The Western Iranian languages or Western Iranic languages are a branch of the

Iranian languages The Iranian languages, also called the Iranic languages, are a branch of the Indo-Iranian languages in the Indo-European language family that are spoken natively by the Iranian peoples, predominantly in the Iranian Plateau. The Iranian langu ...

, attested from the time of

Old Persian Old Persian is one of two directly attested Old Iranian languages (the other being Avestan) and is the ancestor of Middle Persian (the language of the Sasanian Empire). Like other Old Iranian languages, it was known to its native speakers as (I ...

(6th century BC) and

Median The median of a set of numbers is the value separating the higher half from the lower half of a Sample (statistics), data sample, a statistical population, population, or a probability distribution. For a data set, it may be thought of as the “ ...

Languages

The traditional Northwestern branch is a convention for non-Southwestern languages, rather than a genetic group. The languages are as follows:Erik Anonby, Mortaza Taheri-Ardali & Amos Hayes (2019) ''The Atlas of the Languages of Iran (ALI)''. Iranian Studies 52
A Working Classification
/ref>

Old Iranian period

* Northwest:

†, etc. * Southwest:

†, etc.

Middle Iranian period

* Northwest:

Parthian Parthian may refer to: Historical * Parthian people * A demonym "of Parthia", a region of north-eastern of Greater Iran * Parthian Empire (247 BC – 224 AD) * Parthian language, a now-extinct Middle Iranian language * Parthian shot, an archery sk ...

†, etc. * Southwest:

Middle Persian Middle Persian, also known by its endonym Pārsīk or Pārsīg ( Inscriptional Pahlavi script: , Manichaean script: , Avestan script: ) in its later form, is a Western Middle Iranian language which became the literary language of the Sasania ...

†, etc

Modern period (Neo-Iranian)

* Northwestern Iranian **

Caspian Caspian can refer to: *The Caspian Sea *The Caspian Depression, surrounding the northern part of the Caspian Sea *The Caspians, the ancient people living near the Caspian Sea *The Caspian languages spoken in northern Iran and southeastern Azerbaij ...

*** Gorgani† ***

Daylami Daylami (20 April 1994 – 5 April 2023) was a Thoroughbred Champion racehorse and sire who was bred in Ireland, but trained in France, Dubai and the United Kingdom. In a career which lasted from 1996 until 1999, he raced in five different ...

† *** Gilaki (incl. Rudbari) *** Mazandarani (incl. Tabari, Shahmirzadi, Ilikaei, katuli) ** Semnani *** Semnani *** Sangisari *** Lasgerdi- Sorkhei (incl. Aftari) ** Adharic (Azaric) *** Old Adhari† **** Tatic *****

Talysh Talysh may refer to: *Talysh people, an ethnic group of Iran and Azerbaijan **Talysh language, the West Iranian language of these people ** Talysh, a historical region on the southwestern coast of the Caspian Sea, inhabited by the Talysh people *T ...

(north-central) ***** Gozarkhani (Alamuti) *****North: Harzandi,

Karingani Karingani is a Northwestern Iranian language closely related to Talysh and the Harzandi dialect. It is spoken in East Azerbaijan Province East Azerbaijan province () is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. Its capital is the city of Tabr ...

(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) ***

Kurdish Kurdish may refer to: *Kurds or Kurdish people *Kurdish language ** Northern Kurdish (Kurmanji) **Central Kurdish (Sorani) **Southern Kurdish ** Laki Kurdish *Kurdish alphabets *Kurdistan, the land of the Kurdish people which includes: **Southern ...

****

Northern Kurdish Kurmanji (, ), also termed Northern Kurdish, is the northernmost of the Kurdish languages, spoken predominantly in southeast Turkey, northwest and northeast Iran, northern Iraq, northern Syria and the Caucasus and Khorasan regions. It is the ...

(Kurmanji) ****

Central Kurdish Central Kurdish, also known as Sorani Kurdish, is a Kurdish language, Kurdish dialect or a language spoken in Iraq, mainly in Iraqi Kurdistan, as well as the provinces of Kurdistan Province, Kurdistan, Kermanshah province, Kermanshah, and West A ...

(Sorani) ****

Southern Kurdish Southern Kurdish () is one of the dialects of the Kurdish language, spoken predominantly in northeastern Iraq and western Iran. The Southern Kurdish-speaking region spans from Khanaqin in Iraq to Dehloran southward and Asadabad eastward in ...

****

Laki Laki () or Lakagígar (, ''Craters of Laki'') is a volcanic fissure in the western part of Vatnajökull National Park, Iceland, not far from the volcanic fissure of Eldgjá and the small village of Kirkjubæjarklaustur. The fissure is proper ...

**** Kurdali *** Zaza–Gorani ****

Zazaki Zaza (endonym: , , , , , or , ) is a Northwestern Iranian language spoken primarily in eastern Turkey by the Zazas, who are mostly considered as Kurds, and in many cases identify as such. The language is a part of the Zaza–Gorani language g ...

**** Gorani (incl. Hawrami, Sarli, Shabaki, Bajalani) ** Balochi *** Western Balochi (Rakhshani) *** Southern Balochi (Makrani) ***

Eastern Balochi Balochi (, romanized: ) is a Northwestern Iranian language, spoken primarily in the Balochistan region of Pakistan, Iran and Afghanistan. In addition, there are speakers in Oman, the Arab states of the Persian Gulf, Turkmenistan, East Afric ...

*** Koroshi ** Khuri (Kavir) *Central Plateau ** Sivandi ** Judeo-Hamadani, Judeo-Borujerdi ** NW = Khunsari (Judeo-Khunsari, Judeo-Khomeini, Vanishani, Mahallati, Vanishani, Judeo-Golpaygani, etc.) ** NE = Kashanic:

Soi In Thailand, a ''soi'' ( ) is a side street that branches off of a major street (''thanon'', ). An alley is called a ''trok'' (). Overview Sois are usually numbered, and are referred to by the name of the major street and the number, as in "S ...

(incl. Abuzaydabadi), Natanzi ** SW =

Gazi A ''ghazi'', or ''gazi'' (, , plural ''ġuzāt'') is an individual who participated in ''ghazw'' (, '' ''), meaning military expeditions or raids against non-Muslims. The latter term was applied in early Islamic literature to expeditions led by ...

(many dialects) ** Southeastern: Zoroastrian Dari (Zoroastrian Yazdi, Judeo-Kermani), Nayini * Southwestern Iranian **

Persian Persian may refer to: * People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language ** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples ** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...

(dialects:

Iranian Persian Iranian Persian (), Western Persian or Western Farsi, natively simply known as Persian (), refers to the Variety (linguistics), varieties of the New Persian, Persian language spoken in Iran and by others in neighboring countries, as well as by ...

Judeo-Persian Judeo-Persian refers to both a group of Jewish dialects spoken by Jews and Judeo-Persian texts (written in Hebrew alphabet). As a collective term, Judeo-Persian refers to a number of Judeo-Iranian languages spoken by Jewish communities throughout ...

Dari Dari (; endonym: ), Dari Persian (, , or , ), or Eastern Persian is the variety of the Persian language spoken in Afghanistan. Dari is the Afghan government's official term for the Persian language;Lazard, G.Darī – The New Persian ...

(incl. Madaglashti), Tajik &

Judeo-Bukharic Bukharian, also known as Judeo-Bukharic and Judeo-Tajik (autonym: Bukhori, , , ', ), is a Judeo-Persian dialect historically spoken by the Bukharan Jews of Central Asia. It is a Jewish dialect derived from—and largely mutually intelligible wi ...

Hazaragi Hazaragi (; ) is an eastern Persian dialects, dialect and Persian varieties, variety of the Persian language that is spoken by the Hazara people. Classification Hazaragi is a member of the Iranian languages, Iranian branch of the Indo-Europea ...

, Aimaq, Sistani, Pahlavani Persian†) ** Persid *** Shushtari–

Dezfuli Dezfuli is one of the southwestern dialects of Iran, which is the dialect of a part of the people of Dezful, who are known as Dezfuli. Dezfuli and Shushtari share common features with the surrounding Luri dialects. A glottologist places Dezfuli ...

*** Luri (incl. Bakhtiari) *** Kuhmareyi (incl. Davani) *** (see also Persid dialects of Khuzestan) ** Bashkardi (Southern Bashkardi) ** Garmsiri (Northern Bashkardi, Bandari, Minabi/Minowi–Hormozi: Hormozgan) ** Kumzari **

Achomi Achomi (), also known as Khodmooni and Larestani, is a Middle Persian (Parsig) derived and Southwestern Iranian language spoken by the Achomi people in southern Fars and western Hormozgan and by significant numbers of Ajam citizens in the U ...

(Larestani) **Caucasian Tat (SW Tat): Tat,

Judeo-Tat Judeo-Tat or Juhuri (, , ) is a Judeo-Persian dialect and the traditional language spoken by the Mountain Jews in the eastern Caucasus Mountains, especially Azerbaijan, parts of Russia and today in Israel. It belongs to the southwestern group ...

** 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. 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

in the younger generations.Central dialects
Gernot Windfuhr, Encyclopedia Iranica 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

with varying amounts of

substrata, whereas the

Semnani languages The Semnani languages or Komisenian languages are a group of Northwestern Iranian languages, spoken in Semnan province (only 68,700 native speakers in 2019) of Iran that share many linguistic features and structures with Iranian languages. The ...

were likely descended from Parthian.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

References

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.