Indo-Iranian languages

The Indo-Iranian language group constitutes the easternmost extant branch of the Indo-European family of languages. It consists of four language groups: the Indo-Aryan, Iranian, Nuristani, and Dardic. The term Aryan languages is also used to refer to the Indo-Iranian languages ^[1]. The speakers of the Proto-Indo-Iranian language, the hypothetical Proto-Indo-Iranians are usually associated with the late 3rd millennium BC Sintashta-Petrovka culture of Central Asia. Their expansion is believed to have been connected with the invention of the chariot.

The contemporary Indo-Iranian languages form the largest sub-branch of Indo-European, with more than one billion speakers in total, stretching from Europe (Romani) and the Caucasus (Ossetian) to East India (Bengali and Assamese). SIL in a 2005 estimate counts a total of 308 varieties, the largest in terms of native speakers being Hindustani (Hindi and Urdu, ca. 540 million), Bengali (ca. 200 million), Punjabi (ca. 100 million), Marathi and Persian (ca. 70 million each), Gujarati (ca. 45 million), Pashto (40 million), Oriya (ca. 30 million), Kurdish and Sindhi (ca. 20 million each).

Subdivisions

Iranian Group:

Eastern Iranian
- Northeastern
  - Avestan (extinct)
  - Scythian (extinct)
  - * Saka (extinct)
  - Ossetian
  - Sogdian (extinct)
  - Yaghnobi
  - Bactrian (extinct)
- Southeastern
  - Pashto
  - Pamiri
Western Iranian
- Northwestern
  - Dari language of Zoroastrians
  - Balochi
  - Gilaki
  - Kurdish
  - Talysh
  - Zazaki
- Southwestern ("Persid")
  - Old Persian (extinct)
  - Middle Persian (extinct)
  - New Persian
  - * Tajik
  - ** Bukhori
  - Luri / Bakhtiari
  - Tat

Indo-Aryan Group:

- Hindustani
  - Hindi
  - Urdu
- Punjabi
- Romani/Romany
Eastern Zone (Magadhan Prakrit languages)
- Angika
- Assamese
- Bengali
- Bhojpuri
- Magadhi
- Maithili
- Oriya
Northern Zone (Pahari languages)
- Nepali
Northwestern Zone
- Sindhi
- Khojki
- Kutchi
- Rajasthani
Southern Zone
- Dhivehi / Mahl
- Sinhala
Western Zone
- Gujarati
- Konkani
- Marathi

Dardic languages (sometimes also classified as Indic):

Nuristani languages:

Ashkunu (Ashkun)
Kamkata-viri (Bashgali)
Vasi-vari (Prasuni)
Tregami
Kalasha-ala (Waigali)

Citations

[1] Numeral Types and Changes Worldwide, by Jadranka (EDT) Gvozdanovic, Language Arts & Disciplines,1999, Page 221

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Indo-Iranian languages

Subdivisions

See also

Citations