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Proto-Iranian orProto-Iranic[1] is thereconstructedproto-language of theIranian languages branch ofIndo-European language family and thus the ancestor of theIranian languages such asPersian,Pashto,Sogdian,Zazaki,Ossetian,Mazandarani,Kurdish,Talysh and others. Its speakers, the hypotheticalProto-Iranians, are assumed to have lived in the2nd millennium BC and are usually connected with theAndronovo archaeological horizon (seeIndo-Iranians).
Proto-Iranian was asatem language descended from theProto-Indo-Iranian language, which in turn, came from theProto-Indo-European language. It was likely removed less than a millennium from theAvestan language, and less than two millennia from Proto-Indo-European.[2]
Skjærvø postulates that there were at least four dialects that initially developed out of Proto-Iranian, two of which are attested by texts:[3]
Note that different terminology is used for the modern languages: Ossetian has often been classified as a "Northeast Iranian" language, while "Northwest Iranian" usually refers to languages to the northwest of Persian, such asZaza or theCaspian languages.
| PIE[4] | Av | PIE | Av | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| *p | → | p | *ph₂tḗr "father" | pitar- "father" |
| *bʰ | → | b | *bʰréh₂tēr "brother" | bratar- "brother" |
| *t | → | t | *túh₂ "thou" | tū- "thou" |
| *d | → | d | *dóru "wood" | dāuru "wood" |
| *dʰ | → | d | *dʰoHneh₂- "grain" | dana- "grain" |
| *ḱ | → | s | *déḱm̥t "ten" | dasa "ten" |
| *ǵ | → | z | *ǵónu "knee" | zānu "knee" |
| *ǵʰ | → | z | *ǵʰimós "cold" | ziiā̊ "winterstorm" |
| *k | → | x ~ c | *kruh₂rós "bloody" | xrūda "bloody" |
| *g | → | g ~ z | *h₂éuges- "strength" | aojah "strength" |
| *gʰ | → | g ~ z | *dl̥h₁gʰós "long" | darəga- "long" |
| *kʷ | → | k ~ c | *kʷós "who" | kō "who" |
| *gʷ | → | g ~ j | *gʷou- "cow" | gao- "cow" |
| Proto-Iranian | Avestan[5] | Old Persian | Persian | Zaza | Kurdish | Vedic Sanskrit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| *pHtā́ "father"[6][7][8] | pitār | pita | پدرpedar | pi/pêr | bav | pitā́ |
| *máHtā "mother"[a][9][10] | mātar | māta | مادرmâdar | ma/mare | dayk | mātár- |
| *Hácwah 'horse' | aspa | asa (native word)[11] | اسبasb (< Median) | astor | hesp | áśva |
| *bagáh 'portion, part' | baγa | baga (god) | بغbagh (seen inبغداد) | parçe | bhága | |
| *bráHtā 'brother' | brātar | brātā | برادرbarâdar | bırar | bira(der) | bhrā́tr̥ |
| *búHmiš 'earth, land' | būmi | būmiš | بومbum | bûm | bhū́mi | |
| *mártyah 'mortal, man' | maṣ̌iia | martiya | مردmard (man) | merde, merdım | mêr(d) (man) | mártya |
| *mā́Hah 'moon' | mā̊ | māha | ماهmâh (moon, month) | aşme | mang (moon), meh (month) | mā́sa |
| *wáhr̥ 'spring' | vaŋri | vahara | بهارbahâr | wesar | bihar | vāsara 'morning' |
| *Hr̥táh 'truth' | aša | arta | راستrâst (correct) | raşt | rast | r̥tá |
| *drúkš 'falsehood' | druj | drauga | دروغdorugh (lie) | zûr | diro, derew (lie) | druh- |
| *háwmah 'pressed juice' | haoma | hauma-varga | هوم hum | hum | sóma |
The termOld Iranian refers to the stage in Iranian history represented by the earliest written languages:Avestan andOld Persian. These two languages are usually considered to belong to different main branches of Iranian, and many of their similarities are found also in the other Iranian languages. Regardless, there are many arguments that many of these Old Iranian features may not have occurred yet in Proto-Iranian, and they may have instead spread across an Old Iranian dialect continuum already separated in dialects (seeWave theory). Additionally, most Iranian languages cannot be derived from either attested Old Iranian language: numerous unwritten Old Iranian dialects must have existed, whose descendants surface in the written record only later.
The Proto-Indo-Europeanlaryngeal consonants are likely to have been retained quite late in the Indo-Iranian languages in at least some positions. However, the syllabic laryngeal (*H̥) was deleted in non-initial syllables.[12]
This change is found widely across the Iranian languages, indeed Indo-Iranian as a whole: it appears also inVedic Sanskrit. Avestan has no **/l/ phoneme at all. Regardless many words, for which the other Indo-European languages indicate original *l, still show /l/ in several Iranian languages, including New Persian,Kurdish andZazaki. These include e.g. Persianlab 'lip',līz- 'to lick',gulū 'throat' (compare e.g. Latingula); Zazakilü 'fox' (compare e.g. Latinvulpēs). This preservation is however not systematic, and likely has been mostly diminished through interdialectal loaning ofr-forms, and in some cases extended by the loaning of words from smaller western Iranian languages into Persian.[13]
Exactly, thisdebuccalization occurred when not preceded*k,*n,*p,*t or followed*t (which otherwise retained as*s).[12] This change occurs in all Iranian languages.
The Proto-Indo-Iranian aspirated stops *pʰ, *tʰ and *kʰ were spirantized into *f, *θ and *x in most Iranian languages. However, they appear to be reverted into aspirates inParachi, varieties of Kurdish, and theSaka languages (Khotanese and Tumshuqese, but notWakhi which retains the fricatives); and to have merged with the voiceless aspirated stops inBalochi. In the case of Saka, secondary influence fromGāndhārī Prakrit is likely.
The Proto-Indo-European palatovelars *ḱ, *ǵ (and *ǵʰ) were fronted to affricates *ć, *dź in Proto-Indo-Iranian (the affricate stage being preserved in theNuristani languages). The development in the Old Iranian period shows divergences: Avestan, as also most newer Iranian languages, show /s/ and /z/, while Old Persian shows /θ/ and /d/. (Word-initially, the former develops also into /s/ byMiddle Persian.) — The change *c > *s must be also newer than the development *s > *h, since this new *s was not affected by the previous change. The consonant cluster*ts (as in Proto-Indo-Iranian*matsya- "fish") has merged to*c, since both were identical in Iranian.[12]
This change also clearly fails to apply to all Iranian languages. Old Persian with its descendants shows /s/, possibly likewise Kurdish and Balochi.[14] The Saka languages show /š/. All other Iranian languages have /sp/, or a further descendant (e.g. /fs/ inOssetian).
This change is typical for Old Persian and its descendants, as opposed to Avestan and most languages first attested in the Middle or New Iranian periods. Kurdish and Balochi may again have shared this change as well.[14]
