Western Iranian languages
Encyclopedia
The Western Iranian languages are a subgroup of the Iranian languages
Iranian languages
The Iranian languages form a subfamily of the Indo-Iranian languages which in turn is a subgroup of Indo-European language family. They have been and are spoken by Iranian peoples....

, attested from the time of Old Persian (6th century BC).

The two sub-branches are:
  • Northwestern Iranian languages
  • Southwestern Iranian languages


The opposition of these two dialect groups is apparent already in Old Iranian times, from the opposition of Old Persian and Median
Median language
The Median language was the language of the Medes. It is an Old Iranian language and classified as belonging to the northwestern Iranian subfamily which includes many other languages such as Azari, Zazaki, Gilaki, Mazandarani, Kurdish and Baluchi.-Attestation:Median is only attested by numerous...

.

Northwestern Iranian

The Northwestern Iranian languages are a branch of the Western Iranian language group. They are classified into about 9 groups; each group in this list contains subgroups, dialects or individual languages, eventually forming 53-54 branches.

Northwestern

  1. Azari
    Ancient Azari language
    Azari is the name used for the Iranian language composed of groups of dialects which were spoken in Azerbaijan at one time. Some linguists have also designated the southern Tati dialects of Azerbaijan like those spoken by the Tats around Khalkhal, Harzand and Keringan as a remnant of Azari...

    * (the original Azeri language)
  2. Central Iran (See)
  3. Kurdish
    Kurdish language
    Kurdish is a dialect continuum spoken by the Kurds in western Asia. It is part of the Iranian branch of the Indo-Iranian group of Indo-European languages....

     (Dialects: Sorani
    Soranî
    Soranî is the name of a Kurdish language that is spoken in Iran and Iraq. Soranî is one of the main Kurdish languages, which are a branch of the Iranian languages.- Name :...

     (Central Kurdish), Kurmanji
    Kurmanji
    Kurmanji or Northern Kurdish is the most commonly spoken dialect of the Kurdish language.- Scripts and books :...

     (Northern Kurdish), Laki
    Laki language
    Laki is a Northwestern Iranian language. Although it is usually grouped with Southern Kurdish dialects, Ethnologue classifies it as a fourth subgroup of Kurdish....

    . (See: Windfuhr, G. The Iranian Languages, P. 587, 2009)
  4. Zaza–Gorani languages: Gorani
    Gorani language
    Gorani is a Northwestern Iranian language, that includes Hewrami, and is spoken by Kurdish populations in the southernmost parts of Iranian Kurdistan and the Iraqi Kurdistan region. Some linguists classify it as a member of the Zaza–Gorani branch of the Northwestern Iranian languages...

     (Hawrami), Bajelan, Kirmanjki (Northern Zaza
    Zazaki language
    Zazaki is an Indo-European language spoken primarily in eastern Turkey. According to Ethnologue, the language is a part of the northwestern group of the Iranian section of the Indo-European family. Zazaki shares many features, structures, and vocabulary with Gorani, Talyshi and other Caspian...

    ), Dimli (Southern Zaza
    Zazaki language
    Zazaki is an Indo-European language spoken primarily in eastern Turkey. According to Ethnologue, the language is a part of the northwestern group of the Iranian section of the Indo-European family. Zazaki shares many features, structures, and vocabulary with Gorani, Talyshi and other Caspian...

    ), Shabak
    Shabak language
    Shabaki is an Indo-Iranian language of the Zaza–Gorani group spoken by the Shabak people and ethnic Kurds in Mosul, Iraq. The number of speakers of Shabaki was estimated in 1989 to be between 10,000 and 20,000.-Similarities with other languages:...

    , Sarli
  5. Parthian
    Parthian language
    The Parthian language, also known as Arsacid Pahlavi and Pahlavanik, is a now-extinct ancient Northwestern Iranian language spoken in Parthia, a region of northeastern ancient Persia during the rule of the Parthian empire....

    *
  6. Semnani
    Semnani language
    The Semnani languages are a group of Northwestern Iranian languages, spoken in Semnan province of Iran that share many linguistic features and structures with Caspian languages. These languages are also called "dialects" in some sources....

    , Sangisari, Lasgerdi, Sorkhei, Aftari, Biyabanaki
  7. Median
    Median language
    The Median language was the language of the Medes. It is an Old Iranian language and classified as belonging to the northwestern Iranian subfamily which includes many other languages such as Azari, Zazaki, Gilaki, Mazandarani, Kurdish and Baluchi.-Attestation:Median is only attested by numerous...

    *
  8. Caspian
    Caspian languages
    Caspian languages are a branch of Northwestern Iranian languages spoken in northern Iran, south of the Caspian Sea.Caspian languages include:* Deilami* Gilaki * Mazanderani * Shahmirzadi-External links:*...

     (Mazandarani
    Mazandarani language
    Mazandarani or Tabari is an Iranian language of the Northwestern branch, spoken mainly in Iran's Mazandaran, Gilan and Golestan provinces...

     (Gorgani
    Gorgani
    Gorgani is a dialect of the Tabarian language-Etymology:The dilect is named after Gorgan historical district derived from Old Persian Varkana -Continuing use:...

    *), Shahmirzadi, Gilaki
  9. Balochi
    Balochi language
    Balochi is a Northwestern Iranian language. It is the principal language of the Baloch of Balochistan, Pakistan, eastern Iran and southern Afghanistan. It is also spoken as a second language by some Brahui. It is designated as one of nine official languages of Pakistan.-Vowels:The Balochi vowel...

    , Koroshi
  10. Talysh
    Talysh language
    The Talyshi language is a Northwestern Iranian language spoken in the northern regions of the Iranian provinces of Gilan and Ardabil and the southern regions of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Historically, the language and its people can be traced through the middle Iranian period back to the ancient...

    , Gozarkhani, Kabatei, Kajali, Karingani, Koresh-e Rostam, Maraghei, Razajerdi, Shahrudi, Tati (Dialects: Chali, Takestani, Eshtehardi, Khiaraji, Ebrahim-abadi, Sagz-abadi, Danesfani, Esfarvarini, Khoznini; Kho'ini, Balbavini, Sefid-kamari, Halabi, Sa'd-abadi; Khalkhali, Taromi; Harzandi
    Harzandi language
    Harzandi is a modern Northwestern Iranian language spoken in the north of the Iranian province of East Azarbaijan, around the village of Harzand. It is closely related to the Talishi and Karingani dialects....

    ; Dizmari, Kuhpaya'i, Rudbari, Alamuti)

Southwestern Iranian

The Southwestern Iranian languages also called the Persid group are a subgroup of the Western Iranian languages, and include some 16 (SIL
SIL International
SIL International is a U.S.-based, worldwide, Christian non-profit organization, whose main purpose is to study, develop and document languages, especially those that are lesser-known, in order to expand linguistic knowledge, promote literacy, translate the Christian Bible into local languages,...

 estimate) closely related languages and dialects. Each subfamily in this list contains subgroups and individual languages.

Southwestern

  1. Old Persian
    Old Persian language
    The Old Persian language is one of the two directly attested Old Iranian languages . Old Persian appears primarily in the inscriptions, clay tablets, and seals of the Achaemenid era...

    *, Middle Persian
    Middle Persian
    Middle Persian , indigenously known as "Pârsig" sometimes referred to as Pahlavi or Pehlevi, is the Middle Iranian language/ethnolect of Southwestern Iran that during Sassanid times became a prestige dialect and so came to be spoken in other regions as well. Middle Persian is classified as a...

    *, standard modern Iranian Persian
    Persian language
    Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...

    , Dari (Afghan) Persian
    Dari (Persian)
    Dari or Fārsī-ye Darī in historical terms refers to the Persian court language of the Sassanids. In contemporary usage, the term refers to the dialects of modern Persian language spoken in Afghanistan, and hence known as Afghan Persian in some Western sources. It is the term officially recognized...

    , Tajik Persian
    Tajik language
    Tajik, Tajik Persian, or Tajiki, is a variety of modern Persian spoken in Central Asia. Historically Tajiks called their language zabani farsī , meaning Persian language in English; the term zabani tajikī, or Tajik language, was introduced in the 20th century by the Soviets...

    , Hazaragi Persian
    Hazaragi language
    Hazaragi is a dialect of the Persian language spoken by the Hazara people, most of all in an area known as the Hazarajat.- General :The primary differences between Standard Persian and Hazaragi are the accent and Hazaragi's greater array of Turkic and Mongolian loanwords...

    , Dzhidi or Judæo-Persian, Madaglashti, Bukhori language
    Bukhori language
    Bukhori is a unique dialect of the Persian language spoken in Central Asia by the Bukharian Jews. Hence, a more descriptive name for the language might be Judæo-Persian or Judæo-Tajik....

    , the Persian dialects in Khuzestan, the Aimaq dialect, the Darwazi Persian, Dehwari Persian, Pahlavni Persian, and the Dezfuli dialect
  2. Juhuri language
    Juhuri language
    Juhuri, Juwuri or Judæo-Tat is a form of the Tat language and is the traditional language of the Mountain Jews of the eastern Caucasus Mountains, especially Azerbaijan and Dagestan, now mainly spoken in Israel....

    , Tat language (Caucasus)
  3. the dialects of Fars, Judeo-Shirazi
    Judeo-Shirazi
    Judeo-Shirazi is a dialect form of the Persian language. It is spoken mostly by Persian Jews living in Shiraz and surrounding areas of the Fars Province in Iran.-External links:*...

    , the Larestani dialects
    Larestani dialects
    Larestani or Lari is a group of southwestern Iranian languages related to Luri and Persian, spoken in Larestan region of Fars province and parts of Hormozgan province in the south of Iran.-The accents of Larestani language :...

    , and the Bashkardi language
    Bashkardi language
    Bashkardi or Bashagerdi is a northwestern Iranian language spoken in the southeast of Iran in the provinces of Kerman, Sistan and Baluchestan, and Hormozgan....

  4. the Lori dialects (Luri, Mamasani, Kohkiluyeh, Bakhtiari), the Kumzari language
    Kumzari language
    Kumzari is an Iranian language spoken by the Kumzaris in the Kumzar coast of Musandam Peninsula, northern Oman. This is the only Iranian language spoken in the Arabian Peninsula. Kumzaris can also be found in towns of Dibah and Khasab, as well as various villages and the Larak Island...

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