Elpersa antic és un dels dosidiomes iranians dels quals es té un testimoni directe, essent l'altre l'idioma l'avèstic. El persa antic és un idioma preislàmic. Les inscripcions més antigues en persa antic són les fetes entauleta d'argila i en segells durant el període de l'Imperi Aquemènida (cap al 600 aC fins al 300 aC). Exemples del persa antic s'han trobat en les actualsIran,Bahrain, l'Iraq,Turquia iEgipte[1] el testimoni més important és el de lainscripció de Behistun (datada del 525 aC). Recentment s'han trobat moltes tauletes en persa antic aPersèpolis que mostren que s'utilitzava en la vida comuna i no només en l'Administració.[2]
El persa antic pertany alsidiomes indoeuropeus i dins d'ells a la branca indo-iraniana. El persa antic és un dels idiomes indoeuropeus més antics testimoniats en textos originals.[4]
El persa antic va evolucionar al llarg del temps i el persa mitjà, de vegades anomenat Pahlavi, és un continuador directe del persa antic.[5][6]Elpersa modern, al seu torn, és continuador del persa antic.[7]
↑Ulrich Ammon, Norbert Dittmar, Klaus J. Mattheier, Peter Trudgill, "Sociolinguistics Hsk 3/3 Series Volume 3 of Sociolinguistics: An International Handbook of the Science of Language and Society", Walter de Gruyter, 2006. 2nd edition. pg 1912: "Middle Persian, also called Pahlavi is a direct continuation of old Persian, and was used as the written official language of the country." "However, after the Moslem conquest and the collapse of the Sassanids, Arabic became the dominant language of the country and Pahlavi lost its importance, and was gradually replaced by Dari, a variety of Middle Persian, with considerable loan elements from Arabic and Parthian."
↑Bo Utas, "Semitic on Iranian", in "Linguistic convergence and areal diffusion: case studies from Iranian, Semitic and Turkic" editors (Éva Ágnes Csató, Bo Isaksson, Carina Jahani),Routledge, 2005. pg 71: "As already mentioned, it is not likely that the scribes of Sassanian chanceries had any idea about the Old Persian cuneiform writing and the language couched in it. Still, the Middle Persian language that appeared in the third century AD may be seen as a continuation of Old Persian
↑Skjærvø, Prods Oktor.Iran, vi. Iranian languages and scripts. 13, 2006.
Schmitt, Rüdiger. «Altpersisch». A: R. Schmitt.Compendium linguarum Iranicarum. Wiesbaden: Reichert, 1989.: 56–85
Schmitt, R. «Old Persian». A: Roger D. Woodard.The Ancient Languages of Asia and the Americas. illustrated. Cambridge University Press, 2008, p. 76–100.ISBN 0521684943.
Skjærvø, Prods Oktor.Encyclopaedia Iranica. 13, 2006. «Iran, vi. Iranian languages and scripts»
Tolman, Herbert Cushing.Ancient Persian Lexicon and the Texts of the Achaemenidan Inscriptions Transliterated and Translated with Special Reference to Their Recent Re-examination. Nova York/Cincinnati: American Book Company, 1908.
Windfuhr, Gernot L. «Cases in Iranian languages and dialects». A:Encyclopedia Iranica. 5. Costa Mesa: Mazda, 1995, p. 25–37.
Stolper, Matthew W. & Jan Tavernier. «From the Persepolis Fortification Archive Project, 1: An Old Persian Administrative Tablet from the Persepolis Fortification». A:Arta. 2007:1. París: Achemenet.com, 1995.
Schmitt, R. «Old Persian». A: Roger D. Woodard.The Ancient Languages of Asia and the Americas. illustrated. Cambridge University Press, 2008, p. 76–100.ISBN 0521684943.
