An Overview of Participle Adjectives in Armenian Grammar

The Armenian language, a rich and diverse tapestry of linguistic elements, exhibits unique characteristics in its grammar structure. In this article, we will delve into the intricacies of participle adjectives in Armenian grammar, examining their formation, properties, and usage in both Eastern and Western Armenian dialects.

Formation of Participle Adjectives

Participle adjectives are derived from verbs, serving as a means to describe nouns with characteristics of an action or state. In Armenian grammar, they commonly end with the suffixes -ություն (-ական) in Western Armenian and -ություն (-ային) in Eastern Armenian.

Let’s take a look at some examples of verb roots and their respective participle adjectives:

• վերաբերվել (to trust) –> վերաբերություն (trusting)
• պաշտողել (to protect) –> պաշտական (protective)
• շփոթել (to vibrate) –> շփային (vibrating)

Distinguishing Participle Adjectives from Participles

While both participles and participle adjectives originate from verbs, a key distinction lies in their grammatical usage. Participles function as verbs, either continuing the action or describing a completed action with a specified subject, while participle adjectives are utilized to describe nouns.

For example, consider the verb գնալ (to go) and its participle, գնացած (having gone):

• Participle: Տիգրանը գնացած է շուկա֋ (Tigran has gone to the market.)
• Participle Adjective: Տիգրանը վերցրաւ գնացած ապուրն։ (Tigran bought the gone-off meat.)

Usage of Participle Adjectives in Sentences

Participle adjectives may be employed to provide additional context or details about a noun, often following the noun with a hyphen:

• Վարդանը հանգեց ձմեռային տև-տեւ ճանապարհով։ (Vardan walked through the time-consuming winter path.)
• Նանա կարդալ է պաշտական գրք-մը։ (Nana is reading a top-secret book.)

Additionally, participle adjectives may act as predicate adjectives, providing more information about a subject:

• Հայաստանի դաշնակցավակահանգիստը իշխանաբարություն է։ (The Armenian nationalist movement is triumphant.)
• Այդ կաշառումը հանեղ է։ (That student is talented.)

Conclusion

To summarize, participle adjectives in Armenian grammar play a significant role in describing nouns with characteristics of actions or states. Their formation from verb roots, differentiation from participles, and usage in sentences offer an interesting study of the complexities of the Armenian language. By understanding the intricacies of participle adjectives, speakers and learners of Armenian can enrich their linguistic abilities and effectively utilize these grammar components in written and spoken communication.