Old Persian language

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The Old Persian language is an ancient tongue used in Persia by the Achaemenid kings and scribes. Old Persian alongside the Avesta is the oldest attested form of Iranian language. It is classified in the group of Western Iranian languages, subgroup of Indo-Iranian languages (and thus the Indo-European languages).

The language was used in the inscriptions of the Achaemenid Emperors. Old Persian texts (including inscriptions, tablets and seals) have been found in Iran, Turkey and Egypt. It evolved into the Middle Persian language (Pahlavi) of Sassanid Iran, and eventually into the modern Persian language.

History of the
Persian language

Prehistory

Proto-Indo-Iranian

History

Old Persian (c. 525 BCE - 300 BCE)

Old Persian cuneiform script<small/>

Middle Persian (c.300 BCE-800 CE)

Pahlavi script • Manichean script • Avestan script

Modern Persian (from 800)

Perso-Arabic script

1 Script
2 Phonology
3 Lexicon
4 References
5 See also
6 External links

[edit] Script

Main article: Old Persian cuneiform script

Old Persian was written from left to right in Old Persian cuneiform script, a semi-alphabetic syllabic Cuneiform script. Old Persian cuneiform contains 36 signs which represent consonants, vowels, or sequences of single consonants plus vowels, a set of three numerals (1, 10, 100), a word divider, and a few ideograms.

[edit] Phonology

The following phonemes are expressed in the Old Persian script:

vowels:
a, i, u
consonants:

	Voiced	Voice- less	Spirant	Nasal	Sibilant	Liquids / Glides
Labial	b [b]	p [p]	f [f]	m [m]		v [v]
Dental / Alveolar	d [d]	t [t]	θ [θ]	n [n]	s [s], z [z]	r [r], l [l]
Palatal	c [c]	ç [ç]	j [ɟ]		š [ʃ]	y [j]
Velar	g [g]	k [k]	x [x]
Glottal			h [h]

[edit] Lexicon

Proto-Indo-Iranian	Old Persian	Middle Persian	Modern Persian	meaning
*açva	aspa	asp	asp	horse
*kāma	kāma	kām	kām	aim, desire
*daiva	daiva	dēw	dēv	daemon
	drayah	drayā	daryā	sea
	dasta	dast	dast	hand
*bhāgī	bāji	bāj	bāj	tribute
*bhrātr-	brātar	brādar	barādar	brother
*bhūmī	būmi	būm	būm	region, land
*martya	martya	mard	mard	man
*māsa	māha	māh	māh	Moon, month
*vāsara	vāhara	wahār	bahār	spring
	stūnā	stūn	sotūn	column
	šiyāta	šād	šād	happiness
*arta	arta	ard		truth
*draugh-	drauga	drōgh	dorōgh	falsehood

[edit] References

Brandenstein, Wilhelm. Handbuch des Altpersischen. Wiesbaden, O. Harrassowitz 1964.
Hinz, Walther, Altpersischer Wortschatz. Nendeln, Liechtenstein : Kraus Reprint, 1966.
Kent, Roland G., Old Persian : grammar, texts, lexicon. New Haven, Conn. : American Oriental Society, 1953.
Tolman, Herbert Cushing, Ancient Persian lexicon and the texts of the Achaemenidan inscriptions transliterated and translated with special reference to their recent re-examination. New York, Cincinnati, American Book Company, 1908.