ИЗВЕСТИЯ СОИГСИ

Keywords: Iranian languages, Persian, Dari, Tajik, Afghan, Kurdish, Ossetian, unwritten languages, status, language policy, written tradition.

The Iranian languages are part of the Indo-European language family. They are closely related Indo-Aryan languages. The ancestors of the Indo-Aryan and Iranian peoples in ancient times lived in close communication, occupied common territory and spoke closely related Aryan dialects. The divergence of the Iranian and the Indian dialects took place prior to the beginning of the 2nd millennium BC. Numerous ancient tribes and nationalities who played important role in the world history spoke Iranian languages. All Iranian languages trace back their origin to one language, which was the material basis of their historical community. The status of each of the modern Iranian languages is different. The most significant Iranian languages widely used in the official sphere are Persian, Dari, Tajik, Afghan (Pashto), Kurdish, Ossetian, and Baluchi. Modern Persian is widely spoken in Iran. Of all modern Iranian languages, the closest to it are Tajik and Dari, which share common origin. Persian is the largest, most developed and widespread Iranian language, which covers all vital areas. One of the largest in number of Iranian peoples are Afghans (Pashtuns). In Afghanistan the official languages are recognized as Afghan (Pashto) and Dari (Farsi-Kabuli). Dari held and holds a stronger position. A large Iranian-speaking people are the Balochi. Baluchi is divided into two main groups. Another Iranian people are the Kurds, who for centuries have inhabited the territory of Western Asia. The number of Kurds in the world is about 40 million people. The Kurdish language is represented in numerous dialectal varieties. There are two groups of dialects — north and south. Although Kurdish has a centuries-old literary tradition, its official status is low. The Ossetian language is a remnant of the north-eastern Scythian-Sarmatian branch of the Iranian languages. For almost two thousand years, it has been developing without any direct contacts with Iranian languages. The official status of the Ossetian language is relatively high, but the number of speakers is decreasing.

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