Book excerpt: Beginning Armenian: A Communicative Textbook introduces conversational Western and Eastern Armenian in a single volume, allowing learners to acquire the language skills they need to communicate and to reference, contrast, and compare both standards of the language. This book contains 24 lessons, each providing a range of key vocabulary and addressing different topics of daily life, including greetings, people, and objects, as well as past and future plans. An overview of the Western and Eastern Armenian alphabet, pronunciation, and punctuation is complimented by a range of exercises introducing the basics of Armenian grammar and vocabulary, with interactive information gap and role play activities designed to develop essential conversation skills. Beginning Armenian is the ideal textbook to introduce class-based and independent learners to the Armenian language.