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Ben (Armenian letter)

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Armenian letter Ben
Բ բ
Typeface upper and lower case of letter ben
Handwritten upper and lower case of letter ben
Usage
Writing systemArmenian alphabet
TypeAlphabetic
Language of originArmenian
Sound valuesb (Eastern Armenian)
(Western Armenian, in some places in the Eastern)
In UnicodeU+0532, U+0562
Alphabetical position2nd
Numerical value: 2
History
Development
Possibly, Β β or Ϝ ϝ
  • Բ բ
Time periodSince 405 to present
Other
Associated numbers2
This article contains phonetic transcriptions in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see Help:IPA. For the distinction between [ ], / / and ⟨ ⟩, see IPA § Brackets and transcription delimiters.

Ben (majuscule: Բ, minuscule: բ; Armenian: բեն) is a letter of the Armenian alphabet, used in the Armenian language.

It was one of the original letters in the Armenian alphabet created by Mesrop Mashtots in 405 AD.[1]

It is speculated to be derived from the Greek letter Beta with the rightmost curves cut off somewhat. Along with the letter Ayb, it forms the word "այբուբեն" (alphabet).

Usage

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It is the 2nd letter of the Armenian alphabet, used in the Armenian language. In Eastern Armenian dialect, it is usually pronounced as the voiced bilabial plosive [b], though in some sub-dialects, it can be pronounced as the voiceless bilabial plosive [p], or as the aspirated voiceless bilabial plosive [pʰ]. In the Western Armenian dialect, it is pronounced as the aspirate voiceless bilabial plosive [pʰ].[2] In English, it is transliterated as the letter B.[3] In Armenian numeral system, the letter corresponds to the number 2.[4]

Encodings

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Character information
Preview Բ բ
Unicode name ARMENIAN CAPITAL LETTER BEN ARMENIAN SMALL LETTER BEN
Encodings decimal hex dec hex
Unicode 1330 U+0532 1378 U+0562
UTF-8 212 178 D4 B2 213 162 D5 A2
Numeric character reference Բ Բ բ բ
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Various historic fonts

References

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  1. ^ Aleksandra Krawczuka (editor): Wielka Historia Świata, vol. 3. Świat okresu cywilizacji klasycznych.' Oficyna Wydawnicza FOGRA, 2005, p. 586. ISBN 83-85719-84-9.
  2. ^ Takayuki Yoshimura. Modern Eastern Armenian Grammar I. Tokyo University of Foreign Studies, 2021. p. 1, 12.
  3. ^ Transliteration of Armenian by Thomas T. Pedersen, in KNAB (Kohanimeandmebaas, Place Names Database) of Eesti Keele Instituut (Institute of the Estonian Language)
  4. ^ "Numbers in Armenian". omniglot.com. Retrieved 2020-10-12.
[edit]
  • Բ on Wiktionary
  • բ on Wiktionary