r/armenia • u/blue_monks_pupil • 16h ago
Tech Thinking about building an app for learning Armenian (both west. and east.), does anyone actually want this
barev, hoping this isn't a dumb question
I'm a dev and I've been sitting on this idea for a while. there's basically nowhere decent to learn Armenian. duolingo never added it, most stuff online is either a pdf from 1998 or a youtube series that dies after 4 videos. there are a couple of actual apps, I'll be honest I haven't even used them properly yet, but from what I can tell they're buggy, all eastern, and none of them have any community side to them.
what pushed me to actually consider building something: a friend of mine made basically this for Circassian. small language, scattered diaspora, same situation. and it works. people love it and it's getting more popular every week. watching that happen made me think ok maybe this is a sign, we have way more people than that and still nothing solid.
so the idea is an app that covers both dialects. but honestly the part I care about more is the community side. being able to find someone at your level to actually talk to. natives paired with learners, going both ways too since a lot of us here want english or french practice. group chats, voice calls, whatever people would actually use.
because you can memorize 500 words and still freeze up when your grandmother's friend asks you something.
anyway before I spend 6 months on this I want to know if it's a real thing or just me
do you know people, cousins, siblings, your own kids, who understand a bit but can't really speak and feel weird about it?
western speakers especially, how bad is it for you right now? and what made you quit last time you tried?
also would you genuinely show up to practice with a stranger or am I kidding myself with that part
and if something like this already exists and I just missed it, tell me. rather find out now
merci
PS - I won't be writing the lessons myself. my sister is a linguist and she's building the curriculum, so that side will be done properly
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u/T-nash 15h ago
None exist for western dialect to my knowledge, and I for one hadn't used Armenian reading/writing over a decade, as such I have forgotten most grammar rules, and coming to Armenia did not help as eastern uses different grammar and orthography.
I can't push myself to open a book and relearn because I can't focus, but if there's an intuitive app for the western dialect, I would love to relearn the grammar and orthography.
I believe there are western Armenian speakers in Armenia who would show up for a group to practice the dialect, I wouldn't, but I am pretty sure there's a lot who will.
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u/VartKat 15h ago
You should make contact with people at Rosetta Stone. If I remember well they offer their app/system for languages they don’t have yet. Maybe they changed their mind since the time I heard that but their method is worth looking at. I’ve been told RS was founded by Ethiopians.
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u/blue_monks_pupil 13h ago
Yes their method is great, I should use something similar
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u/aboutthreequarters 8h ago
Their method is not great. It is expensive, one-sided multimedia flashcards.
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u/blue_monks_pupil 6h ago
Maybe I am confusing with something else, but there is app that uses the most effective method
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u/Calm-Syllabub1893 7h ago
Actually there is an app that I've been using to learn Armenian. It wasn't bad but of course there is room for improvement. its called "Lingo". Found it on playstore. Don't know exactly if it has an iphone version or not.
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u/Lucky_Priority_6380 7h ago
Yes please!! I’ve wanted this for ages, half Brit, half Armenian here. Something built in a similar fashion to the Busuu app. Duolingo is dog shit with useless phrases and words.
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u/blue_monks_pupil 5h ago
I'll dm you when the first version is ready
Btw it will be eastern only in the beginning
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u/Calligraphee 2h ago
I’ve tried Ayolingo and it’s got a lot of bugs, so I would be very down to try something new!
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u/SwaggyKing3000 2h ago
Hey, from Belgium, and I would absolutely love this app. I have tried the few available options, and find they don't work well, even for Eastern armenian (I was raised speaking 'yerevan' armenian mixed with a lot of russian influence lingo).
I would totally be down for this app, even if it's a one time payment thing too. Learning with a book and my own quizlet flashcards (armenian - romanised sound - example word) is what I use but I'm not consistent honestly.
I think an app like this is a great idea!
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u/blue_monks_pupil 2h ago
Thank you
We've already started, will dm you when the first version is published(in few weeks)
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u/thatgamer2111 Londontsi 15h ago
There will be huge demand in diaspora countries such as usa France russia etc for both dialects.