Indo-Iranian languages

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Indo-Iranian
Geographic distribution:	South Asia, Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan
Genetic classification:	Indo-European  Indo-Iranian
Subdivisions:	Indo-Aryan Iranian Nuristani

Indo-European
Indo-European languages
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Indo-European peoples
Albanians | Anatolians | Armenians Balts | Celts | Germanic peoples Greeks | Indo-Aryans | Indo-Iranians | Iranians Italic peoples | Slavs | Thracians | Tocharians
Proto-Indo-Europeans
Language | Society | Religion
Urheimat hypotheses
Kurgan hypothesis | Anatolia Armenia | India | PCT
Indo-European studies

The Indo-Iranian language group constitutes the easternmost extant branch of the Indo-European family of languages. It consists of three language groups: the Indo-Aryan, Iranian and Dardic. The term Aryan languages is also used to refer to the Indo-Iranian languages ^[1]. The speakers of the Proto-Indo-Iranian language, the hypothetical Proto-Indo-Iranians are usually associated with the late 3rd millennium BC Sintashta-Petrovka culture of Central Asia. Their expansion is believed to have been connected with the invention of the chariot.

The contemporary Indo-Iranian languages form the largest sub-branch of Indo-European, with more than one billion speakers in total, stretching from Europe (Romani) and the Caucasus (Ossetian) to East India (Bengali). SIL in a 2005 estimate counts a total of 308 varieties, the largest in terms of native speakers being Hindustani (Hindi and Urdu, ca. 540 million), Bengali (ca. 200 million), Punjabi (ca. 100 million), Marathi and Persian (ca. 70 million each), Gujarati (ca. 45 million), Oriya (ca. 30 million), Kurdish and Pashto (ca. 25 million each) and Sindhi (ca. 20 million).

[edit] Subdivisions

Iranian languages:

• Eastern Iranian
  • Northeastern
    • Avestan language (extinct)
    • Scythian language (extinct)
      • Saka language (extinct)
    • Ossetian language
    • Sogdian (extinct), Yagnobi
    • Bactrian (extinct)
  • Southeastern
    • Pashto language
    • Pamiri
• Western Iranian
  • Northwestern
    • Dari language of Zoroastrians
    • Balochi language
    • Gilaki language
    • Kurdish language
    • Talysh language
  • Southwestern ("Persid")
    • Old Persian (extinct)
    • Middle Persian (extinct)
    • Persian language
      • Tajik language
        • Bukhori language
    • Luri language
    • Tat language

Indo-Aryan languages:

• Vedic Sanskrit
• Sanskrit
• Mitanni
• Pāli
• Central Zone
  • Hindi language
  • Hindustani language
  • Punjabi language
  • Romany language – the language of the Roma and Sinti
  • Urdu
• Eastern Zone (Magadhan Prakrit languages)
  • Angika language
  • Assamese language
  • Bengali language
  • Bhojpuri language
  • Magadhi language
  • Maithili language
  • Oriya language
• Northern Zone (Pahari languages)
  • Nepali language
• Northwestern Zone
  • Sindhi language
  • Khojki
  • Kutchi
  • Rajasthani language
  • Gujarati
• Southern Zone
  • Dhivehi language / Mahl language
  • Sinhala
• Western Zone
  • Gujarati language
  • Konkani language
  • Marathi language

Dardic languages (sometimes also classified as Indo-Aryan):

• Dameli language
• Domaaki language
• Gawar-Bati language
• Kalasha-mun language
• Kashmiri language
• Khowar language
• Kohistani language
• Ningalami language
• Pashayi language
• Phalura language
• Shina language
• Shumashti language

Nuristani languages:

• Askunu language (Ashkun)
• Kamkata-viri language (Bashgali)
• Vasi-vari language (Prasuni)
• Tregami language
• Kalasha-ala language (Waigali)

[edit] References