Routledge Dictionary of Language and Linguistics.pdf

A-Z 595(approx. 1000 BC (Gāthās)—500 BC (Young Avestan)) and Old Persian, recorded incuneiform documents from the Persian Empire (approx. 500 BC). Middle Iranian is alsowell documented in several dialects, e.g. Parthian and Sogdian (300 BC—AD 900),which have been handed down in two different kinds of writing, Pahlavi and Manichean,both developed from Aramaic script.Characteristics: While the older languages show typical Indo-European features,especially a strong similarity to Sanskrit. the modern Iranian languages have developedin new ways. Especially remarkable is the development of an ergative system in thepreterite based on the reanalysis of a participial passive as an active verb. This ergativesystem is still maintained in Kurdish and Pashto, but has become an accusative system inmodern Persian. Otherwise the development is marked by continuous simplification ofthe morphology (e.g. reduction of the case system), addition of analytic structures, andfixing of word order (SOV or SVO).ReferencesAbaev, V.I. 1964. A grammatical sketch of Ossetic. Bloomington, IN and The Hague (= IJAL 30:4,pub. 35).Acta Iranica. 1975ff. Leiden and Teheran.Beekes, R.S.P. 1988. A grammar of Gatha-Avestan. Leiden.Brandenstein, W. and M.Mayrhofer, 1964. Handbuch des Altpersischen. Wiesbaden.Dresden, M. 1983. Sogdian language and literature. In E.Yarshater (ed.), The Cambridge history ofIran. Vol. 3(1–2). Cambridge. 1216–29.Encyclopaedia Iranica. 1982–. ed. E.Yarshater. Vol. I–IV 1989–1990 London. Since 1992 CostaMesa, CA. Vol I–VII (Aa-Daylam).Geiger, W. and E.Kuhn (eds) 1895–1901. Grundriß der iranischen Philologie, 2 vols. Strasburg.Gershevitch, I. 1954. A grammar of Manichean Sogdian. Oxford.Hoffmann, K. 1989. Avestan language. In Encyclopaedia Iranica, Vol. III. 47–62.Jackson, A.V.W. 1892. An Avesta grammar. Stuttgart.Kellens, J. 1984. Le Verbe avestique. Wiesbaden.Kent, R.G. 1953. Old Persian: Grammar, texts, lexicon, 2nd rev. edn. New Haven, CT.Mackenzie, D.N. 1969. Iranian languages. In T.A. Sebeok (ed.), Current trends in linguistics. TheHague. Vol. 5, 450–77.——1983. Khwarazmian language and literature. In E.Yarshater (ed.), The Cambridge history ofIran. Vol. 3(1–2). Cambridge. 1244–9.Nyberg, H.S. 1964–74. A manual of Pahlavi. 2 vols. Wiesbaden.Oranskij, I.O. 1977. Les Langues iraniénnes, (trans. J.Blau). Paris.Payne, J.R. 1981. Iranian languages. In B.Comrie (ed.), The languages of the Soviet Union.Cambridge. 158–79.Redard, G. 1970. Other Iranian languages. In T.A. Sebeok (ed.), Current trends in linguistics. TheHague. Vol. 6, 97–135.Schmitt, R. (ed.) 1989. Compendium linguarum iranicarum. Wiesbaden.Sebeok, T. (ed.) 1970. Current Trends in Linguistics, vol. 6: Linguistics in Southeast Asia andNorth Africa: A. Iranian languages. The Hague and Paris. 9–135.Spuler, B. et al. (eds) 1958. Iranistik (Handbuch der Orientalistik I, Vol. 4.1). (Repr. 1967.) Leiden.