isk inchu voch Hayeren??

[Inna]

Dan:
This constant bickering back and forth has turned into a childish argument...I know I am Armenian, and if you feel the need to judge and set certain criteras for Armenians to be considered Armenians, then it is your right to do so..I just hope that one day your ignorant mindset will change..until then have a good day and continue speaking Armenian on this thread

[Anonymouse]

Dan, you should become a minister under Mouse's regime. Keep the Armenian tradition alive.

Thicken up runny low fat yogurt by stirring in a spoonful of lard to keep self hating Armenians alive.

[Darorinag]

I am under nobody's regime.

[nairi]

Dan, you should become a minister under Mouse's regime. Keep the Armenian tradition alive.

[Darorinag]

If a person is ashamed to speak a language that they CAN speak, then they have already classified themselves as a non-Armenian, but if a person CAN'T speak the language that doenst make them a non-Armenian

Yes it does. It is possible to learn Armenian. If it were impossible, it would be irrelevant. But it IS possible to learn the language. And anyone who does not make an effort to learn it is not an Armenian.

that doesnt make any sense...so since my parents and I speak Russian and my grandparents spoke russian, would that make me a Russian? No it doesnt, if I pass down the Russian and English language to my children does not mean my children would be American or Russian!

As I said before, there is no "Armenian genee." It's all in the way you are brought up. If you are brought up respecting and using the Russian language (and language is not an isolated thing, it brings with it culture, songs, ways of thinking), you are Russian. Period.

please Dan introduce me to this man you speak of...I would like to ask him myself how he was able to learn the pronunciation of the letters on his own, without asking someone who actually speaks the language

You can always ask people on the internet. Even this forum. I am sure many would be willing to help you out. The black man I am speaking of was on the other Armenian forum (the name of which i will not mention). You may PM me if you would like to know which forum it is (although I believe he left the forum at any rate).

Here you go again..using German as an example, a language that uses the same alphabet as english...I'd like to see if you are able to learn chinese, korean or even arabic without having someone phsically there to teach you the pronuncitation of each of the characters and letters.

As I said before, I am talking about the concept, not the specific examples. Duh.. I am talking about what you can and cannot do. Look, there are ways, but you obviously don't want to make the effort because "it's too hard."

I LIVE and BREATH Armenia

That still doesn't mean you have done anything positive to preserve our existence. Fact is, what you identify as matters very little if at all, unless you practice it, and language is THE ultimate way of practicing one's national identity. Which is also why there is no such thing as American or Canadian identity.

Dan, I'm not the one who is whining...why dont you go back and read some of your previous posts in the other threads...then tell me whose whining

You are whining - you ruined this thread by coming in and whining, along with Nairi, about why it was necessary to speak Armenian. Now leave this thread alone and start a new one about language & national identity if you want, just don't ruin it for others who might want to speak Armenian. So again, what have YOU done to preserve your language, culture, etc.? ruined a thread in which other Armenians wanted to speak Armenian? Very positive...

[dstyle]

Greev greev greev lol

[Inna]

So do you consider those pretentious "Armenians" in L.A who are ashamed of speaking our language Armenians? Heck, they can even go to church every day, but they are still not Armenians in my books. Why would you not speak Armenian? Is there anything wrong or inferior about it? Why learn another language before you learn your own? What's so good about another language that you wanna learn when you don't even know your own? Btw, my cousin doesn't know Armenian, and she's studying Spanish. Go figure. Beats me. Idiocy is rampant in the Armenian community...

If a person is ashamed to speak a language that they CAN speak, then they have already classified themselves as a non-Armenian, but if a person CAN'T speak the language that doenst make them a non-Armenian
Russian is my first language, it was my parents first language, as well as my grandparents first language...that is why I speak Russian and not Armenian...I was able to learn and speak Armenian when I lived in Armenia, but when my family moved to the US I began to speak Russian at home with my parents (they barely understand Armenian, let alone speak it) and English at school...We are the only Armenians in our town..so I never had the opprotunity to continue speaking Armenian with other Armenians like a lot of Armenians in LA, NYC, etc are able to since they live near large Armenian communities.

If her ancestors had preserved the Armenian language without even preserving the Armenian music and other aspects of culture, rest assured, she would've felt Armenian at least to a certain extent (depending on how much the ancestors valued this preservation).

that doesnt make any sense...so since my parents and I speak Russian and my grandparents spoke russian, would that make me a Russian? No it doesnt, if I pass down the Russian and English language to my children does not mean my children would be American or Russian!

Inna, there was a black man who learned Armenian by himself. It was a completely new alphabet to him. It is possible. You just have to want it. In fact, I know someone who has learned Japanese by himself. How is THAT for some contrast?

please Dan introduce me to this man you speak of...I would like to ask him myself how he was able to learn the pronunciation of the letters on his own, without asking someone who actually speaks the language

Look, we're not living in the medieval times. You can just get online and find people to talk to. If you wanted to, you can do it. I go to German chatrooms to have a better grasp of how they talk. It takes lots of time and effort, and it is at times frustrating, but if you want to learn the language, there is nothing that can stop you.

Here you go again..using German as an example, a language that uses the same alphabet as english...I'd like to see if you are able to learn chinese, korean or even arabic without having someone phsically there to teach you the pronuncitation of each of the characters and letters.

What have YOU done to preserve it?

I LIVE and BREATH Armenia

There is more to life than being an outcast from a group. Sitting there and whining doesn't change anything. And you're definitely not going to change the minds of people like me, because once you do that, Armenianism is lost. Gone. If all Armenians adopted your mentality, our language that has lasted for millenia will be lost.

Dan, I'm not the one who is whining...why dont you go back and read some of your previous posts in the other threads...then tell me whose whining

[Darorinag]

I said the pretentious Armenians in L.A. I was not referring to all L.A. Armenians. What's with L.A Armenians jumping the gun?

[dstyle]

I live in LA and all I talk is Armenian with my friends and family. Your generelization shows what an @ss you are. What is it with Armenian Canadians and there hate with us Armenians in LA.

[Darorinag]

So if you didnt speak Armenian, you wouldnt feel "Armenian"? I dont understand how that is possible, I spoke Armenian when I lived in Armenia, and that didnt make me feel any more or any less Armenian.

So do you consider those pretentious "Armenians" in L.A who are ashamed of speaking our language Armenians? Heck, they can even go to church every day, but they are still not Armenians in my books. Why would you not speak Armenian? Is there anything wrong or inferior about it? Why learn another language before you learn your own? What's so good about another language that you wanna learn when you don't even know your own? Btw, my cousin doesn't know Armenian, and she's studying Spanish. Go figure. Beats me. Idiocy is rampant in the Armenian community...

She isnt Armenian b/c her parents, grandparents, great grandparents, etc didnt pass down the Armenian culture, but these Ethopian people that I'm talking about have, shlt, by your standards, "your only Armenian if you speak the language" they are more Armenian then me.

If her ancestors had preserved the Armenian language without even preserving the Armenian music and other aspects of culture, rest assured, she would've felt Armenian at least to a certain extent (depending on how much the ancestors valued this preservation).

let me ask you something Dan, if you had a child with someone that isnt Armenian, and that child has a child with someone who isnt Armenian, would that make your grandchild less of an Armenian?

First of all, I would not have a child with someone that isn't Armenian or English (I don't believe in miscegenation). Second, IF I did (hypothetically speaking), it depends on how much that child is taught the language. Only the children in a family that speaks Armenian at home to a certain extent (compared to not at all, and there are many such pretentious Armenian families) will be able to fight the risks of assimilation. I can see tons of Armenians talking to each other in English rather than Armenian. I mean, what is that if not pretentiousness? That is downright dumb. Why not speak Armenian? I don't see the Chinese speaking English 99.9% of the time. In fact, 99% of the time, they speak Chinese! And they don't even have the risk of being "lost" through miscegenation because of their huge numbers. What makes a French French and a German German if not language? Cultural practices might overlap, but when the languages vary, the two identities will be very much separate.

You say it like its that easy Dan...why dont you find me an Armenian teacher in Raleigh, North Carolina and I would be more than happy to attend these teaching sessions....learning a language on your own that uses the same alphabet as English is easier since you are already able to pronounce the letters, but learning a complete new alphabet...

Inna, there was a black man who learned Armenian by himself. It was a completely new alphabet to him. It is possible. You just have to want it. In fact, I know someone who has learned Japanese by himself. How is THAT for some contrast?

heck the majority of Armenians that I do know here are all from Baku, and they all speak Russian like me, not Armenian.

Look, we're not living in the medieval times. You can just get online and find people to talk to. If you wanted to, you can do it. I go to German chatrooms to have a better grasp of how they talk. It takes lots of time and effort, and it is at times frustrating, but if you want to learn the language, there is nothing that can stop you.

I dont have to admit anything to you Dan, you of all people should understand how it feels to be outcasted by your own people.

Understanding how it feels does not have to be coupled with tolerating the feelings of helplessness and the constant whining and excuses that come with it. Just take a look beyond that. There is more to life than being an outcast from a group. Sitting there and whining doesn't change anything. And you're definitely not going to change the minds of people like me, because once you do that, Armenianism is lost. Gone. If all Armenians adopted your mentality, our language that has lasted for millenia will be lost. What have YOU done to preserve it?