Indo-Iranian languages

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Indo-Iranian
Geographic distribution:	India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan
Genetic classification:	Indo-European  Indo-Iranian
Subdivisions:	Indo-Aryan Iranian Nuristani Dardic

The Indo-Iranian language group constitutes the easternmost extant branch of the Indo-European family of languages. It consists of four language groups: the Indo-Aryan, Iranian, Nuristani, 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 and Assamese). 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), Pashto (40 million), Oriya (ca. 30 million), Kurdish and Sindhi (ca. 20 million each).

[edit] Subdivisions

Indo-European topics
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

Iranian Group:

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

Indo-Aryan Group:

• Vedic Sanskrit
• Sanskrit
• Mitanni
• Pāli
• Central Zone

• • Hindustani
    • Hindi
    • Urdu
  • Punjabi
  • Romani/Romany
• Eastern Zone (Magadhan Prakrit languages)
  • Angika
  • Assamese
  • Bengali
  • Bhojpuri
  • Magadhi
  • Maithili
  • Oriya
• Northern Zone (Pahari languages)
  • Nepali
• Northwestern Zone
  • Sindhi
  • Khojki
  • Kutchi
  • Rajasthani
• Southern Zone
  • Dhivehi / Mahl
  • Sinhala
• Western Zone
  • Gujarati
  • Konkani
  • Marathi

Dardic languages (sometimes also classified as Indic):

• Dameli
• Domaaki
• Gawar-Bati
• Kalsha-mun
• Kashmiri
• Khowar
• Kohistani
• Ningalami
• Pashayi
• Palula
• Shina
• Shumashti

Nuristani languages:

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

[edit] References

[edit] See also

• Language families and languages

v • d • e Indo-Iranian languages
Indic (Indo-Aryan)	Sanskrit: Vedic Sanskrit - Classical Sanskrit · Prakrit: Pāli - Magadhi · Mitanni · Bengali (Dialects: Chittagonian, Sylheti) · Hindustani (Registers: Hindi, Urdu) · Angika · Assamese · Bhojpuri · Bishnupriya Manipuri · Dhivehi · Dogri · Gujarati · Konkani · Mahl · Maithili · Marathi · Nepali · Oriya · Punjabi · Romani · Sindhi · Sinhala
Iranian	Eastern: Avestan · Bactrian · Pamir (Shughni, Sarikoli, Wakhi) · Pashto · Scythian - Ossetic · Sogdian - Yaghnobi · Western: Persian: Old Persian - Middle Persian (Pahlavi) - Modern Persian (Varieties: Farsi, Dari, Tajik) · Bukhori · Balochi · Dari (Zoroastrianism) · Gilaki · Kurdish · Luri · Mazandarani · Talysh · Tat · Zazaki
Dardic	Dameli · Domaaki · Gawar-Bati · Kalash · Kashmiri · Khowar · Kohistani · Nangalami · Pashayi · Palula · Shina · Shumashti
Nuristani	Askunu · Kamkata-viri · Tregami · Vasi-vari · Waigali