Naming a website

I sent the following note to my friend Sam in Yerevan, after asking him to look at a draft website on Armenia that I had online:

>Could you help me think of a good domain name for the website? Is there a phrase or word that means something like "Friend of Armenia?"

Sam (and it is my great fortune to know this brilliant man, who formerly worked as a nuclear physicist in the Soviet Union before things fell apart) replied with this information:

I believe, that it might be a good idea to use the poetical ancient name of Armenia, which is "Erkir Nairi" "Erkir" means land, country. One of names of ancient Armenia was "Urartu", and experts are confident, that "Ararat" is just another version of "Urartu" or vice versa. Another name of ancient Armenia is "Biayna", but "Erkir Nairi" sounds better. I bet you know that Armenia in Armenian sounds like "Hyastan" (your hotel was Hy-Business). In ancient Armenian "Hyastan" was "HayC". "C" here sounds as "K" in "Kind", rough "K" (like "hike"). As for "Friend" in Armenian it is "Barekam". But "Hayastani Barekam" is too long and somewhat artificial. This all is, as one could say: FYI.

Later he wrote:

Some ideas for you: "Barekam" means also "a relative", like uncle's wife, or children etc. "Barekamutyoun" - means "friendship" and also "all relatives, taken together" We have also "inker" which is "comrade", but it is too communistic... Let me think a little bit and I'll send you another message tonight.

I sent Sam this quote from a doctoral dissertation I found:

>And none of the kings of Armenia could find a friend among them, only enemies [ew och' mi ok' i t'agaworac'n Hayoc' och' ok' gtaner noc'a barekam, ayl amenek'ean t'shnamik']

To which Sam replied:

.......... " I believe it will be interesting for you to know, that the text you found is in ancient Armenian, which is called "GRABAR" (gra-baar). It so happened, that modern Armenian uses nearly all words used in Grabar,and what is different is the grammar. It so happened historically. But thanks to that nearly any person with good knowledge of modern Armenian can read texts written in grabar.

Because a good journalist checks information several times, I asked on the newsgroup alt.culture.armenia for the meaning of "barekam" and got several replies (only first names are used):

From: "Teresa": Parekam or Paregam is a compound word made up of "paree" which means good and Gam or gamenal which means "will" and "to will" . So a paregam is a "well wisher"or desirer of good on behalf of another..So stay well parekam.. Krikor

"Leo" added: Definitely not "relative". Just "friend". If I am allowed to elaborate just a little, it may help you to know that it is a compound formed like "well- (bari-a-) wisher (kam)", and "benevolent" (well-wishing). -ia- contracts to -e-, where -a- is the so-called linking -a-, like the linking -o- in, say, "astr-o-physics", etc. I verified in two Russian-Armenian dictionaries (printed in Armenia). Rodstvennik (relative) is translated by "azgakan"; no "barekam" there.

"Katy" contributed this: . Yes, lingustically you are correct. But I have talked to 3 or 4 of my Armenian langauage professors about it, and they all say that parigam/barigam is used in 99% of dialects, eastern and western, also as relative. Usually a young person referring to all their cousins, or a great-aunt referring to her great-nieces and nephews- not a brother referring to his sister.

But Sam has the final word:

I've been thinking a lot, "pondering the issue" and here is my opinion. I've been trying to find a correct, but short translation of the term "user friendly" and I understood that any translation is going to include the word or root "barekam-" in this or that combination. I also understood, that "barekam" as a name for a website is quite O.K. and it is not going to me associated with other meanings of the word. So the final verdict is: Barekam is a good name for a website as long as you like it. Warmest regards and I'm looking forward to seeing our new friend, whose name is simple: "Barekam"

Thanks to everyone.
RS

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