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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 13, 2004
Contact: Linda Yepoyan
Phone: 610-408-0988
[email protected]
LEARN EASTERN ARMENIAN ON-LINE AT www.birthrightarmenia.org
For those who seek a basic command of Eastern Armenian, look no further.
The "Depi Hayk" Eastern Armenian language tutorial is now available to
you on-line and free of charge on Birthright Armenia's Web site at
www.birthrightarmenia.org.
The Depi Hayk on-line tutorial is by far the most exciting component of
the list of meaningful tools and resources Birthright Armenia offers to
enhance the Homeland experience. Birthright Armenia collaborated with
the Arlex International Ltd. team, led by Arlex founder, linguist and
attorney Thomas J. Samuelian, on preparing the first phase of the
planned three-level on-line language tutorial. The development team
consisted of 15 young, talented Armenian professionals, including
programmers, artists, actors, musicians, singers, teachers, students,
and editors. Dr. Samuelian is the author of the classic two-volume
Course in Western Armenian, first published in 1988, as well as team
leader for the Discover Armenian computer-assisted Western Armenian
language-learning program, recently released by the C.A.K.E. foundation
(www.discoverarmenian.com).
The Depi Hayk on-line course aims to help learners achieve a basic
proficiency in Eastern Armenian. The main goal of this short course is
to provide pre-service qualification for the Birthright Armenia
sponsored 8-week stays in Armenia. However, consistent with its
non-profit objectives, Birthright Armenia is committed to offering
access to all others who are interested in learning Eastern Armenian.
Tourists, business people, government employees, international agency
employees, non-profit organizations who do business in Armenia,
diasporans across the globe and Birthright Armenia participants alike
can benefit.
" I believe that having a basic understanding of Armenian, especially in
the local dialect, helps make one's trip to the homeland so much more
meaningful and the overall impact of such a trip all the more
emotionally powerful", says Edele Hovnanian, founder of Birthright
Armenia. "Having at least basic fluency ensures that one can have
greater interaction with local counterparts and thus get a truer sense
of what life is like there. It allows one to feel a part of the country
and not as an outsider. For those who travel to Armenia on a Birthright
travel fellowship, providing a free and easy method to gain such basic
fluency is an important first step in ensuring an "immersion" style
homeland experience, which Birthright is promoting", adds Hovnanian.
The timing of the language tutorial's launch in early May coincides with
the summer program participants' pre-Armenia preparation. Each
Birthright Armenia participant begins pre-departure preparation with an
interactive on-line tutorial, complete with graphic interface, guiding
them through Hayk, the ancient Armenian name for Armenia. At the end
of the course, successful students receive a certificate in partial
fulfillment of the language proficiency requirement for the Birthright
Armenia program.
The tutorial comes complete with on-line testing capability and focuses
on communication skills. The program includes 12 on-line lessons,
covering vocabulary, dialogues, grammar, reading, exercises, songs, and
tests to gauge each participant's progress. The course has a separate
alphabet tutorial, talking dictionary, thematic vocabulary builder, and
a songbook, with lyrics and notes, as well as a phrasebook. The course
even has a slang section to help Western Armenian speakers as well as
new learners, grasp the nuances of colloquial Eastern Armenian. The
situational dialogues, practical, yet memorable and often humorous, were
written and recorded by native speakers, giving an authentic flavor of
Armenian as it is spoken today in Armenia.
Novice, or basic-level proficiency, should be achievable by most users
upon completion of 150 hours of Depi Hayk's online tutorial. Most
importantly, upon their arrival in Armenia, young diasporan adults will
be ready to communicate, including being able to ask and respond to
simple questions about the most common features of daily life. As they
begin to carry out their rewarding community service, their
communication skills will improve, building on their knowledge and
enhancing their overall immersion experience by being better able to
communicate with their Armenian counterparts.
Those interested in supporting the development of phases two
(intermediate proficiency) and three (advanced proficiency) of the Depi
Hayk Eastern Armenian language tutorial, please contact Birthright
Armenia at (610) 291-2165 or via email at [email protected].
Birthright Armenia's mission is to strengthen ties between the homeland
and diasporan youth by affording them an opportunity to be a part of
Armenia's daily life and to contribute to Armenia's development through
work, study and volunteer experiences, while developing a renewed sense
of Armenian identity. This is accomplished by supporting and
complementing the initiatives of existing diasporan organizations that
offer youth programs in Armenia, and encouraging them to expand their
offerings in depth and breath. Birthright Armenia assists with travel
fellowships, language instruction, in-country seminars, orientation and
excursions in exchange for community service in Armenia.
# # #
May 13, 2004
Contact: Linda Yepoyan
Phone: 610-408-0988
[email protected]
LEARN EASTERN ARMENIAN ON-LINE AT www.birthrightarmenia.org
For those who seek a basic command of Eastern Armenian, look no further.
The "Depi Hayk" Eastern Armenian language tutorial is now available to
you on-line and free of charge on Birthright Armenia's Web site at
www.birthrightarmenia.org.
The Depi Hayk on-line tutorial is by far the most exciting component of
the list of meaningful tools and resources Birthright Armenia offers to
enhance the Homeland experience. Birthright Armenia collaborated with
the Arlex International Ltd. team, led by Arlex founder, linguist and
attorney Thomas J. Samuelian, on preparing the first phase of the
planned three-level on-line language tutorial. The development team
consisted of 15 young, talented Armenian professionals, including
programmers, artists, actors, musicians, singers, teachers, students,
and editors. Dr. Samuelian is the author of the classic two-volume
Course in Western Armenian, first published in 1988, as well as team
leader for the Discover Armenian computer-assisted Western Armenian
language-learning program, recently released by the C.A.K.E. foundation
(www.discoverarmenian.com).
The Depi Hayk on-line course aims to help learners achieve a basic
proficiency in Eastern Armenian. The main goal of this short course is
to provide pre-service qualification for the Birthright Armenia
sponsored 8-week stays in Armenia. However, consistent with its
non-profit objectives, Birthright Armenia is committed to offering
access to all others who are interested in learning Eastern Armenian.
Tourists, business people, government employees, international agency
employees, non-profit organizations who do business in Armenia,
diasporans across the globe and Birthright Armenia participants alike
can benefit.
" I believe that having a basic understanding of Armenian, especially in
the local dialect, helps make one's trip to the homeland so much more
meaningful and the overall impact of such a trip all the more
emotionally powerful", says Edele Hovnanian, founder of Birthright
Armenia. "Having at least basic fluency ensures that one can have
greater interaction with local counterparts and thus get a truer sense
of what life is like there. It allows one to feel a part of the country
and not as an outsider. For those who travel to Armenia on a Birthright
travel fellowship, providing a free and easy method to gain such basic
fluency is an important first step in ensuring an "immersion" style
homeland experience, which Birthright is promoting", adds Hovnanian.
The timing of the language tutorial's launch in early May coincides with
the summer program participants' pre-Armenia preparation. Each
Birthright Armenia participant begins pre-departure preparation with an
interactive on-line tutorial, complete with graphic interface, guiding
them through Hayk, the ancient Armenian name for Armenia. At the end
of the course, successful students receive a certificate in partial
fulfillment of the language proficiency requirement for the Birthright
Armenia program.
The tutorial comes complete with on-line testing capability and focuses
on communication skills. The program includes 12 on-line lessons,
covering vocabulary, dialogues, grammar, reading, exercises, songs, and
tests to gauge each participant's progress. The course has a separate
alphabet tutorial, talking dictionary, thematic vocabulary builder, and
a songbook, with lyrics and notes, as well as a phrasebook. The course
even has a slang section to help Western Armenian speakers as well as
new learners, grasp the nuances of colloquial Eastern Armenian. The
situational dialogues, practical, yet memorable and often humorous, were
written and recorded by native speakers, giving an authentic flavor of
Armenian as it is spoken today in Armenia.
Novice, or basic-level proficiency, should be achievable by most users
upon completion of 150 hours of Depi Hayk's online tutorial. Most
importantly, upon their arrival in Armenia, young diasporan adults will
be ready to communicate, including being able to ask and respond to
simple questions about the most common features of daily life. As they
begin to carry out their rewarding community service, their
communication skills will improve, building on their knowledge and
enhancing their overall immersion experience by being better able to
communicate with their Armenian counterparts.
Those interested in supporting the development of phases two
(intermediate proficiency) and three (advanced proficiency) of the Depi
Hayk Eastern Armenian language tutorial, please contact Birthright
Armenia at (610) 291-2165 or via email at [email protected].
Birthright Armenia's mission is to strengthen ties between the homeland
and diasporan youth by affording them an opportunity to be a part of
Armenia's daily life and to contribute to Armenia's development through
work, study and volunteer experiences, while developing a renewed sense
of Armenian identity. This is accomplished by supporting and
complementing the initiatives of existing diasporan organizations that
offer youth programs in Armenia, and encouraging them to expand their
offerings in depth and breath. Birthright Armenia assists with travel
fellowships, language instruction, in-country seminars, orientation and
excursions in exchange for community service in Armenia.
# # #