Talysh language

The Talysh language is spoken by the Talysh people in the northern parts of the Iranian provinces of Gilan and Ardabil, as well as in the southern parts of the Republic of Azerbaijan. It belongs to the Northwestern Iranian language family and is closely related to the Tati and Zaza languages.

Talysh has three main dialects: northern, central, and southern. Each dialect has many smaller local forms. The northern dialect is spoken in both Azerbaijan and Iran, while the central and southern dialects are used only in Iran. In 2016, about 218,000 people were estimated to speak Talysh.

The language is partly understood by people who speak Persian, but it is not fully the same. UNESCO lists Talysh as a language that may be lost in the future.

History

The name Talysh might be very old, but we do not know exactly where it came from. Early records mention the Talysh people in different ways, such as Al-Taylasân in Arabic and Tâlišân in Persian. The Talysh language has often been linked with the languages spoken in Gilan and a place called Muqan.

In the 1300s, a writer named Hamdallah Mostowfi described the language in a region called Gushtaspi as connected to the language of Gilan. Some experts think an old language called Azari might have been the ancestor of both Talysh and another language called Tati. Over time, people have used different names for the Talysh language, such as Talishi, Taleshi, or Tolashi, but there aren't many old written records about it.

The first known information about the Talysh language in Russian appears in a dictionary published in 1848. It described Talysh as one of the main dialects of Persian and noted that it was different from other dialects in its grammar and vocabulary. Later, a professor named Ilya Berezin wrote about the Talysh language in French in 1853, using songs collected by another person. He described the Talysh language as having some unusual grammar rules, especially with its verbs.

Geography

Talysh is a language spoken in six cities in northern Iran: Masal, Rezvanshar, Talesh, Fuman, Shaft, and Masuleh. In these places, some people also speak Gilaki and Turkish. The towns of Masal and Masuleh are special because only Talysh is spoken there. In other cities, people speak Talysh, Gilaki, and Azerbaijani.

In Azerbaijan, eight cities have Talysh speakers: Astara, Lerik, Lenkoran, and Masalli. Talysh has been influenced by Gilaki, Azeri Turkic, and Persian. In some areas, Talysh and Gilaks live together and share language influences. In other places, Azeri Turkic has replaced Talysh in some cities, but in small villages, Talysh is still strong. In Azerbaijan, Talysh is less affected by Azeri and Russian compared to in Iran. Central Talysh is considered the purest form of the language.

Classification and related languages

Talysh is part of the Northwestern Iranian group of Indo-European languages. The language most similar to Talysh is Tati, spoken in nearby areas. Talysh shares many features with Zaza, a language spoken in Turkey, and also with the Caspian languages and Semnani in Iran.

The Glottolog database classifies Talysh in a group called Adharic. This group includes languages such as Zaza and Tati of Iran, showing how Talysh is linked to these languages and their dialects.

Dialects

The Talysh language has three main dialects: northern, central, and southern. The northern dialect is spoken in Azerbaijan and Iran. The central and southern dialects are spoken only in Iran. The central dialect is often seen as the purest because it is less influenced by other languages.

The northern dialect has some unique features. In Azerbaijan, it is spoken in four main areas: Astara, Lankaran, Lerik, and Masalli. Even though these areas are close, the way people speak can differ slightly. In some far-off places like Lavandevil and Masuleh, the dialect can be so different that it might be hard to understand each other at first.

Some Northern dialects' differences

The northern dialect has some special differences from the central and southern dialects.

Phonology

The following is the Northern Talysh dialect:

Consonants

Vowels

Some vowel sounds change slightly depending on where they are in a word. For example, certain sounds can sound a bit different when they are next to special letters. Vowels near certain letters may also sound a little different.

Scripts

Main article: Talysh alphabet

The Talysh language has more vowel sounds than standard Persian, including special vowels like ü and ə. In 1929, a writing system using Latin letters was made for Talysh in the Soviet Union. Later, it was changed to use Cyrillic-based letters in 1938. Today, Talysh is often written using Azeri Latin letters in Azerbaijan and Iran, and sometimes with the Perso-Arabic script in Iran. Books in Talysh are not very common. The tables below show the vowels, diphthongs, and consonants used in Talysh.

Monophthongs

Diphthongs

Consonants

Differences from Persian

Grammar

Talysh has a special way of putting words together, called subject–object–verb order. This means the subject comes first, then the object, and finally the verb. For example, instead of saying "Mary’s book," people say "maryami kitav."

Talysh uses special endings for words to show if they are plural. It also uses different endings to show who is doing the action and who is receiving the action. There are special markers to show if something is negative or to give commands. The language has different ways to show tense, like past and present actions.

Vocabulary

The Talysh language has many words that are similar to other languages in the area. It is used by the Talysh people to talk about their daily lives, nature, and traditions. The language is part of what makes the Talysh culture special and helps keep their history alive.