Western Iranian languages

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 (Persian)
Glottolog:	west2794[1]

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

Languages

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

Old Iranian

• Southwest: Old Persian†
• Northwest: Median†

Middle Iranian

• Southwest: Middle Persian†
• Northwest: Parthian†

Neo-Iranian

• Northwestern I (Windfuhr 2009)
  • Kurdish: Central Kurdish, Northern Kurdish, Southern Kurdish, Laki
  • Zaza–Gorani
    • Zaza (dialects: Kirmanjki, Dimli)
    • Gorani (dialects: Hawrami, Bajelan)
  • ? Shabak, Sarli
• Northwestern II
  • Balochi: Balochi, ?Koroshi
  • Khuri (Kavir)
  • Tatic
    • Talysh
    • Tati/Azari: Old Azeri†, Harzandi, Karingani, Kho'ini, Khalkhal, Upper Taromi, Rudbari, Southern Tati, Eshtehardi, dialects N/NE of Qazvin
    • ? (Talysh? Tati?): Gozarkhani, Kajali, Koresh-e Rostam, Maraghei, Razajerdi, Shahrudi
    • Tafresh (transitional): Ashtiani (Amora’i, Kahaki), Vafsi, Alviri-Vidari (Alviri, Vidari), ?Judeo-Hamadani
    • Central / Central Plateau (Kermanic)^[4]
      • Northwestern: Khunsari, Mahallati, Vanishani, Judeo-Golpaygani
      • Southwestern: Gazi, Sedehi, Ardestani, Nohuji, Sajzi, Jarquya’i, Rudashti, Kafrudi, Kafruni, Judeo-Esfahani
      • Northeastern: Arani, Bidgoli, Delijani, Nashalji, Abuzaydabadi, Qohrudi, Badrudi, Kamu’i, Jowshaqani, Meyma’i, Abyana’i, Soi, Badi, Natanzi, Kasha’i, Tari, Tarqi, Judeo-Kashani
      • Southeastern: Zoroastrian Dari, Nayini, Zefra’i, Varzenei, Tudeshki, Keyjani, Abchuya’i

• Southwestern (cf. dialects of Fars)
  • Persian (dialects: Iranian Persian, Dari Persian (Madaglashti), Tajik Persian, Hazaragi Persian, Aimaq, Sistani, Pahlavani Persian†, Dzhidi Persian (Judeo-Persian), Judeo-Bukharic), Muslim/Christian Tat, Judeo-Tat
  • Persid
    • Khuzestani/Dezfuli
    • Luri (dialects: Luri, Mamasani, Kohkiluyeh, Bakhtiari)
    • Sivandi
    • Northwestern Fars
    • Kuhmareyi (incl. Davani)
  • Larestani–Gulf
    • Lari (Larestani), Judeo-Shirazi
    • Gulf: Bashkardi, Kumzari, Bandari, Minabi
• Semnani: Semnani, Sangisari, Lasgerdi-Sorkhei (incl. Aftari)
• Caspian: Gilaki (incl. Taleqani), Mazandarani, Gorgani†, ?Deilami

An Iranian Khalaj language has been claimed but does not exist; the Khalaj speak a Turkic language.

The dialects of Central Iran are a geographic rather than genetic grouping. They are spoken mostly in Markazi and Isfahan provinces. Many of them are giving way to Persian in the younger generations.^[4]

See also

• Eastern Iranian languages

References

1. Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin; Bank, Sebastian, eds. (2016). "Western Iranian". Glottolog 2.7. Jena: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History.
2. Gernot Windfuhr, 2009, "Dialectology and Topics", The Iranian Languages, Routledge
3. Languages preceded by question marks, and many of the varieties of Persian, are from other sources. The dialects of the Central Plateau are from the source provided there.
4. Central dialects, Encyclopedia Iranica

Bibliography

• Compendium Linguarum Iranicarum, ed. Rüdiger Schmitt. Wiesbaden: L. Reichert Verlag, 1989; p. 99.