: While the alphabet is identical, Eastern and Western Armenian dialects vary in how certain letters are pronounced. Essential Phrases for Beginners
: Շնորհակալություն ( Shnorhakalutyun )—though many colloquially use "merci".
: St. Mesrop Mashtots, with the support of King Vramshapuh and Catholicos Sahak Partev, designed the script to perfectly match the sounds of the Armenian language. The first sentence written was from the Book of Proverbs: "To know wisdom and instruction; to perceive the words of understanding" . armenian alphabet
: Historically, each letter also held a numerical value , allowing the alphabet to be used for mathematical calculations and recording dates.
How a 1,600-year-old alphabet shaped Armenian identity - BBC : While the alphabet is identical, Eastern and
: Originally consisting of 36 letters, the modern alphabet now includes 39 letters (31 consonants and 8 vowels) after additions in the 12th century.
: The alphabet is so revered that a dedicated Alphabet Monument exists near Mount Aragats, featuring massive stone sculptures of each letter. Unique Characteristics Mesrop Mashtots, with the support of King Vramshapuh
: The script is visually independent, not resembling Latin, Cyrillic, or Arabic scripts, though its left-to-right direction was influenced by Greek.