I once heard the expression, 'a nickname is like a verbal hug.' In Armenia, adding the -jan to the end of a name is like saying friend, buddy, dear, ect. A little like the diminutive form in Spanish. Adding jan isn't a big deal, it is said so quickly you can barely catch it. But, the first time someone called me Becky-jan a couple weeks ago, I could not wipe the dopey grin off my face. It was all I could do not to stand up and give a Sally Field Oscar speech. You like me, you really, really like me. 
Photo of the Armenian army around WWI, from the Armenian history museum.
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