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Elaheh Taghvaei (Yerevan State University)
Changes in Sound System of Talishi dialect
The
Talishi language
is a Northwestern Iranian language spoken in the northern
regions of the Iranian provinces of Gilan andArdabil and the southern regions of the
Republic ofAzerbaijan. Historically, the language and its people can be traced through
the middle Iranian period back to the ancient Medes. It includes many dialects usually
divided into three main clusters: Northern (in Azerbaijan and Iran), Central (Iran)
and Southern (Iran). There are a wide variety of estimates for the number of Talishi
speakers with reliable estimates running from 500,000
to 1 million people. Talishi
is partially, but not fully, intelligible with respect to Persian. Talishi is classified as
«vulnerable» by UNESCO’s Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger.
The historical changes in sound system of Talishi dialect distinguishes it from
other new Iranian languages. Talishi dialect has often preserved its sound system
from Old Iranian, with certain changes. For example:
Persian
Talishi
Old Iranian
Šab
šav
*xšab
buland
barz
*barza
barf
var
*vafra
gorg
vag
*varg
dar
bar
*dvar
“xš-” is changed to š.
“Rz” is preserved in Central Talishi.
“Fr” is changed to “r”.
Old Iranian “*v” is preserved in Central Talishi.
Old Iranian “*dv-” is changed to “b” in Central Talishi.
Секция XIII.
Языки стран Азии и Африки
Languages of Asia and Africa
