The Western Iranic languages are a branch of the

Iranic languages The Iranian languages or 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 languages are grouped ...

, attested from the time of

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

(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: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

* Southwest:

†, etc. * Northwest: Median†, etc.

Middle Iranian period

* Southwest:

Middle Persian Middle Persian or Pahlavi, also known by its endonym Pārsīk or Pārsīg () in its later form, is a Western Middle Iranian language which became the literary language of the Sasanian Empire. For some time after the Sasanian collapse, Middle Per ...

†, etc * Northwest:

Parthian Parthian may be: Historical * 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 skill famously employed ...

†, etc.

Modern period (Neo-Iranian)

* Northwestern Iranian ** Balochi (incl. Koroshi) **

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 * Caspian languages, collection of languages and dialects of Caspian p ...

*** Gilaki (incl. Rudbari, Taleqani) *** Mazandarani (incl. Tabari, Shahmirzadi) *** Gorgani† ** Semnani *** Semnani *** Sangisari *** Lasgerdi- Sorkhei (incl. Aftari) **

Kurdic Kurdish (, ) is a language or a group of languages spoken by Kurds in the geo-cultural region of Kurdistan and the Kurdish diaspora. Kurdish constitutes a dialect continuum, belonging to Western Iranian languages in the Indo-European language ...

(acc. Anonby) *** Kurdish ****

Northern Kurdish Kurmanji ( ku, کورمانجی, lit=Kurdish, translit=Kurmancî, also termed Northern Kurdish, is the northern dialect of the Kurdish languages, spoken predominantly in southeast Turkey, northwest and northeast Iran, northern Iraq, northern S ...

(Kurmanji) ****

Central Kurdish Central Kurdish (), also called Sorani (), is a Kurdish dialect or a language that is spoken in Iraq, mainly in Iraqi Kurdistan, as well as the provinces of Kurdistan, Kermanshah, and West Azerbaijan in western Iran. Sorani is one of the two ...

(Sorani) ****

Southern Kurdish Southern Kurdish ( ku, کوردی باشووری ,کوردی خوارگ, Kurdî Başûrî, Kurdî Xwarig) is one of the dialects of the Kurdish language, spoken predominantly in northeastern Iraq and western Iran. The Southern Kurdish-speaking r ...

(incl.

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 ...

and Kurdali) *** Zaza-Gorani ****

Zazaki Zaza or Zazaki (), is an Iranian language spoken primarily in eastern Turkey by the Zazas. The language is a part of the Zaza–Gorani language group of the northwestern group of the Iranian branch. The glossonym Zaza originated as a pejorati ...

**** Gorani (incl. Hawrami, Sarli,

Shabaki Shabaki is an Indo-Iranian language and belongs to the subgroup Zaza-Gorani of the Northwestern Iranian languages. The Shabaki language is spoken by the Shabak people in the Mosul region of northern Iraq. It has similarities with the Northwestern ...

, 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 Vafsi ( Tati: , ''Vowsi'') is a dialect of the Tati language spoken in the Vafs village and surrounding area in the Markazi province of Iran. The dialects of the Tafresh region share many features with the Central Plateau dialects. Grammar V ...

****** Razajerdi, Eshtehardi, Takestani (Ramandi, Kharaqani) ****Central *****Khalkhalic: Kajali, Koresh-e Rostam (Karani), Shahrudi (incl. southern Talysh) ***** Maraghei ***** Upper Taromi, Kabatei ** Khuri (Kavir) **Central Plateau (Kermanic) *** Sivandi *** Judeo-Hamadani, Judeo-Borujerdi *** NW = Khunsari (Judeo-Khunsari, Judeo-Khomeini, Vanishani, Mahallati, Vanishani, Judeo-Golpaygani, etc.) *** NE = Kashanic:

Soi ''Soi'' ( th, ซอย ) is the term used in Thailand for a side-street branching off a major street (''thanon'', th, ถนน). An alley is called a ''trok'' ( th, ตรอก). Overview Sois are usually numbered, and are referred to by th ...

(incl. Abuzaydabadi), Natanzi *** SW =

Gazi A ''ghazi'' ( ar, غازي, , plural ''ġuzāt'') is an individual who participated in ''ghazw'' (, '' ''), meaning military expeditions or raiding. The latter term was applied in early Islamic literature to expeditions led by the Islamic prophe ...

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

Bashkardi Southern Bashkardi or Bashagerdi, or simply "Bashkardi", and also known as southern "Bashaka", is a Southwestern Iranian language spoken in the southeast of Iran in the provinces of Kerman, Sistan and Baluchestan, and Hormozgan. The language i ...

(Southern Bashkardi) ** Garmsiri (Northern Bashkardi, Bandari, Minabi/Minowi–Hormozi: Hormozgan) ** Kumzari **

Achomi Achomi ( fa, اچُمی), also known as Larestani and Khodmooni, is a Southwestern Iranian Persian language spoken by people in southern Fars and western Hormozgan and by significant numbers of immigrant groups in Kuwait, Bahrain, Iraq, Qatar, ...

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

Judeo-Tat Judeo-Tat or Juhuri (''cuhuri'', , ) is the traditional language of the Mountain Jews of the eastern Caucasus Mountains, especially Azerbaijan and Dagestan, now mainly spoken in Israel. The language is a dialect of Persian which belongs to the ...

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 varieties of the modern Persian language spoken in Iran and by minorities in neighboring countries, as well as by Iranian communities thro ...

Judeo-Persian Judeo-Persian refers to both a group of Jewish dialects spoken by the Jews living in Iran 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 c ...

Dari Dari (, , ), also known as Dari Persian (, ), is the variety of the Persian language spoken in Afghanistan. Dari is the term officially recognised and promoted since 1964 by the Afghan government for the Persian language,Lazard, G.Darī ...

(incl. Madaglashti), Tajik & Judeo-Bukharic,

Hazaragi Hazaragi ( fa, , Həzārəgī; haz, , links=no, Āzərəgī) is an eastern dialect of Persian that is spoken by the Hazara people, primarily in the Hazarajat region of central Afghanistan, as well as other Hazara-populated areas of Afghanista ...

, Aimaq, Sistani, Pahlavani Persian†) ** Persid *** Shushtari– Dezfuli *** Luri (incl. Bakhtiari) *** Kuhmareyi (incl. Davani) *** (see also

Persid dialects of Khuzestan Khuzestan Province (also spelled Xuzestan; fa, استان خوزستان ''Ostān-e Xūzestān'') is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. It is in the southwest of the country, bordering Iraq and the Persian Gulf. Its capital is Ahvaz and it covers ...

) ** 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 Judeo-Shirazi is a dialect of Fars. It is spoken mostly by Persian Jews living in Shiraz and surrounding areas of the Fars Province in Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country lo ...

, etc.) There is also a recently described, and as yet unclassified, Batu'i language that is presumably Western Iranian. Extinct

Deilami The Daylami language, also known as ''Daylamite'', ''Deilami'', ''Dailamite'', or ''Deylami'' (Deilami: , from the name of the Daylam region), is an extinct language that was one of the northwestern branch of the Iranian languages. It was spo ...

is sometimes classified in the Caspian branch. An Iranian

Khalaj Khalaj may refer to: * Khalaj language, Turkic language spoken in Iran * Khalaj people, speakers of the language * Khalji dynasty, a dynasty which ruled the Delhi Sultanate between 1290 and 1320 * Khalaj, Afghanistan, in Helmand Province * Khalaj, ...

language has been claimed, but

does not exist Does may refer to: * A form of the English verb '' do'' * Deer, a ruminant mammal belonging to the family Cervidae * plural of John Doe, a number of unnamed individuals * Does (album) ''Does'' is the second album by indie rock band The Slip. ...

; 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 Median 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. These ...

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.