoming silent (see above for an example).

— $\langleեօ\rangle$
is written $\langleեօ\rangle$. For example: ("tea") is written թէյ.

— $\langleյու\rangle$
is written $\langleիւ\rangle$. For example: ("to fall") is written իյնալ.

— $\langleիու\rangle$
usually occurs in the middle of a word, and is written $\langleէու\rangle$. For example: ("sister") is written քոյր.

Consonants
The International Phonetic Alphabet shows the consonants, by the corresponding Armenian letter in parentheses. Both Classical And Eastern Armenian maintain a three-way distinction between voiced, voiceless, and aspirated stops and affricates. In Western Armenian, voiced and aspirated stops and affricates have undergone a merger, and voiceless stops and affricates have become voiced.