Author: Chakrian Hovsep

Useless-Knowledge.com
June 15 2005

A Note On The Classification Of Indo-European Languages

By Thomas Keyes
June 15, 2005

Since the early 20th century it has been recognized that most of the
languages of Europe as well as numerous languages of Iran,
Afghanistan and India constitute a single superfamily, called the
Indo-European languages. The only national languages of Europe not
included are Finnish, Estonian and Hungarian; Basque is also
excluded. Vying with the Indo-European languages in India are the
Dravidian languages, an unrelated group numbering Tamil, Telugu,
Malayalam and others.

The Indo-European languages consist of two major subgroups, called
Centum and Satem, each of which is further subdivided into smaller
families of languages. In the traditional classification, which may
have undergone some minor refinements in the most modern schemes,
Centum languages include Italic (or Romance), Germanic, Celtic and
Hellenic languages. Satem languages divide into Balto-Slavic,
Indo-Iranian, Thraco-Illyrian and Thraco-Phrygian languages.

As for the Centum group, today’s basic Italic languages are Spanish,
French, Portuguese, Italian and Romanian-Moldavian. Germanic
languages are German, English, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish and
Icelandic. Celtic languages are Irish, Gaelic, Welsh, Manx and
Breton. And the Hellenic language is Greek.

As for Satem, Baltic languages are Latvian and Lithuanian, while
Slavic languages are Russian, Ukrainian, Byelorussian, Polish, Czech,
Slovak, Serbo-Croatian, Slovenian, Bulgarian and Macedonian. Indic
languages include Hindi-Urdu, Bengali, Marathi, Punjabi, Gujarati,
Oriya, Sindhi, Sinhala, Nepali and others. Iranian languages are
Persian (Farsi), Pashtu, Dari, Kurdish and others. The
Thraco-Illyrian language is Albanian, and the Thraco-Phrygian is
Armenian.

This cursory classification omits various dialects, secondary
languages, languages of doubtful status and extinct languages, for
example, Yiddish, Catalan, Pomeranian, Provencal, etc.

>>From this we see that English and Russian, for example, are related
to each other, albeit somewhat distantly. One might ask, “Is this
really the case or is this merely some academic hypothesis?” A
comparison provides the answer.

In comparing English and Russian vocabulary to see if we can see
their interrelationship, we must discard from consideration similar
words that have been borrowed by both languages from other languages,
especially Greek, Latin and French. So we disregard pairs like the
following: revolution-revolyutsiya; communism-kommunizm;
zoologist-zoolog; automobil-avtomobil’; hero-geroi; bank-bank;
journal-zhurnal; cosmonaut-kosmonavt; disinformation-dizinformatsiya;
police-politsei; ocean-okean; captain-kapitan; number-nomer.

We must also disregard words borrowed from Russian into English,
including these: mammoth, tundra, tsar, chernozem, steppe, taiga,
podzol, troika, balalaika, beluga, Alaska, samovar, knish, yarmolke,
blintz. Similarly, we must exclude words borrowed directly into
Russian from English: demping (economic dumping); biznesmen
(businessman); kseroks (xerox); rok (rock-and-roll); oposum
(opossum); dzhinsy-jeans; match-match (contest); beisbol-baseball.

Having done this, we are in a position to see whether there remain
any words in common, and the answer is, “Definitely”- Here are some
very obvious and interesting correspondences: moloko-milk;
kholod-cold; volk-wolf; gus’-goose; doch-daughter; syn-son;
mat’-mother; sestra-sister; lyubit’-love; bit’-beat; byt’-be;
zhevat’-chew; sneg-snow; voda-water; vino-wine; yabloko-apple;
stal’-steel; serebro-silver; lyogkiy-light (in weight); khleb-loaf
(of bread); dva–two; tri–three; shest-six; sem-seven;
dvadtsat-twenty; tridtsat-thirty; mecyats-month/moon; solntse-sun;
koleno-knee; cidyet’-sit; stat’-stand; lyezhat’-lie (recline);
lozh-lie (untruth); dyen’-day; noch-night; ty-thou; ya–I; menya-me;
yasen’-ash (tree); rozh (rye); noc’-nose; brov’-brow; ot-out/from;
knut’-knout; moch-might (power); moshchniy-mighty; yuniy-young.

There are also cases where the phonetic change has been accompanied
by a shift in meaning as well: strogii-strict (cf. strong);
bukva-letter (cf. book); knyaz’-prince (cf. knight); stul-chair (cf.
stool); godniy-suitable (cf. good); molodoi-young (cf. mild);
vol’niy-free (cf. will); veter-wind (weather).

There are further words that have been shown to be related, both
according to regular phonetic laws and documentation, but that have
changed so drastically that the relationship is barely evident:
zoloto-gold; zheltiy-yellow; zelyoniy-green; derevo-tree; zvezdo-star
(cf. twinkle); gorod-city (cf. yard); zver’-animal (cf. deer);
oko-eye; do-to/until; molot’-grind (cf. mill); nizkii-low (cf.
nether); tserkov’-church.

The epoch when the ancestors of Russian-speakers and English-speakers
were one people must be very remote. One would think that more words
serving as names of plants and animals would have survived from those
prehistoric times as recognizable cognates in the two languages, but
it is hard to find very many. For trees, for example, we have:
sosna-pine; klon-maple; dub-oak; vyshnya-cherry; yiva-willow. For
birds, we have: golub’-pigeon; kuritsa-chicken; lebed’-swan;
utka-duck; yastreb’-hawk.

So the relationship between Russian and English is present, but
tenuous. When you get to Hindi or Persian, though, community with
English becomes well-nigh inappreciable. It’s hard to find any common
words. But I accept the authority of the scholars.

————

About the author Thomas Keyes: I have written two books: A SOJOURN IN
ASIA (non-fiction) and A TALE OF UNG (fiction), neither published so
far.

I have studied languages for years and traveled extensively on five
continents.

Armenian president, government discuss EU integration plan

Public Television of Armenia, Yerevan
15 Jun 05

[Presenter] Armenian President Robert Kocharyan held a working meeting
with members of government today. The meeting was attended by the
minister of trade and economic development, the minister of finance
and economy and the deputy foreign minister.

The meeting discussed the preliminary package of proposals for the
development of Armenia’s action plan within the framework of the
European Neighbourhood Policy. The package was prepared on the basis
of proposals from various ministries and departments.

The Armenian president was informed about the current stage of the
work and about issues covered by the preliminary document of Armenia’s
action plan.

[Kocharyan] We reached an agreement at our previous meeting that we
should prepare an action plan within the framework of the European
Neighbourhood Policy in order to develop relations with the European
Union. Now the project is ready and [Foreign Minister] Vardan Oskanyan
will probably have an opportunity to submit it as a project in the
next few days.

[Video showed the meeting]

Azeri security ministry sacks officers of Armenian origin – paper

525 Qazet, Baku
15 Jun 05

Text of I. Qasimli report by Azerbaijani newspaper 525 Qazet on 15
June headlined “Those who have Armenian relatives dismissed from the
National Security Ministry” and subheaded “A ministry official says
people of Armenian origin cannot work in the ministry”

Several employees of the National Security Ministry have been dismissed
on orders from Minister Eldar Mahmudov, an informed source has told
525 Qazet.

The employees were sacked because one of their parents or other close
relatives are of Armenian origin, the source said. There were officers
among the dismissed.

“This is Azerbaijan and people of Armenian origin and those who have
Armenian relatives cannot work at the National Security Ministry,”
Arif Babayev, head of the ministry’s public relations department,
said to explain the decision.

This purge is the first ever carried out in the ministry. Former
National Security Minister Namiq Abbasov admitted in one of his
interviews that there were people of Armenian origin among the ministry
employees, but said that he did not plan to sack them. Abbasov said
that this illustrated that there was no ethnic discrimination in
Azerbaijan.

AZG Armenian Daily #109, 15/06/2005

Armenia-Turkey

TURKISH PRESS RESPONDS TO ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTER’S WASHINGTON VISIT

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan was still in the United
States when Armenian foreign minister Vartan Oskanian departed from
Vienna to Washington for a working visit. Tough totally focused on
Erdogan-Bush meeting, Turkish newspapers viewed Armenian minister’s
visit as an important one too.

On June 9, defining Oskanian’s two-day visit as a surprise, Hurriyet
wrote that Armenian foreign minister singled out Armenian-Turkish
relations as primary issue during his meeting with Secretary of
State Condoleezza Rice and adviser on security affairs Steven
Headley. Hurriyet thinks that Oskanian hurried to Washington to
catch up with Erdogan thus making political analysts to comment on RA
foreign minister’s visit as Washington’s mediation in Kocharian-Erdogan
dialogue interrupted in Warsaw summit of the Council of Europe.

While the press release by RA Foreign Ministry was giving shallow
information about Oskanian-Rice meeting, Turkish papers pointed out
that the Armenian minister at the meeting with Rice emphasized the
need to increase pressure on Turkey.

On June 11, Turkish NTV responded to Oskanian’s press conference. “At
the meeting with US administration and Congress members Oskanian
though did not turn down Erdogan’s proposal of ‘joint commission’, he
put forward a number of preconditions. Oskanian said, ‘One of Turkish
universities prepared for a workshop ‘Armenians at the Ottoman Period’
but the government intervened. Is that possible to begin a dialogue
in such atmosphere? That is the first reason. Secondly, how long will
that commission function, 15 years?'”, NTV broadcasted.

According to NTV, hinting at Kars-Akhalkalak-Tbilisi-Baku railway,
Oskanian said, “Kars-Gyumri railway reaches Georgia already. Once
it operates, you can avoid expenses of at least $600 million. But we
will not turn to the states included in the project”.

The Turkish press in general was rather considerate towards RA foreign
minister’s visit, particularly his press conference. What stands behind
this is official Washington’s interest in seeing Armenian-Turkish
relations settled.

As it is Turkey that hinders settlement of relations — Turkish
prime minister offered first “to study the genocide issue and then to
establish intergovernmental relations” — then minister Oskanian’s
proposal at the meeting with Rice to exert more pressure on Turkey
appears rather logical.

Vartan Oskanian’s response to Erdogan’s proposal to create a
“joint group” is also reasonable. That is to say if Turkey does
not tolerate a workshop on Armenian issues, then it considers true
historians those who do not stick to the official thesis on Armenian
Genocide in Turkey. Therefore, a “joint group” will simply mean turning
Armenian historians into accomplices of Turkish negation or make them
continually discuss the issue without arriving at a conclusion.

Oskanian’s response to construction of Kars-Akhalkalak-Tbilisi-Baku
was more than logical. More importantly he displayed resolution not
to turn to any state involved in the project. This means if the US
is interested in operation of Kars-Gyumri railway, which will save
American budget $600 million, it should put pressure on Azerbaijan
and Georgia as well.

By Hakob Chakrian

Today. Azerbaijan
June 14 2005

Asim Mollazada: “OSCE Minsk group can’t be replaced with pace
sub-commission on Nagorno-Karabakh”

14 June 2005 [10:12] – Today.Az

The first meeting of the PACE sub-commission on the Nagorno-Karabakh
problem is expected to be held under the summer session of the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in Strasbourg on 20-24
June, MP Asim Mollazada, an Azerbaijani parliamentary representative
to the PACE, told Trend.

Mollazada ruled out the replacement of the OSCE Minsk Group. “This is
absolutely a different format. The CE will not undertake the function
of the OSCE, which acts as mediator in the negotiation process,”
Mollazada underlined. He noted that the CE will attach more and more
attention to issue under its own competence, but namely the rights
of IDPs and provision of the superiority of the law, in particular,
the legal solution to the conflict.

Tofik Zulfugarov, the ex-Foreign Minister, also sees as impossible
the replacement of the Minsk Group with a PACE sub-commission on
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. “I don’t think the sub-commission to
be able to replace the Minsk Group as a negotiation format,” the
political expert underlined. Zulfugarov said that with assistance
of the sub-commission the PACE could syndicate the discussion of
humanitarian issues, linked with Karabakh conflict. In particular,
humanitarian catastrophe that Azerbaijan has faced as a result of
deportation of over 1 million refugees and IDPs from Armenia and
occupied territory of Azerbaijan.

Along with interested sides the sub-commission also included the
representatives from 6 countries – France, Germany, Russia, Italy,
Sweden and Turkey, as well as the chairmen of the PACE committees,
co-rapporteurs of the PACE Monitoring Committee Andreas Gross and
Andreas Herkel, author of the report on Nagorno-Karabakh, David
Atkinson.

URL:

NKR LEADERSHIP TO SPARE NO EFFORT TO MAKE UPCOMING PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS
FAIR AND TRANSPARENT

Pan Armenian News
13.06.2005 08:01

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ “The Nagorno Karabakh Republic authorities will
exert every effort to the upcoming parliamentary elections on June
19 fair, objective and transparent – there is no other alternative”,
NKR President Arkady Ghukasian stated on June 11 in Stepanakert, noting
that the election campaign proceeds within civil frames, NKR MFA press
center reported. “All political forces certainly realize that no power
chair, no post can be compared with the country’s destiny and image. It
is natural that everybody tries to present himself better than he is
really, but the people have the opportunity to compare words and deeds,
things said and done. I hope that they will make the right choice”,
the President said expressing his confidence that worthy candidates
were in all camps.

IRAN, ARMENIA SIGN MOU ON ELECTRICITY COOPERATION

Asia Pulse; Jun 13, 2005

TEHRAN, June 13 Asia Pulse – Iran and Armenia signed a memorandum
of understanding (MoU) here to bolster bilateral cooperation in the
field of electricity.

The MoU was signed by Iran’s Energy Minister Habibollah Bitaraf and
his Armenian counterpart Armen Movsisyan.

Under the MoU, Iran and Armenia reached consensus to implement the
third 400-kw two-circuit transmission line project, valued at US$90
million.

The two countries are also slated to implement the second phase
of Iran-Armenia pipeline project, worth US$130 million and the
complementary project of the fifth unit of Hrazdan thermal power plant.

Under the framework of the agreement, Iranian companies of the Iran
Power Plant Projects Management Company (MAPNA) and Sanir are due to
add a new unit of gas power plant – capable to be transformed into
combined cycle – to Armenia. The project is worth US$150 million.

Based on the accord, the implementation of the said project should
be finalized in 2007.

SUNDAY TELEGRAPH(LONDON)
June 12, 2005, Sunday

Strange power

BY Ben Thompson

System of a Down Smog

Imagine Jimi Hendrix has been magically brought back to life and you
are taking him on a voyage of discovery to find out how far rock ‘n’
roll has come (or, more accurately, not come) in the 35 years since
his tragically early demise. There is probably only one band in the
world at the moment with the power to make the great man scratch his
head in appreciative bewilderment and wonder “How on earth did that
happen?” That band is System of a Down.

On Sunday, at the third of three sold-out shows at the Brixton
Academy, this maverick Armenian-American heavy-rock quartet scales
improbable heights of frenetic precision. Playing in front of
fairground distorting mirrors which intensify the already
hallucinogenic vigour of their performance, they take a series of
disparate musical ingredients – Armenian folk styles, elements of
electro-pop, funk and rap (with the occasional Dire Straits or Wham
cover thrown in, just to keep the crowd on their toes) – and mix them
together in a very large and very metallic cauldron. The sound that
results is utterly, savagely distinctive.

Shaven-headed drummer John Dolmoyan blurs the line between human
beat-keeper and well-oiled piece of industrial machinery. His partner
in rhythm, the excellently named Shavo Odadjian, plays bass-lines as
fluid and sinuous as the plaited beard which stretches down from his
chin to his midriff. But it’s the very human entanglement of two
contrasting front-people which – as with Lennon and McCartney, Page
and Plant or Peters & Lee – makes System of a Down truly special.

Singer Serj Tankian cultivates the demeanour of an Old Testament
prophet and looks like Antony Sher playing the lead in a Frank Zappa
biopic. With his thinning hair, slightly bulging eyes and undying
admiration for the early works of Iron Maiden, guitarist Daron
Malakian initially seems a rather less imposing character, but he is
hugely talented. Not only can he play the guitar like five or six
different people at once, he also writes songs that have tunes. And
good ones, too; the kind that 4,000 people are happy to sing along
with, even though Mezmerize, the album they’re taken from, has only
been out for a couple of weeks.

Lyrics such as “What is in us that turns a deaf ear to the cries of
human suffering?” or “Eloquence belongs to the conqueror” may not be
conventional karaoke material, but that doesn’t seem to bother anyone
in this crowd. And by the time this performance reaches a thunderous
climax with “Toxicity”, the band’s signature 2001 eco-anthem (sample
lyric: “Eating seeds is a pastime/activity”), System of a Down’s
battle cry – “Somewhere between sacred silence and sleep, Disorder!
Disorder! Disorder!” – makes an irresistible kind of sense.

THOUGH HIS records have yet to sell in quite the seven-figure
quantities that System of a Down’s do, any list of America’s five
greatest living songwriters which didn’t include Smog’s Bill Callahan
would be based on a fundamental misconception. This master of the
lugubrious aperu takes to the Islington Academy stage on Thursday
night with the brittle assurance of a first-year student in an Ivy
League tutorial. As opening figures of speech go, Callahan’s “With
the grace of a corpse in a rip-tide…” certainly puts down a marker.
And before the main body of his set concludes with a much loved
earlier song about “letting himself be held like a big old baby”, he
and his band have ambled the gamut from death to life, from the rush
of a tidal race to the stillness of sleeping horses.

Pan Armenian News

ARMENIA AND ESTONIA TO SIGN MEMORANDUM ON MILITARY COOPERATION

09.06.2005 09:28

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Armenian government approved the proposal on signing
the Memorandum on Military Cooperation between the Defense Ministries of the
Republic of Armenia and Republic of Estonia. The decision was taken during
the sitting of the Armenian government held by RA President Robert Kocharian
on May 9, IA Regnum reported.

Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region
104 North Belmont Street, Suite 200
Glendale, California 91206
Phone: 818.500.1918 Fax: 818.246.7353
[email protected]

PRESS RELEASE: Tuesday, June 7, 2005

Contact: Armen Carapetian
Tel: (818) 500-1918

ANC-PN TO HOLD INFORMATION SESSION FOR TRIP TO ARMENIA

What: Final information session about the ANC-PN Armenia 2005 Summer Trip

Where: Wednesday, June 8 at 7:00 p.m.

When: Armenian National Committee – Western Region Map Room
104 N. Belmont, 2nd floor, Glendale, CA 91206

Details: The Armenian National Committee – Professional Network
(ANC-PN) is hosting a final information session for interested
individuals about its Armenia 2005 Summer Trip on June 8 beginning at
7:00 pm. The session will take place at the ANC-WR’s Map Room. The
Armenia 2005 Summer Trip will be from August 11 to August 22. Light
refreshments will be served.

Additional details about the trip can be found at

For additional information contact (818) 500-1918.