Western Iranian languages

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

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

Distribution of the Iranian languages in and around the Iranian plateau. Western Iranian languages are indicated in the key.

Languages

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 period

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

Middle Iranian period

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

Modern period (Neo-Iranian)

• Northwestern Iranian
  • Caspian
    • Gorgani†
    • Daylami†
    • Gilaki (incl. Rudbari)
    • Mazandarani (incl. Tabari, Shahmirzadi)
  • Semnani
    • Semnani
    • Sangisari
    • Lasgerdi-Sorkhei (incl. Aftari)
  • Adharic (Azaric)
    • 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
  • Kurdic (acc. Anonby)^[4][5]
    • Kurdish
      • Northern Kurdish (Kurmanji)
      • Central Kurdish (Sorani)
      • Southern Kurdish
      • Laki
      • Kurdali
    • Zaza–Gorani
      • Zazaki
      • Gorani (incl. Hawrami, Sarli, Shabaki, Bajalani)
  • Balochi (incl. Koroshi)
  • Khuri (Kavir)
• Central Plateau^[6]
  • 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
  • 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)
  • Bashkardi (Southern Bashkardi)
  • Garmsiri (Northern Bashkardi, Bandari, Minabi/Minowi–Hormozi: Hormozgan)^[7]
  • Kumzari
  • Achomi (Larestani)
  • Caucasian Tat (SW Tat): Tat, Judeo-Tat
  • 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.^[6]

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,^[8] whereas the Semnani languages were likely descended from Parthian.^[9]

See also

• Eastern Iranian languages

References

1. Erik Anonby, Mortaza Taheri-Ardali & Amos Hayes (2019) The Atlas of the Languages of Iran (ALI). Iranian Studies 52. A Working Classification
2. Gernot Windfuhr, 2009, "Dialectology and Topics", The Aryanic Languages, Routledge, pp. 12–15.
3. 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.
4. Anonby, Erik John (2021), "Atlas of the Languages of Iran A working classification", Languages of Iran, retrieved 25 May 2019
5. "Western Iranian Languages, Development of the Persian Language". Destination Iran. 2024-06-16.
6. Central dialects, Gernot Windfuhr, Encyclopedia Iranica
7. Borjian, Habib, “Kerman Languages”, Encyclopaedia Iranica. Volume 16, Issue 3, 2017, pp. 301–315.
8. 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
9. 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

Bibliography

• 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.

Further reading

• Attarzadeh, Muhammad; Rouhparvar, Rahimeh (2024). "Linguistic Study of Some Properties and Phonological Processes of Jooshani Dialect of Persian". Dialectologia et Geolinguistica. 32 (1): 99–122. doi:10.1515/dialect-2024-0007.
• Kontovas, Nicholas. "Contact and the diversity of noun-noun subordination strategies among Western Iranic languages."
• Hanaway Jr, William L. "Gernot L. Windfuhr. Persian and West Iranic: History and State of Research: Part One: Persian Grammar. The Hague: Mouton, 1979.[Trends in Linguistics: State-of-the-Art Reports, No. 12." Review of Middle East Studies 16.1 (1982): 56-58.