Western Iranian languages
The Western Iranian languages are a subgroup of the Iranian languages, attested from the time of Old Persian (6th century BC).
The two sub-branches are:
- Northwestern Iranian languages
- Southwestern Iranian languages
The opposition of these two dialect groups is apparent already in Old Iranian times, from the opposition of Old Persian and Median.
Northwestern Iranian
The Northwestern Iranian languages are a branch of the Western Iranian language group. They are classified into about 9 groups; each group in this list contains subgroups, dialects or individual languages, eventually forming 53-54 branches.
Northwestern
- Azari* (the original Azeri language)
- Central Iran (See)
- Kurdish (Dialects: Sorani (Central Kurdish), Kurmanji (Northern Kurdish), Laki. (See: Windfuhr, G. The Iranian Languages, P. 587, 2009)
- Zaza–Gorani languages: Gorani (Hawrami), Bajelan, Kirmanjki (Northern Zaza), Dimli (Southern Zaza), Shabak, Sarli
- Parthian*
- Semnani, Sangisari, Lasgerdi, Sorkhei, Aftari, Biyabanaki
- Median*
- Caspian (Mazandarani (Gorgani*), Shahmirzadi, Gilaki
- Balochi, Koroshi
- Talysh, Gozarkhani, Kabatei, Kajali, Karingani, Koresh-e Rostam, Maraghei, Razajerdi, Shahrudi, Tati (Dialects: Chali, Takestani, Eshtehardi, Khiaraji, Ebrahim-abadi, Sagz-abadi, Danesfani, Esfarvarini, Khoznini; Kho'ini, Balbavini, Sefid-kamari, Halabi, Sa'd-abadi; Khalkhali, Taromi; Harzandi; Dizmari, Kuhpaya'i, Rudbari, Alamuti)
Southwestern Iranian
The Southwestern Iranian languages also called the Persid group are a subgroup of the Western Iranian languages, and include some 16 (SIL estimate) closely related languages and dialects. Each subfamily in this list contains subgroups and individual languages.
Southwestern
- Old Persian*, Middle Persian*, standard modern Iranian Persian, Dari (Afghan) Persian, Tajik Persian, Hazaragi Persian, Dzhidi or Judæo-Persian, Madaglashti, Bukhori language, the Persian dialects in Khuzestan, the Aimaq dialect, the Darwazi Persian, Dehwari Persian, Pahlavni Persian, and the Dezfuli dialect
- Juhuri language, Tat language (Caucasus)
- the dialects of Fars, Judeo-Shirazi, the Larestani dialects, and the Bashkardi language
- the Lori dialects (Luri, Mamasani, Kohkiluyeh, Bakhtiari), the Kumzari language
See also
References
- Compendium Linguarum Iranicarum, ed. Rüdiger Schmitt. Wiesbaden: L. Reichert Verlag, 1989; p. 99.