Naev

[HyeJinx1984]

OK, as some of you know I'm currently learning how to read and write Armenian. For the most part this has been going pretty smoothly, I'm picking it up a lot faster than I thought I would. However there's this one word driving me absolutely crazy. i've never heard it used before and it just seems awkwards written down. Maybe you guys can help me:



I may just be screwing up, but it looks like it's pronounced "naev" and I don't think I've ever heard such a word. If it helps, here's the context in which it was used:

[Siggie]

also, isn't it?

[gevo]

its means "also" or "as well"

[Anonymouse]

Or, "As well as".

[HyeJinx1984]

I know "yev" or "ev" means 'also'... but 'NA'ev? What's with the 'na' in front of it?

[gevo]

Will you stop being so darn picky dangit!!! genank mesrop mashtocits harsenenk te inch?>> lol...

[HyeJinx1984]

Is this a bairuitsi thing? This text book was written in Lebanon and is a guide on WESTERN Armenian (no easy feat to learn for a Barsga-Hayastansi)

So is it or isn't is pronounced "Na-ev"? How do you guys pronounce that word spelled that way? Is the 'N' silent or something?

[Siggie]

I think na is that... so i guess literally "that and".

[gevo]

we say it "na-ev" and it sounds like there is a y like this "na-yev"... well thats how i have heard it always.

[ckBejug]

I think na is that... so i guess literally "that and".

It doesn't mean 'that and' when it is written as one word. We pronounce it nayev and it means also or as well as, like they said. It's pretty much the same thing as yev but you use it, usually, when you want to tag something on to a sentence. Look at your sentence: 'mer savannere nor yen, nayev mer amannere'. If you said it another way you'd say 'mer savannere yev amannere nor yen'. Make sense? I don't think it's just an Western Armenian thing. I know hayastantsi and barsgahay people who say nayev too.

I don't know why it is so difficult, other than some pronunciation, to learn in western Armenian even if you are Barsgahay. Armenian is Armenian is Armenian and since this is a school course you can bet there's no Arabic or Russian mixed in (usually the excuse given why Armenians claim not to understand eachother).


p.s. Hey Jinx I don't know if you've written them as two words and it just looks like one word but NOR YEN is two words.