ABSTRACT
This chapter aims to deal with the possible meanings and functions of language for the survivor-to-be in the camp, during the deportation, in their hiding place, while witnessing the circle around them tighten, or in exile. Whereas testimonies written by Holocaust survivors have been studied from this perspective, this is an astonishingly unexplored point of view in the Armenian case. The association of language and a social group is not a modern attitude. Be it defined as an ethnic group, a minority, or a speech community, language has had a say in drawing borders and distinguishing members from outsiders. Language is not merely a marker of identity and means to discrimination, but also “a matter of life and death” especially in emergencies since language barriers determine the distribution of vital information. Being in a concentration camp or a caravan, surrounded by those seeking to wipe one out, is an emergency for sure.
