Armenian Etymological Dictionary Acharian's most cited work is the
Armenian Etymological Dictionary (Հայերէն արմատական բառարան,
Hayerēn armatakan baṙaran). It was first published in Yerevan in seven volumes between 1926 and 1935 and includes some 11,000 entries on root words and 5,095 entries on the roots. The latter entries include early Armenian references, definitions, some 30 dialectal forms, and the borrowing of the word by other languages. Its second edition was published 1971-79 in four volumes. that continues to be used as a reference work.
Antoine Meillet opined that no such perfect etymological dictionary exists in any other language.
John A. C. Greppin has described it as "surely the most complete ever prepared for any language."
Robert Dankoff praised it as a "monument of humanistic scholarship".
Robert Godel described it as a "monumental, encyclopedic work, in which all Indo-European etymologies ever suggested for Armenian words are recorded and discussed, with the addition of many personal suggestions." Godel added, "As a dictionary of Armenian, Ajarian's work has a particular value, owing to his extensive knowledge of the classical literature as well as of the modern dialects." R. T. Nielsen notes that it "retains much of its relevance to this day" and continues to be the "only near-complete historical treatment of the Armenian lexicon."
Vrej Nersessian wrote in 1993 that despite "advances in Indo-European linguistics since 1926, the bulk of the etymologies cited are still valid." He ranked it "among the very best of etymological dictionaries."
Hrach Martirosyan opined that "no serious etymological or dialectological investigation can be undertaken without recurring" to the dictionary. He noted, however, that since it was written in Armenian it is "inaccessible for many students of Indo-European linguistics."
Nina G. Garsoian wrote in 1970 that it is "difficultly procurable" and noted that "not all of his etymologies have proved acceptable."
James Clackson called it "excellent" but too noted that it is "not easily accessible to western scholars" as it is written in Armenian. Patrick Considine noted that the "impressive size of the work is unfortunately in part due to the inclusion of a great deal of dead wood. It was, however, a very great achievement for a single scholar, and it contains much that is still of value."
Rüdiger Schmitt is more critical, arguing that the dictionary is "unreliable as far as the Iranian evidence is concerned."
On Armenian dialects In 1909 Acharian's first ever comprehensive study of Armenian dialects—
Classification des dialectes arméniens ("Classification of Armenian Dialects")—was published in French in Paris. Acharian proposed a classification based on the present and imperfect indicative particles: -owm/-um (-ում) dialects, -kə/-gə (-կը) dialects, and -el (-ել) dialects. In 1913 the
Lazarev Institute published his
Armenian Dialectal Dictionary (Հայերէն գաւառական բառարան). It includes some 30,000 words used in Armenian dialects. His studies on various Armenian dialects have also been published in separate books. These include publications on the dialects of
Nor Nakhichevan (1925),
Maragha (1926–30),
Agulis (1935),
Nor Jugha (1940),
Constantinople (1941),
Hamshen (1940),
Van (1952), and Ardeal/
Transylvania (1953). In 1902 he published the first ever study of Turkish loan words in Armenian.
Dictionary of Armenian Proper Names Acharian authored a
Dictionary of Armenian Proper Names (Հայոց անձնանունների բառարան), which was published in five volumes from 1942 to 1962. The first two parts, examining the historical sources and the life of
Mesrop Mashtots were published in Eastern Armenian in 1968. The complete work was first published in 1984. Acharian wrote a
History of Modern Armenian Literature (Պատմութիւն հայոց նոր գրականութեան, 1906–12),
History of the Turkish Armenian Question (Տաճկահայոց հարցի պատմութիւնը, 1915) covering the period from 1870 to 1915,
The Role of the Armenians in the Ottoman Empire (1999), and the
History of Armenian Diaspora (2002).
Manuscript catalogs Acharian compiled catalogs of Armenian manuscripts kept at different locations. His catalog of the manuscripts at the
Sanasarian College in Erzurum/Karin was published in
Handes Amsorya in 1896-97. He later cataloged the Armenian manuscripts in
Tabriz (1910),
Nor Bayazet (1924), and
Tehran (1936).
Other Acharian translated the
Bhagavad Gita from Sanskrit, which was published by the Armenian Church press in 1911. He wrote memoirs on
Yervand Shahaziz (1917) and
Srpouhi Dussap (1951). ==Recognition==