Persian, Iranian

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A language of Iran

ISO 639-3
pes
Alternate Names
Farsi, New Persian, Parsi, Persian, West Persian, Western Farsi
Autonym
فارسی‎ (Fārsi)
User Population

73,500,000 in Iran, all users. L1 users: 52,500,000 in Iran (2019), increasing. 800,000 Eastern Farsi in Khorasan speak dialects which are transitional with Iranian Persian. L2 users: 21,000,000 (2019). Total users in all countries: 77,377,510 (as L1: 56,377,510; as L2: 21,000,000).

Location

Widespread.

Language Status

1 (National). Statutory national language (1979, Constitution, Article 15).

Classification
Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Iranian, Western, Southwestern, Persian
Dialects

Khuzestani, Ketabi, Tehrani, Fars Persian, Malayeri, Qazvini (Qazvini Persian), Mahalati (Mahalhamadani), Kashani, Esfahani, Sevei, Kermani (Kermani Persian), Araki, Karbalai, Sistani Persian, Mashadi (Meshed), Yazdi, Bandari, Bushehri, Kermanshahi Persian, Gorgani Persian, Perso-Tabaric, Qomi Persian, Khorasan Persian. Mutually intelligible with Dari [prs] and Tajiki [tgk]. Literary language virtually identical in Iran and Afghanistan, with very minor lexical differences. Many dialects may be separate languages. A member of macrolanguage Persian [fas].

Typology

SOV; noun head initial; no articles; tense and aspect; causatives; 23 consonant and 6 vowel phonemes; stress on final syllable (or root).

Language Use

Vigorous. All domains. Used by all. Also use English [eng]. Also use Northern Luri [lrc]. Also use South Azerbaijani [azb]. Also use Southern Luri [luz].

Language Development

Taught in all primary and secondary schools. Fully developed. Bible: 1845–1995.

Language Resources
OLAC resources in and about Persian, Iranian
Writing

Arabic script, Naskh variant [Arab]. Arabic script, Nastaliq variant [Aran], used in Iran.

Other Comments

Muslim, Baha’i, Christian.

Also spoken in:

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