User:IntergalacticOboist/Cilician dialect

Cilician dialect
Region	Southern Turkey
Language family	Indo-European Cilician dialect
Language codes
ISO 639-3	–

The Cilician dialect is an Armenian dialect spoken in the historic region of Cilicia in modern-day Turkey, specifically in the cities of Süleymanlı, Kahramanmaraş, Saimbeyli, Kilis, Payas, Alexandreti, Antakya, and surrounding villages. It is notable for having a relatively high volume of French loanwords.

General characteristics

In stressed syllables, [a] shifts to [o], [e] shifts to [i], and [i] shifts to [i̥]. Generally, voiced consonants became voiceless, and voiceless consonants became voiced. The interrogative forms of personal pronouns have been grammaticalized. In some variations, the shift [p]>[y] is also present. It is classified as a -gë dialect

French influence

The Kingdom of Cilicia existed from 1198 to 1375 A.D. The surrounding Crusades brought a large amount of French-speaking nobility to the area, with the crown of the kingdom passing to a French family, the Lusignans, in 1342. The French varieties used in the Crusader States, known as Outremer French, were used by Cilician nobility. Contact with the Franks also introduced cultural elements into Armenian society.

French Loanwords in Cilician Armenian

Loanword	Pronounciation	Old French	Gloss
հառնէզ	[harnɛz]	harneis	equiptment
բարոն	[baɾon]	baron	baron, lord
ըռէ	[ə'rɛ]	rei, roi	king
գուրդէզ	[kʰuɾ'tʰɛz]	courteis/ois	courteous
ֆրանցէզ	[fəɾan'tsʰɛz]	franceis	French
ըմբրուր	[əmpʰə'ɾuɾ]	empereour	emperor
քումանտուր	[kʰuman'duɾ]	comandeor	commander
սայզէլ	[sai'zʲɛl]	saisir	assign, appoint
բլայթ	[pʰə'laitʰ]	plaid	trial, judiciary
վիգայր	[vi'kʰaiɾ]	vicaire	substitute
բրինծ	[pʰəɾintsʰ]	prince	prince
պացին	[ba'tsʰin]	bacin	basin, bucket
ջալունջ	[t͡ʃʰa'lund͡ʒ]	chalonge	judiciary complement
ջաստէլ	[t͡ʃʰas'tʰʲɛl]	chastier	punish, castle
ջամբր	['t͡ʃʰam(b)ər]	chambre	chamber of the treasury, treasury
ջաբրոն	[t͡ʃʰapʰə'ɾon]	chaperon	eclessiastical head gear
լիճ	[lid͡ʒ]	lige	liege
մարիաճ	[ma'ɾiad͡ʒ]	marïage	marriage
ըրէճիստր	[ərɛ'd͡ʒistʰəɾ]	registre	register

Interestingly, these loanwords tend to preserve Old French [ts], [t͡ʃ], and [d͡ʒ] instead of modern French [s], [ʃ], and [ʒ], a change that had already taken place in mainland France at the time of the crusades.