First grammatical works were written in Armenia in the 5th century.
The first grammatical works were written in Armenia in the 5th century. They were mainly translations intended for school usage. The Armenian grammatical thought has been led by the grammatical principles of Dionysius Thrax since the ancient times (170-90 BC). For about one thousand years the Armenian grammarians have studied and interpretated his Art of Grammar. The Armenian interpretators of this work were David, Movses Kertogh (5th-6th centuries), Stepanos Sunetsi (735), Grigor Magistros (990-1059), Hovhannes Yerzenkatsi (1293), etc.
The Amenian grammarians interpretated Dionysius, but used his principles to study the Armenian language, creating the unique Armenian grammar. Giving the definition of the grammar, David withdrew from Thrax, working out his own theory of etymology. Movses Kertogh gives important information on phonetics, speaks about the kinds of voices, particularly differing the sound and the letter. Stepanos Sunetsi is known especially for his interesting remarks on pronunciation, etymology and systematization of the dialects. He has worked out principles for the exact articulation of separate sounds and syllables and has made the first classification of vowels and diphthongs. Grigor Magistros Pahlavuni in his Definition of Grammar tried to put the art of grammar on an appropriate level. He approves the antique and the old Armenian grammars, appreciating the grammar of the Arabs as well. Magistros gives much attention to the linguistic study of the languages relative to Armenian. He rejects the method of free etymology and works out principles of borrowings.
The Amenian grammarians interpretated Dionysius, but used his principles to study the Armenian language, creating the unique Armenian grammar. Giving the definition of the grammar, David withdrew from Thrax, working out his own theory of etymology. Movses Kertogh gives important information on phonetics, speaks about the kinds of voices, particularly differing the sound and the letter. Stepanos Sunetsi is known especially for his interesting remarks on pronunciation, etymology and systematization of the dialects. He has worked out principles for the exact articulation of separate sounds and syllables and has made the first classification of vowels and diphthongs. Grigor Magistros Pahlavuni in his Definition of Grammar tried to put the art of grammar on an appropriate level. He approves the antique and the old Armenian grammars, appreciating the grammar of the Arabs as well. Magistros gives much attention to the linguistic study of the languages relative to Armenian. He rejects the method of free etymology and works out principles of borrowings.
One of the most valuable grammatical collections is the manuscript Number 7117 (its original dates back to the 10th-11th centuries), in which together with the Greek, Syriac, Latin, Georgian, Coptic and Arabic alphabets, the Albanian alphabet is also copied. The Albanian is one of the perished Caucasian languages and according to Koriun (5th century), Mesrop Mashtots has created this alphabet. In this manuscript there are prayers in Greek, Syriac, Georgian, Persian, Arabic, Kurdish, Turkmen. Note-worthy is the alphabet, compiled by Toma Metsopetsi, preserved in this manuscript.
The grammatical thought was developed in the Cilician Armenian State as well. A new branch of grammar, 'the art of writing' was developed. The first orthographic reform was carried out, an interest towards the Armenian and Hellenic traditions raised. The Art of Writing of the famous grammarian Aristakes Grich (12th century) includes scientific remarks concerning the spelling of the difficult and doubtful words. He worked out orthographic principles that served as a basis for all late orthographics, including the first decades of the 20th century. The principles of Aristakes were supplemented by Gevorg Skevratsi (1301). Among the great number of his works preserved at the Matenadaran, there are three grammars, concerning the principles of syllabication, pronunciation and orthography. Skevratsi was the first to work out the principles of syllabication.
From the 12th-13th centuries the usage of the spoken language in the literary works began. The first attempts to describe the system of declension and to work out the syntax were made. Vardan Areveltsi (1269) has written two of his grammatical works in modern Armenian (ashkharabar). His Parts of Speech is the first attempt to give the principles of the Armenian syntax. According to Areveltsi, the languages will perish in the future and the mankind will use one general language. There is interesting information about the dialects in his works. The valuable text-book of Hovhannes Yerzenkatsi A collection of definition of Grammar is also preserved at the Matenadaran. Yerzenkatsi considers the languages human and not divine. He thinks that the grammar eliminates the obstacles between the human thought and speech.
Among the grammarians of the 14th-15th centuries Essai Nchetsi, Hovhannes Tsortsoretsi, Hovhannes Kurnetsi, Grigor Tatevatsi, Hakob Ghrimetsi, Arakel Sunetsi are to be mentioned. Tatevatsi has written the definitions of the works of Aristakes and Gevorg Skevratsi making supplements in orthography and the cases. About the stress and the interrogative mark is one of the well-known works of Hakob Ghrimetsi. Essai Nchetsi has written 'The definition of Grammar'. In his work A brief study of Grammar Arakel Siunetsi for the first time pays an attention to the biological basis of the speech. He classifies the sounds according to the places of their articulation and studies the organs of speech.
One of the note-worthy grammatical works of the 16th century is Lusik Sarkavag's The Grammar of Kipchak'. The kipchaks are a people of turkish origin and inhabited the western regions of the Golden Horde - the Crimea, Bessarabia, Lvov. Their language is perished, too.
There is a number of books and text-books on grammar in the Arabic fund of the manuscripts. The majority of them are the text-books called Sarfemir. The manuscript number 301, copied in 1272 is on theoretical grammar. The manuscript number 91 is the grammatical work, called Javaizul-Sarab. The manuscript number 52 copied in 1642 contains materials about the morphology and syntax of the Arabic. The manuscript Number 637 contains Talkhisa-al miftakha written by Mahmed ibn-Abdul Rakhman al-Kazvin.
Rhetorics and lexicology are tightly related to grammar. In the 5th century Treatise on the art of Rhetorics of Theon of Alexandria was translated from Greek. The Armenian authors edited The book of Chraea which is a collection of rhetorical principles and exercises. The words of Poetry, written in the 13th century, is on lexicology. It contains difficult words met in poetry and in grammatical works, as well as the definition of many dialectal words.
