Հին հայերենի եռաբարբառյան կազմությունները (համաժամանակյա հայեցակետ)

Abstract

Old Armenian triphthongal combinations are discussed by the methods, which essentially have not been applied within the scope of Armenian Studies so far. In particular, 1) the combinations of the model «V1+V2+S» (cf. եայ, եաւ) are considered to be triphthongoids, rather than triphthongs taking into consideration the fact that the sonorous sounds ւ(w) and յ(y) did not carry out a function of a vowel in Old Armenian; 2) ու is considered a diphthongoid similar to the combinations աւ, իւ, եւ, այ, ոյ and not a simple vowel, as it is accepted in Armenian Studies. Accordingly, the combinations of the ուայ, ուաւ type are triphthongs only conventionally, as the presence of two sonorous sounds in one syllable is considered an equvivalent of one vowel sound; 3) the combinations ուա, ուի, ուո, ուե and ուէ are also considered to be triphthongoids, in which the structure «V1+S+V2» is present. According to the author, this kind of an approach comes from the peculiarity of Mashtot’s alphabet - “one sound per one letter”, which was emphasized by all Armenologists, but who did not consistently apply it. The use of these principles in the present study gives grounds to say that Old Armenian did not have pure triphthongs, but only triphthongoids and conventional triphthongs. The latter, in essence, are also triphthongoids, which instead of a three-component structure of the former have a four-component structure.