Luri language
Encyclopedia
Lori or Luri is a collection of Southwestern Iranian languages which are mainly spoken by the Lurs and Bakhtiari people in the Iran
ian provinces of Loristan
, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari
, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad and parts of Khuzestan and Esfahan province
and Fars provinces. Lori is a descendant of a variant of Middle Persian
and is lexically similar to modern Persian. According to the linguist Don Stillo: "Persian, Lori-Baḵtiāri and others, are derived directly from Old Persian through Middle Persian/Pahlavi".
These dialects are also referred to as the “Persid” southern Zagros group.
The special character of the Lori language suggests that its spreading area was Iranicized from Persia and not from Media
.
"Luri and Bakhtiari are much more closely related to Persian, than Kurdish." And Lori also represents a language continuum between Persian language
and Kurdish language
varieties, and is itself composed of three distinct languages: Loristani, Bakhtiari and Southern Lori. Traditionally, Lori has been categorised as a single language. Some scholars have stated that Lori is only a highly accented or لهجه (lahjeh) form of Persian. And, on the other hand, some researchers are supporting the division of the Lori continuum into more than one language. There do exist transitional dialects between Southern Kurdish
and Lori-Bakhtiāri, and Lori-Bakhtiāri itself may be called a transitional idiom between Kurdish and Persian.
SIL Ethnologue lists four Lori language dialects,
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian provinces of Loristan
Loristan Province
Lorestan Province is a historic territory and province of western Iran, amidst the Zagros Mountains. The population of Lorestan was estimated at 1,716,527 people in 2006.Lorestan covers an area of 28,392 km²...
, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari
Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province
Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. It lies in the southwestern part of the country. Its capital is Shahrekord.It has an area of 16,332 square kilometers and a population of 842,000 .- People and culture :...
, Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad and parts of Khuzestan and Esfahan province
Esfahan Province
Isfahan Province , also transliterated as Esfahan, Espahan, Sepahan or Isphahan, is one of the 31 provinces of Iran. It is located in the center of the country. Its capital is the city of Isfahan.- Geography :...
and Fars provinces. Lori is a descendant of a variant of Middle Persian
Middle Persian
Middle Persian , indigenously known as "Pârsig" sometimes referred to as Pahlavi or Pehlevi, is the Middle Iranian language/ethnolect of Southwestern Iran that during Sassanid times became a prestige dialect and so came to be spoken in other regions as well. Middle Persian is classified as a...
and is lexically similar to modern Persian. According to the linguist Don Stillo: "Persian, Lori-Baḵtiāri and others, are derived directly from Old Persian through Middle Persian/Pahlavi".
These dialects are also referred to as the “Persid” southern Zagros group.
The special character of the Lori language suggests that its spreading area was Iranicized from Persia and not from Media
Medes
The MedesThe Medes...
.
"Luri and Bakhtiari are much more closely related to Persian, than Kurdish." And Lori also represents a language continuum between Persian language
Persian language
Persian is an Iranian language within the Indo-Iranian branch of the Indo-European languages. It is primarily spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikistan and countries which historically came under Persian influence...
and Kurdish language
Kurdish language
Kurdish is a dialect continuum spoken by the Kurds in western Asia. It is part of the Iranian branch of the Indo-Iranian group of Indo-European languages....
varieties, and is itself composed of three distinct languages: Loristani, Bakhtiari and Southern Lori. Traditionally, Lori has been categorised as a single language. Some scholars have stated that Lori is only a highly accented or لهجه (lahjeh) form of Persian. And, on the other hand, some researchers are supporting the division of the Lori continuum into more than one language. There do exist transitional dialects between Southern Kurdish
Southern Kurdish
Southern Kurdish , also called Kermānšāhi, belongs to the Northwestern Iranian languages and is predominantly spoken in western Iran and eastern Iraq. In Iran, it is spoken in the provinces of Kermanshah and Ilam. In Iraq it is spoken in the region of Khanaqin , all the way to Mandali, Pehle...
and Lori-Bakhtiāri, and Lori-Bakhtiāri itself may be called a transitional idiom between Kurdish and Persian.
SIL Ethnologue lists four Lori language dialects,
- Northern Lori [lrc], ca. 1,500,000 speakers as of 2001
- Bakhtiari [bqi], ca. 2,300,000 speakers as of 2001
- Southern Lori [luz], ca. 875,000 speakers as of 1999
- Kumzari [zum], spoken in the Musandam Peninsula of northern OmanOmanOman , officially called the Sultanate of Oman , is an Arab state in southwest Asia on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by the United Arab Emirates to the northwest, Saudi Arabia to the west, and Yemen to the southwest. The coast is formed by the Arabian Sea on the...
, ca. 1,700 speakers as of 1993.
See also
- Bakhtiari dialectBakhtiari dialectBakhtiari dialect is a southwestern Iranian dialect, spoken by Bakhtiari people in Chaharmahal-o-Bakhtiari, western Khuzestan and parts of Isfahan and Lorestan provinces. It is closely related to the Boir-Aḥmadī, Kohgīlūya, and Mamasanī dialects in northwestern Fars. These dialects, together with...
- Borujerdi dialectBorujerdi dialectThe Borujerdi dialect is a Luri dialect spoken in Borujerd city and its surrounding areas in the province of Loristan in Iran. Borujerdi is more similar to Persian than the Luri of Khurramabad, spoken in other parts of Loristan, being in some aspects is completely different.Borujerdi dialect is...
- Dialects of Fars
- Laki languageLaki languageLaki is a Northwestern Iranian language. Although it is usually grouped with Southern Kurdish dialects, Ethnologue classifies it as a fourth subgroup of Kurdish....