The Western Iranian languagesorWestern Iranic languages are a branch of the Iranian languages, attested from the time of Old Persian (6th century BC) and Median.
| Western Iranian | |
|---|---|
| Geographic distribution | Southwest Asia, Central Asia, Caucasus, and western South Asia |
| Linguistic classification | Indo-European
|
| Subdivisions |
|
| Glottolog | nort3177 (Northwestern Iranian) sout3157 (Southwestern Iranian) |
The traditional Northwestern branch is a convention for non-Southwestern languages, rather than a genetic group. The languages are as follows:[1][2][3]
There is also a recently described, and as yet unclassified, Batu'i language that is presumably Western Iranian.[1] Extinct Deilami is sometimes classified in the Caspian branch. An Iranian Khalaj language has been claimed, but does not exist; the Khalaj speak a Turkic language.
Many of the languages and dialects spoken in Markazi and Isfahan provinces are giving way to Persian in the younger generations.[5]
It is to note that the Caspian languages (incl. Adharic), the central dialects, and the Zaza-Gorani languages are likely descended from a later form of Median with varying amounts of Parthian substrata,[7] whereas the Semnani languages were likely descended from Parthian. [8]