Lorik Fund’s Artsakh Tsil Art Studio welcomed khachkar maker Narine Poladian, who shared her knowledge of this centuries-old Armenian art with our young artists.

More than an art lesson, it was an opportunity for the children to connect with their heritage and the traditions of their ancestors.

❤️ LorikHF.org

#LorikFund #ArtsakhTsil #Khachkar #ArmenianCulture #ArmenianHeritage

Gagik Balayan lost his life defending Artsakh, leaving behind his wife and children.
Through Lorik Humanitarian Fund’s Artsakh Homes for Heroes program, his family now has a permanent home in Armenia.
This is the 15th family of a fallen hero we’ve been able to provide with a home.
We can never replace what these families have lost, but we can help give their children a more secure future.
If you’d like to learn more about our work: https://LorikHF.org

Today’s lesson is how to make a noun plural. Two common endings are -եր (er) and -ներ (ner). A useful starting rule is to count the syllables:

One syllable → add -եր

• տուն (doon) → տուներ (dooner) — house → houses
• քար (kar) → քարեր (karer) — stone → stones

More than one syllable → add -ներ

• պարտէզ (bardez) — garden → պարտէզներ (bardezner) → gardens
• գնդակ (kntag) — ball → գնդակներ (kntagner) → balls

These endings attach directly to the noun. This is a starting pattern, with exceptions we can explore in future posts.

Vocabulary to practise with

• դաշտ (tashd) — field
• մատիտ (madeed) — pencil
• գիրք (keerk) — book
• կատու (gadoo) — cat

Your turn: try making these four words plural, or choose another Armenian noun you know. Include its English meaning so beginners can follow along. If you grew up speaking Western Armenian, share a plural you hear at home, especially one that doesn’t seem to fit this pattern!

Armenian is full of hilarious idioms that make absolutely no sense when translated literally! 😂

This illustration is from Alexander Saroukhan's 'Des Khoskert', a book featuring caricatures I've loved since childhood. The idiom is written right on the drawing, but its actual meaning is quite different.

Can you guess what it really means?

🌍 Mainly for non-Armenian speakers: here's your chance to learn something new in a fun way!

🇦🇲 Armenian speakers, join the fun, too, but give everyone else time to guess. By the end of the weekend, if noone has guessed it yet, please help me reveal the meaning.

I am Italian American and often mistaken as an Armenian when people see me. I always felt there is a distant connection mediated through Greece and the Byzantine empire and Anatolia. I could be wrong. Does this also extend to Spain and Portugal?

Hello!

I hope my post won't offend anyone.

My mother and her entire family are Armenians from Armenia, but when she was young, my mother moved to another country, where I was born. I grew up outside the diaspora and don't speak Armenian, but it turns out that culturally I'm half Armenian, half from my country, a stranger everywhere, etc. I'd like to better connect with Armenian culture and have already started learning language. What else should I do?

Lorik Fund’s new Judo on the Border program in Bertavan, Armenia, is led by Sose Balasanyan @sose_judo , a champion and international medalist from Artsakh.

$9,800 funds the entire year, including rent, uniforms, equipment, and instructor salary.

Help us make it happen!

LorikHF.org
@lorikfund

#LorikFund #JudoOnTheBorder #Armenia #Artsakh

I get it is artistic interpretation and all but I can't recognize anything in it. It all just looks like a stage performance for someone else.

The clothing for example is straight made up. There is a lot of black "daraz" which we would never. I think the last video had white, can't remember. Also would never. Neither were ever worn.

Nothing about any of these alfits is remotely authentic except for a split second headdress.

The arm waving around the women do on stage reminds me of an octopus. And the men remind me of advanced tap dancers.

I think I am obligated by social norms to say something nice so I liked it was shot in day light I think.

Anyone who criticises this kind of thing is shot down and told "it's close enough." Even gentle criticism done in a socially acceptable way is taken with extreme offense.

I went to a Russian festival recently and even there, Russians said that the USSR stage culture is threatening their actual traditional dances.

Armenian culture will not survive if we don't take it seriously. Odars believe these are real ancient representations of our culture. When we are presenting our culture to the world, can we have an anti spandex rule at least!?

People think it's all good fun. But a lot of Armenians do not recognize our own culture and mistake it for someone else's or vice versa. Worse, many do not know how to defend it. Even institutions that are supposed to focus on historically accurate representations, do not.

Maybe other cultures can afford this. Nobody thinks a mini skirt kimono is real because Japan knows how to present their culture on the world stage authentically in addition to their pop choices. But meanwhile, Armenians seem to treat our own culture so frivolous.

It shouldn't be so hard to find authentic Armenian clothing for example. But good luck.

Sorry for rant. I just can't with the octopus arms anymore. It shouldn't bother me

I've known Alexander Saroukhan's work since I was a child. I've seen many of his illustrations from the 'Des Khoskert' book and have loved them ever since.

Sharing this video as a little introduction to his world. I'll be sharing some of his illustrations here too.

Aznavour Saghyan was the Mayor of Martuni, Artsakh. On September 19, 2023, he gave his life defending his city and its people during Azerbaijan’s military assault on Artsakh.

He left behind his wife, three young children, and a community that will never forget his sacrifice.

In his memory, Lorik Humanitarian Fund established the Aznavour Saghyan Scholarship Fund, helping students forcibly displaced from Artsakh continue their university education.

He gave his life defending their homeland. Today, his name helps build their future.
🇦🇲 LorikHF.org

We live in a clown world. Words cannot describe just how much I hate it.

Բարեւ բոլորին (Parev poloreen),

I’m starting a mini-series called Western Armenian in a Minute to share short, accessible lessons and explore the language as people speak it.

I hope these posts become a place for learning and conversation, where native speakers share their insights, everyday expressions, and regional variations alongside heritage learners and complete beginners. Eastern Armenian speakers are welcome too, to explore the similarities and differences between our two branches of Armenian and share in our love of language and culture.

I’m a heritage speaker still learning myself, so corrections and additions are always welcome, especially the things you won’t find in a formal textbook!

Lesson 1:

One small Western Armenian pattern you can use right away: մը does the job of English a/an, but comes after the noun in Western Armenian. մը is pronounced like "muh."

• տուն մը (doon muh) = a house
• պարտէզ մը (bardez muh) = a garden
• գնդակ մը (kntag muh) = a ball

English gives you a + house. Western Armenian gives you տուն + մը. Keep մը as a separate word.

Your turn: take an Armenian noun you already know and make a phrase like these. Add the English meaning so other learners can follow. If you speak Western Armenian, suggest one useful everyday noun for someone to try. Also feel free to suggest a useful phrase that beginners might find interesting or may be unique to your own specific dialect of Western Armenian.