Armenian Language & Literature Unified Exam key terms

The standardized set of rules for writing words correctly, covering letters, capitalization, and joined or separate spelling. It ensures that written Armenian is consistent and readable across different texts and regions.

A regular change in a word's sounds, especially vowels, when suffixes or endings are added. In Armenian it often explains why the same root appears with different vowels in related forms.

The system of punctuation marks and the rules for placing them in written text. It marks pauses, separates clauses, and clarifies meaning, intonation, and grammatical relationships in a sentence.

A word that has the same or nearly the same meaning as another word in a given context. Synonyms are not always interchangeable because they may differ in style, emotional tone, or usage.

A word whose meaning is opposite or contrary to another word's meaning. Antonyms help express contrast and are often used in definitions, proverbs, and rhetorical figures such as antithesis.

A fixed expression whose overall meaning cannot be understood by adding up the literal meanings of its individual words. Idioms are stored as ready-made units and often carry a figurative or cultural sense.

A figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to something it does not literally denote, based on an implied comparison. It transfers meaning from one object or idea to another.

A word that is pronounced or spelled like another word but has a different meaning. Homonyms can create ambiguity, wordplay, and puns in literary and everyday language.

A newly coined word or expression, or an existing word used in a new sense. Neologisms enter a language to name new things, ideas, or technologies and may later become standard vocabulary.

The characteristic way a speaker or writer uses language, including word choice, sentence structure, and tone. Style can be individual, period-specific, or functional, such as formal, colloquial, or literary.

A grammatical class of words that share formal and functional features, such as nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs. Parts of speech help describe how words behave in phrases and sentences.

A grammatical category that marks a noun's or pronoun's relationship to other words in a sentence, such as subject, object, or possessor. Armenian has a system of cases with distinct endings or forms.

The set of changes a verb undergoes to show tense, person, number, mood, and voice. Conjugation patterns determine how a verb combines with subjects and forms different tenses.

A word that stands in for a noun or noun phrase, such as a personal, demonstrative, or relative pronoun. Pronouns help avoid repetition and connect clauses by referring back to previously mentioned entities.

A grammatical unit that expresses a complete thought and normally contains a subject and a predicate. Sentences can be simple, compound, or complex and are organized according to language-specific rules.

The grammatical subject of a sentence: the person, thing, or idea about which the predicate makes a statement. It often controls agreement with the verb and answers the question 'who or what?'

The predicate of a sentence: the part that says something about the subject, often through a verb or a verb plus complement. It carries tense, mood, and agreement information.

A sentence made of two or more clauses joined by coordination or subordination. The clauses may be independent or dependent, and their relationship shapes the sentence's meaning and punctuation.

A sentence element that modifies a verb, adjective, or another adverb by expressing time, place, manner, cause, purpose, or degree. Adverbials answer questions such as when, where, how, and why.

The classical literary Armenian used from the fifth century onward, especially in religious, historical, and scholarly texts. It remains important for reading medieval sources and for understanding the later development of Armenian.

Modern Armenian, the language of everyday speech and modern literature, as opposed to the classical գրաբար. It developed in regional varieties and became standardized in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

A large family of related languages, including Armenian, Greek, Latin, Persian, and many others, thought to descend from a common prehistoric ancestor. Comparative linguistics studies their shared roots and sound correspondences.

The scientific study of language, including its sounds, words, grammar, meaning, and social functions. It provides concepts and methods for describing how languages work and change over time.

An Armenian epic cycle centering on the heroic figures of Sasun, especially David of Sassoun. It combines oral poetry, myth, and historical memory and is a central monument of Armenian folk literature.

A tenth-century Armenian monk, poet, and mystic, best known for the prayer book «Նարեկ». His work is celebrated for its rich imagery, emotional depth, and influence on Armenian literary and religious language.

A fifth-century Armenian historian traditionally credited with writing «Հայոց պատմություն», a foundational account of Armenian origins and early history. His work shaped Armenian historical memory and literary tradition.

A type of Armenian hymn or liturgical poem sung in church services. Sharakans combine poetry, theology, and music and are important examples of medieval Armenian religious literature.

A genre of literature that recounts the life, deeds, and often martyrdom of a saint or religious figure. Hagiography aims to edify readers and preserve communal memory through idealized biography.

A nineteenth-century Armenian writer and educator, author of «Վերք Հայաստանի», often considered the first Armenian secular novel. He championed modern Armenian, popular education, and national awakening.

A literary and artistic movement emphasizing emotion, imagination, individualism, and nature, often in reaction to rationalism and classical rules. In Armenian literature it shaped patriotic and lyrical writing in the nineteenth century.

The pen name of Hakob Melik-Hakobian, a nineteenth-century Armenian novelist and public figure. His historical and social novels explore national struggle, rural life, and reform in modern Armenian prose.

A major twentieth-century Armenian poet whose experimental, energetic verse reshaped modern Armenian poetry. His work explores revolution, love, art, and the individual's place in history.

A twentieth-century Armenian poet and scholar known for philosophical, intimate, and formally inventive poetry. His work renewed Armenian poetic language and engaged deeply with love, death, and national memory.

A twentieth-century Armenian prose writer whose stories and novels portray village life, childhood, and the moral texture of everyday experience. His spare, concrete style made him a central figure in modern Armenian fiction.

A category of literary works sharing conventions of form, content, and purpose, such as epic, lyric, novel, short story, or drama. Genres help readers interpret texts and writers shape expectations.

The arrangement and organization of events, episodes, and details in a literary work. It shapes how the story unfolds, creates tension, and supports theme and character development.

A concrete sensory representation in literature that evokes persons, places, objects, or feelings and contributes to meaning. Images work through description, metaphor, and suggestion rather than abstract statement alone.

The central claim or position that a piece of argumentative writing sets out to defend. A clear thesis guides the structure of an essay and helps readers follow its reasoning.

A reason, evidence, or line of reasoning offered to support a claim. In an essay, arguments should be relevant, clear, and connected logically to the thesis.

A planned outline of an essay's main parts, including introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. It organizes ideas before writing and helps maintain coherence and focus.