Bread as ethnocultural and axiological pillar: study by YSU associate professor

Associate Professor Tonoyan's article, titled "Ethnocultural and Value-Systematic Ideas about Bread in the Context of the Armenian Language", was recently published in the Q2 journal Religiovedenie, which is indexed in international scientific databases. We spoke with him about why bread is so significant in Armenian culture, how it is reflected in literature and tradition, what discoveries have been made, and what conclusions can be drawn regarding the concept of "bread".

Q: Mr. Tonoyan, why does bread carry not only material, but also spiritual and value-based significance in Armenian culture?

A: It stems from a single factor: a nation with a deep civilizational identity—its people and society—perceive any reality, especially those of essential importance to its life, across two planes: the historical and the meta-historical (timeless). The Armenian perception of "bread" resides largely in this meta-historical dimension. This perception has existed since very early times, and with the advent of Christianity it acquired new layers, which have gradually sought to become more pronounced and firmly established. We adopted Christianity because it was close to our way of thinking, mindset and value system.

Q: In your article, you mention that the word "bread" contains both rational and irrational semantic layers. How is this manifested, for example, in Armenian literature, folklore, or popular sayings?

A: As noted in the article, one need only read Daniel Varoujan's "The Song of the Bread" carefully to be convinced of this fact. Perhaps the most mystical expression is found in the epic "Bread and Wine, the Living Lord". Here, meaning is concentrated to an almost unimaginable degree. Consider the proverb, "Where there is bread, there abide". Unfortunately, its historical and everyday interpretation has often overshadowed its meta-historical, timeless meaning. This tension is addressed specifically in the article.

Q: In your study, you also address pre-Christian and Christian traditions. What role does bread play in those rituals and beliefs?

A: It is clear that bread represents Christ, and if one keeps this in mind, many literary masterpieces appear in an entirely different light, creating a need to reassess and appreciate them afresh. 

Q: During your research, what interesting or unexpected insights did you uncover regarding perceptions of bread?

A: In that regard, I must honestly say that my greatest discovery was Varoujan's "The Song of the Bread". You know, throughout our lives we read and learn poems by heart, yet we often fail to grasp their essential meaning. For instance, Tumanyan's "With My Homeland". Literary scholarship rarely asks what, according to Tumanyan, is the ultimate purpose of our people expressed in that poem. It is captured in the lines: "It is that great word meant for the world."

Q: How can linguistics help us understand a people's value system and worldview?

A: What is language? In school and at university, we are taught many things about it. Beyond all that, in my view, language is memory—a repository of national memory where a nation stores the mysteries of its own being. Language is the anchor on which everything sustained by a people's memory rests. 

Q: What are the key conclusions of your research regarding the significance of "bread"?

A: I believe that any society lags behind the nation and the national identity it is composed of. The nation belongs to yesterday, while society exists today; today’s society will only become a nation tomorrow, when it reaches the turn of memory—that memory which, in recalling, weaves into the works of the past what it chooses to preserve.

Q: What research projects or studies are you currently engaged in, and are there any new studies or articles planned for the near future?

A: Recently, my article "The Linguistic-Mental Synonymy" was published in the "Bulletin of Yerevan University: Philology" (2025, №1 (46)). I believe that the ideas and scientific hypotheses it presents require further, more in-depth exploration. The examination of value-related issues prompted us to document this linguistic phenomenon at a scholarly level. We plan to present a more comprehensive and detailed study of this phenomenon in peer-reviewed international journals in the near future.