By Vanuhi Vartanian | Research Analyst & Operations Director
In a world where you have a mini dictionary at your fingertips, here’s why it’s important to actually learn Armenian.
“Hey Siri, how do you say hello in Armenian?”
It doesn’t take long for Siri to tell you that hello in Armenian is barev (Բարեւ).
So what’s the point of memorizing all these words, facts, and formulas when you can easily search it on Google? Or, better yet, use an app to translate for you?
Older generations criticize the younger generation for the inability to think– blaming the internet for giving us quick, easy access to information and denying us the opportunity to search our brains for knowledge.
But relying on the internet to store the world’s information makes our lives simpler and allows us to focus on more important things.
When it comes to language, it’s different. It’s not like looking up the date of a historic event or the mathematical formula for calculating the circumference of a circle.
Learning Armenian is more than just being able to communicate in Armenian.
Armenian language retention is important not only in helping keep our language alive, but also keeping the Armenian identity alive!
UNESCO has deemed the Armenian language a definitely endangered language. It’s simply not spoken enough and it’s in danger of being lost forever if we don’t make sure future generations learn Armenian.
Also, since scholars say that an immigrant’s native language is lost by the third generation, it’s more than ever important to for your children to learn Armenian.
With that being said, the internet is by no means a bad thing.
In fact, it’s what makes ToTalk possible! For the first and only time in history, we have the unique opportunity to learn Armenian from teachers all the way in Armenia! Just like you would send your child to school if you lived in Armenia.
So, instead of using Siri or Google as a substitute for learning the Armenian language, use the internet as a tool to teach you Armenian.
Call us today to book your trial class!
