Examples of lexical differences between western and eastern dialects
Examples of lexical differences between western and eastern dialects can be illustrated well by looking at the Armenian language, where the two main dialects—Eastern Armenian and Western Armenian—exhibit notable differences in vocabulary and pronunciation.
Pronunciation Differences
- Certain letters are pronounced differently in each dialect. For example, the Eastern Armenian letter “բ” (b) is pronounced as “p” in Western Armenian. Similarly, the letter “կ” (k) in Eastern Armenian is pronounced as “g” in Western Armenian.
- Examples:
Vocabulary Differences
- Some words differ entirely between the two dialects, even for common items.
- Examples include:
- “White”: Eastern Armenian “Spitak” vs Western Armenian “Jermag”
- “Priest”: Eastern Armenian “Kahana” vs Western Armenian “Gëgheregan”
- “Hungry”: Eastern Armenian “Sovats” vs Western Armenian “Anoti”
- “Egg”: Eastern Armenian “Dzu” vs Western Armenian “Havgit”
- “Hello”: Eastern Armenian “Barev” vs Western Armenian “Parev”. 2, 1
These lexical differences arise from historical geographic separation and external linguistic influences on each dialect, with Eastern Armenian influenced by Persian and Russian and Western Armenian influenced by Turkish and Arabic. 1
Thus, lexical differences between western and eastern dialects are seen in both pronunciation and vocabulary, reflecting distinct linguistic evolutions and cultural contacts of the speakers.
If examples from other languages are desired, please specify. Otherwise, the Armenian dialect example provides a clear illustration of lexical divergence in western vs eastern dialects.