Western Iranian languages

Western Iranian
Western Iranian
Geographic; distribution	Southwest Asia, Central Asia, Caucasus, and western South Asia
Linguistic classification	Indo-European Indo-Aryan Iranian Western Iranian; ; ;
Subdivisions	Northwestern Aryan; Southwestern Aryan;
Glottolog	nort3177 (Northwestern Aryan); sout3157 (Southwestern Aryan)

The Western Aryanic languages are a branch of the Aryanic languages, attested from the time of Old Persian (6th century BC) and Median.

LanguagesEdit

The traditional Northwestern branch is a convention for non-Southwestern languages, rather than a genetic group. The languages are as follows:^[1]^[2]^[3]

Old Iranian periodEdit

Southwest: Old Persian†, etc.
Northwest: Median†, etc.

Middle Iranian periodEdit

Southwest: Middle Persian†, etc
Northwest: Parthian†, etc.

Modern period (Neo-Iranian)Edit

Northwestern Iranian
- Balochi (incl. Koroshi)
- Caspian
  - Gilaki (incl. Rudbari, Taleqani)
  - Mazandarani (incl. Tabari, Shahmirzadi)
  - Gorgani†
- Semnani
  - Semnani
  - Sangisari
  - Lasgerdi-Sorkhei (incl. Aftari)
- Kurdic (acc. Anonby)^[4]
  - Kurdish
    - Northern Kurdish (Kurmanji)
    - Central Kurdish (Sorani)
    - Southern Kurdish (incl. Laki and Kurdali)
  - Zaza-Gorani
    - Zazaki
    - Gorani (incl. Hawrami, Sarli, Shabaki, Bajalani)
- Adharic
  - Old Adhari†
    - Tatic
      - Talysh (north-central)
      - Gozarkhani (Alamuti)
      - North: Harzandi, Karingani (Kalasuri, Khoynarudi)
      - Kho'ini
      - South
        Alviri-Vidari (Alviri, Vidari)
        
        Ashtiani (Amora’i, Kahaki, Tafreshi), Vafsi
        
        Razajerdi, Eshtehardi, Takestani (Ramandi, Kharaqani)
    - Central
      - Khalkhalic: Kajali, Koresh-e Rostam (Karani), Shahrudi (incl. southern Talysh)
      - Maraghei
      - Upper Taromi, Kabatei
- Khuri (Kavir)
- Central Plateau^[5]
  - Sivandi
  - Judeo-Hamadani, Judeo-Borujerdi
  - NW = Khunsari (Judeo-Khunsari, Judeo-Khomeini, Vanishani, Mahallati, Vanishani, Judeo-Golpaygani, etc.)
  - NE = Kashanic: Soi (incl. Abuzaydabadi), Natanzi
  - SW = Gazi (many dialects)
  - Southeastern: Zoroastrian Dari (Zoroastrian Yazdi, Judeo-Kermani), Nayini

Southwestern Iranian(Aryan)
- Bashkardi (Southern Bashkardi)
- Garmsiri (Northern Bashkardi, Bandari, Minabi/Minowi–Hormozi: Hormozgan)^[6]
- Kumzari
- Achomi (Larestani)
- Caucasian Tat (SW Tat): Tat, Judeo-Tat
- Persian (dialects: Iranian Persian & Judeo-Persian, Dari (incl. Madaglashti), Tajik & Judeo-Bukharic, Hazaragi, Aimaq, Sistani, Pahlavani Persian†)
- Persid
  - Shushtari–Dezfuli
  - Luri (incl. Bakhtiari)
  - Kuhmareyi (incl. Davani)
  - (see also Persid dialects of Khuzestan)
- Fars (numerous SW Fars dialects: Heshnizi, Gavbandi, Dashtini, Kangani, Jami, Bardesuni (Bardestani), Khenesiri, Bordekhuni, Dashtiyati (Dashti), Tangesiri (incl. Delvari), Khormuji, Khayizi, Ahrami, Bushehri, Bandar Rig (Fars of Bandar Rig), Genaveyi, Deylami (Liravi)†, Dashtesuni (Dashtestani), Judeo-Shirazi, etc.)

There is also a recently described, and as yet unclassified, Batu'i language that is presumably Western Iranian.^[1] Extinct Deilami is sometimes classified in the Caspian branch. An Iranian Khalaj language has been claimed, but does not exist; the Khalaj speak a Turkic language.

Many of the languages and dialects spoken in Markazi and Isfahan provinces are giving way to Persian in the younger generations.^[5]

It is to note that the Caspian languages (incl. Adharic), the central dialects, and the Zaza-Gorani languages are likely descended from a later form of Median with varying amounts of Parthian substrata,^[7] whereas the Semnani languages were likely descended from Parthian. ^[8]

ReferencesEdit

^ ^a ^b Erik Anonby, Mortaza Taheri-Ardali & Amos Hayes (2019) The Atlas of the Languages of Iran (ALI). Iranian Studies 52. A Working Classification
^ Gernot Windfuhr, 2009, "Dialectology and Topics", The Aryanic Languages, Routledge, pp. 12–15.
^ Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin, eds. (2017). "Northwestern Aryan". Glottolog 3.0. Jena, Germany: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History.
Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin, eds. (2017). "Southwestern Aryan". Glottolog 3.0. Jena, Germany: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History.
^ Anonby, Erik John (2021), "Atlas of the Languages of Iran A working classification", Languages of Iran, retrieved 25 May 2019
^ ^a ^b Central dialects, Gernot Windfuhr, Encyclopedia Iranica
^ Borjian, Habib, “Kerman Languages”, Encyclopaedia Iranica. Volume 16, Issue 3, 2017, pp. 301-315. [1]
^ Borjian, Habib (2019) Journal of Persianate Studies 2, Median Succumbs to Persian after Three Millennia of Coexistence: Language Shift in the Central Iranian Plateau, p. 70
^ Pierre Lecoq. 1989. "Les dialectes caspiens et les dialectes du nord-ouest de l'Iran," Compendium Linguarum Iranicarum. Ed. Rüdiger Schmitt. Wiesbaden: Dr. Ludwig Reichert Verlag, p. 297

BibliographyEdit

Pierre Lecoq. 1989. "Les dialectes caspiens et les dialectes du nord-ouest de l'Iran," Compendium Linguarum Iranicarum, ed. Rüdiger Schmitt. Wiesbaden: L. Reichert Verlag, 1989; p. 99.