Iranian Languages and Dialects

In this episode (originally based on my lecture series on Indo-European Linguistics at the FSU Jena), I present a concise study of modern Iranian dialects, examining their historical development, linguistic features, regional differences, and sociolinguistic roles. The aim is to present these topics clearly for students, language enthusiasts, migrants with language heritage, and anyone curious about languages. I begin by clarifying the complex distinction between "languages" and "dialects." While contemporary linguistics often finds this distinction clear, historical contexts make it more challenging. Historically, what we consider a "dialect" might be viewed as a "language" today. For instance, Swedish and Norwegian, though separate languages, are mutually intelligible due to their shared North Germanic roots. Conversely, Mandarin and Cantonese, despite being called dialects of Chinese, are mutually unintelligible and use different writing systems. The Iranian language family, part of the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European family, includes diverse dialects spoken across the Iranian plateau and beyond. These languages are categorized into Old, Middle, and New Iranian stages. Persian, the only language documented across all three stages, evolved from Old Persian of the Achaemenid Empire to Middle Persian of the Sasanian era, and finally to New Persian influenced by the Arab conquest. Proto-Iranian, the precursor to these languages, originated from Proto-Indo-Iranian and is linked to Proto-Indo-European. Iranian languages have spread from Central Asia to Europe and beyond, with notable modern languages including Persian, Ossetic, Kurdish, Baluchi, and Pashto. This episode will explore various Iranian dialects, such as Lori, Baḵtiāri, and Baluchi, and discuss isoglosses—phonetic, grammatical, and lexical features that differentiate these dialects. Understanding these elements helps reveal the linguistic richness and sociolinguistic importance of modern Iranian dialects.

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