Academic community marks 100th anniversary of Professor Manvel Asatryan

A national academic conference dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the birth of distinguished linguist, Doctor of Philological Sciences, Professor Manvel Asatryan, was held at the Faculty of Armenian Philology, Yerevan State University. The conference aimed to highlight Asatryan's scholarly legacy and the role of his fundamental works in contemporary Armenian studies. It also provided an excellent opportunity to reassess, through a scientific lens, the theories and methodologies developed by the professor.

The textbooks authored by Manvel Asatryan—Issues in the Morphology of the Modern Armenian Language, The Urmia (Khoy) Dialect, Voices of the Verb in Modern Armenian, among others—are considered cornerstones of practical Armenian linguistics. They have long served as desk references for students, facilitating the transformation of theoretical linguistic knowledge into applied skills.

For Professor Asatryan, language was never merely an object of study. As he often emphasized: "Language is not simply a means of communication; it is the soul, memory, and identity of a nation. Reflecting on his own work, Asatryan modestly noted that if even a portion of his interpretations contributed to a deeper understanding of the grammatical structure of the language, he would consider his mission fulfilled.

The event was opened by the YSU Vice-Rector for International Relations, Development and Innovation, Mikayel Hovhannisyan, who underscored the professor's invaluable contribution to the advancement of university education and academic research.

Arshaluys Galstyan, Dean of the Faculty of Armenian Philology, emphasized that through his scholarly achievements, Manvel Asatryan attained the highest standing in Armenian grammatical studies, securing a distinct and enduring place in the field.

Anna Abajyan, Head of the Chair of the Armenian Language History and General Linguistics at the same faculty, described him as an entire era in Armenian linguistics—one who imparted to his students not only knowledge, but also a way of thinking, a scientific approach, and a profound sense of responsibility toward language.

Yuri Suvaryan, Academician-Secretary of the Division of Armenology and Social Sciences at the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia, noted that the legacy left by scholars such as Asatryan constitutes a strategic foundation for the continued development of Armenian studies.

During the conference, prominent members of the academic staff delivered presentations addressing Asatryan's life and career, his classifications in dialectology, his analysis of participial predicate structures in Armenian, and his scholarly connections to Oriental studies.

The conference also highlighted Asatryan's role as a demanding and highly skilled educator who trained dozens of generations of philologists. In recognition of his contributions, one of the auditoriums of the Faculty of Armenian Philology at Yerevan State University was named in his honor a decade ago.

The event was attended by faculty members, representatives from various Armenian universities and research centers, PhD candidates, undergraduate and graduate students, and other guests.