Armeno-Turkish alphabet

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The Armeno-Turkish alphabet is a version of the Armenian script sometimes used to write Ottoman Turkish until 1928, when the Latin-based modern Turkish alphabet was introduced. The Armenian script was not just used by ethnic Armenians to write the Turkish language, but also by the non-Armenian Ottoman Turkish elite.

Armeno-Turkish alphabet
Front page of Old Testament written in Armeno-Turkish alphabet
Script type
CreatorMesrop Mashtots
LanguagesOttoman Turkish language
Related scripts
Parent systems
Armenian script
  • Armeno-Turkish alphabet
Sister systems
Latin
Coptic
Georgian
Cyrillic
 This article contains phonetic transcriptions in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA. For the distinction between [ ], / / and ⟨ ⟩, see IPA § Brackets and transcription delimiters.

An American correspondent in Marash in 1864 called the alphabet "Armeno-Turkish", describing it as consisting of 31 Armenian letters and "infinitely superior" to the Arabic or Greek alphabets for rendering Turkish.[1]

This Armenian script was used alongside the Arabic script for official documents of the Ottoman Empire written in Ottoman Turkish. For instance, the first novel to be written in Turkish in the Ottoman Empire was Vartan Pasha's 1851 Akabi Hikâyesi, written in the Armenian script.

Alphabet

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Letter[1] Name[2] Additional information[1] Ottoman Turkish (Arabic) alphabet Modern Latin alphabet IPA
Ա ա այբ ayb ا a /a/
(Բ բ) բեն ben not used in Turkish words (b)
Գ գ գիմ gim used before hard vowels ق k (before a, ı, o, u) /k/
(Դ դ) դա da not used in Turkish words (d)
Ե ե եչ yeç not used in diphthongs ی y /j/
Զ զ զա za ز, ذ,

ظ,

ض

z /z/
Է է է e ا e /e/
Ը ը ըթ ıt ی ı /ɯ/
Թ թ թօ to ط, ت t /t/
Ժ ժ ժէ je ژ j /ʒ/
Ի ի ինի ini ی i /i/
Լ լ լիւն lün ل l /ɫ/, /l/
Խ խ խէ he only used for Arabic kha خ h /h/
(Ծ ծ) ծա dza not used in Turkish words (dz)
Կ կ կեն gen گ g or ğ (before e, i, ö, ü) /ɟ/, /ː/
Հ հ հօ ho ه, ح h /h/
(Ձ ձ) ձա tsa not used in Turkish words (ts)
Ղ ղ ղատ gat غ g or ğ (before a, ı, o, u) /ɡ/, /ː/
Ճ ճ ճէ ce ج c /d͡ʒ/
Մ մ մեն men م m /m/
Յ յ յի hi only used in diphthongs ی y /j/
Ն ն նու nu ن n /n/
Շ շ շա şa ش ş /ʃ/
Ո ո ո vo only used in digraphs
Չ չ չա ça چ ç /t͡ʃ/
Պ պ պէ be ب b /b/
(Ջ ջ) ջէ çe not used in Turkish words (ç)
(Ռ ռ) ռա ra not used in Turkish words (r)
Ս ս սէ se س, ث, ص s /s/
Վ վ վեւ vev و v /v/
Տ տ տիւն dün د, ط d /d/
Ր ր րէ re ر r /ɾ/
(Ց ց) ցօ tso not used in Turkish words (ts)
Ւ ւ հիւն hün only used in digraphs
Փ փ փիւր pür پ p /p/
Ք ք քէ ke ك k (before e, i, ö, ü) /c/
Օ օ օ o و o /o/
Ֆ ֆ ֆէ fe ف f /f/

Digraphs

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Although the Armenian alphabet fits the Turkish phonology very well, a few digraphs are needed to write all Turkish sounds, especially vowels. Some of them are also present in Armenian orthography.

Digraph Additional information Ottoman Turkish (Arabic) alphabet Modern Latin alphabet IPA
Ու ու و u /u/
Իւ իւ و ü /y/
Էօ էօ و ö /ø/
Նկ նկ not present in modern Turkish ڭ (n) /n/, (/ŋ/)

References

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  1. ^ a b c Pratt, Andrew (1866). "On the Armeno-Turkish Alphabet". Miscellanies. Journal of the American Oriental Society. 8: 374–376. JSTOR 592244.
  2. ^ Hacıbeyzâde Ahmed Muhtar. Demir, Muhammet A. (ed.). "Osmanlıca Bilenlere Dört Günde Ermenice Okumanın Usulü" [How to Read Armenian in Four Days for Those Who Know Ottoman Language] (in Ottoman Turkish).