Tajik language 341857 225603229 2008-07-14T14:42:00Z Kingturtle 8780 Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/WikiPersianHistorian|WikiPersianHistorian]] ([[User talk:WikiPersianHistorian|talk]]) to last version by Barticus88 {{Otheruses4|the national language of Tajikistan|the language of the [[Pamir languages|Pamir family]] spoken near the Tajikistan border in [[Xinjiang]] and officially referred to in China as "Tajik"|Sarikoli language}} {{Infobox Language |name=Tajik |nativename={{Unicode|тоҷикӣ}}, {{rtl-lang|tg-Arab|تاجیکی}}, {{lang|tg-Latn|''tojikī''}} |states=[[Tajikistan]], [[Kazakhstan]], [[Afghanistan]], [[Pakistan]], [[Kyrgyzstan]], [[Russia]], [[Turkmenistan]], [[Ukraine]], [[Uzbekistan]] <!-- Please DO NOT add China to this list. See the comment about Pamir languages below --> |speakers=approximately 4,380,000 (1991) |familycolor=Indo-European |fam2=[[Indo-Iranian languages|Indo-Iranian]] |fam3=[[Iranian languages|Iranian]] |fam4=[[Western Iranian languages|Western Iranian]] |fam5=[[Southwestern Iranian languages|Southwestern Iranian]] |fam6=[[Persian language|Persian]] |script=[[Cyrillic alphabet|Cyrillic]], [[Latin alphabet|Latin]], [[Perso-Arabic script|Perso-Arabic]] |nation=[[Tajikistan]] |iso1=tg|iso2=tgk|iso3=tgk |notice=nonotice}} {{Persian language}} The '''Tajik language''' or '''Tajiki''' (sometimes written ''Tadjik'' or ''Tadzhik''; {{Unicode|тоҷикӣ}}, {{rtl-lang|tg-Arab|تاجیکی}}, {{lang|tg-Latn|''tojikí''}} {{IPA|[tɔːdʒɪˈkiː]}}) is a modern variety of the [[Persian language]]<ref>Lazard, G. 1989</ref> spoken in Central Asia. An [[Indo-European languages|Indo-European]] [[language]] of the [[Iranian languages|Iranian]] language group, most speakers of Tajik live in [[Tajikistan]] and [[Uzbekistan]]. Tajiki is the official language of [[Tajikistan]]. The language has diverged from Persian as spoken in [[Afghanistan]] and [[Iran]], as a result of political borders, the standardisation process, and the influence of [[Russian language|Russian]] and neighbouring Turkic languages. The standard language is based on the north-western dialects of Tajik (region of old major city of [[Samarkand]]), which have been somewhat influenced by the neighbouring [[Uzbek language]] as a result of geographical proximity. Tajiki also retains numerous archaic elements in its vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammar that have been lost elsewhere in the Persophone world, in part due to its relative isolation in the mountains of [[Central Asia]]. ==Geographical distribution== The most important historically Tajik/Persian-speaking cities of Central Asia, [[Samarqand]] and [[Bukhara]], are in present-day [[Uzbekistan]]. In Uzbekistan the Tājik are the largest part of the population of the ancient cities of Bukhara and Samarqand, and are found in large numbers in the [[Surxondaryo Province]] in the south and along Uzbekistan's eastern border with Tajikistan. Official statistics in Uzbekistan state that the Tajik community comprises 5% of the nation's total population<ref>Uzbekistan. The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency (December 13, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-12-26.</ref>.However, these numbers do not include ethnic Tajiks, who for a variety of reasons, declare themselves to be (ethnic) ''Uzbeks''<ref>See for example the Country report on Uzbekistan, released by the United States Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor [http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/1999/369.htm here]</ref><ref>http://tajikam.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2786</ref>. During the Soviet 'Uzbekization' supervised by Sharof Rashidov, the head of the Uzbek Communist Party, Tajiks had to choose either stay in Uzbekistan and get registered as Uzbek in their passports or leave the republic for a less developed agricultural mountainous Tajikistan. Tajiks may make up closer to 45 percent of Uzbekistan's population.<ref>http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/1999/369.htm Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (February 23, 2000). Uzbekistan. Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 1999. U.S. Department of State. Retrieved on 2007-12-19.</ref><ref>D. Carlson, "Uzbekistan: Ethnic Composition and Discriminations", Harvard University, August 2003</ref><ref>http://tajikam.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2786y</ref> Tajiks constitute roughly more than 80% of Tajikistan's population, and Persian language dominates in most parts of the country. Some Tajiks who are original East-Iranians in [[Badakhshan]] in the southeast, where the [[Pamiri]] languages are the mother tongues of most residents, are bilingual-speaker. Tajiks are the dominant ethnic group in Northen [[Afghanistan]] as well, and are also the majority group in scattered pockets elsewhere in the country, particularly urban areas such as [[Kabul]], [[Mazar]], [[Kunduz]], [[Ghazni]] and [[Herat]]. The Tajiks are between 25% and 30% of the total population of the country. In Afghanistan, the dialects spoken by ethnic Tajiks are written using the [[Perso-Arabic]] script and referred to as [[Dari]], along with the Persian dialects of other groups in Afghanistan such as the [[Hazaragi|Hazara]] and [[Aimaq]]. 50% of the Afgan citizens are native speakers of Dari. A large Tajiki-speaking diaspora exists due to the instability that has plagued Central Asia in recent years, with significant numbers of Tajiks found in [[Russia]], [[Kazakhstan]], and beyond. ===Dialects=== Tajik dialects can be approximately split into the following groups: # Northern dialects (Northern Tajikistan, southern parts of Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan). # Central dialects (dialects of [[Mastjoh]], [[Aini]], [[Hissor]] and, parts of [[Varzob]]). # Southern dialects (dialects of [[Qarotegin]], [[Kulob]], dialects of [[Badakhshan]], etc.) # Southeastern dialects (dialects of [[Panj]] and [[Darvoz]]). The dialects used among the native [[Bukharian Jews]] of Central Asia are known as [[Bukhori]], and belong to the northern dialect grouping. They are chiefly distinguished by the inclusion of [[Hebrew]] terms, principally religious vocabulary, and a historical use of the [[Hebrew]] alphabet. Despite these differences, [[Bukhori]] is readily intelligible to other Tajik-speakers, particularly speakers of northern dialects. ==Phonology== ===Vowels=== The table below illustrates the vowels in standard, literary Tajik. Local dialects frequently have more than the six seen below. {| class="wikitable" !colspan="4" align="center"| Tajik vowels |- ! ![[Front vowel|Front]] ![[Central vowel|Central]] ![[Back vowel|Back]] |-align=center ![[Close vowel|Close]] |{{IPA|i}} | |{{IPA|u}} |-align=center ![[Mid vowel|Mid]] |{{IPA|e}} |{{IPA|u̇}} |rowspan=2|{{IPA|o}}<sup>1</sup> |-align=center ![[Open vowel|Open]] |{{IPA|a}} | |} #The open back vowel has varyingly been described as {{IPA|[o]}} (actually mid-back) <ref>Lazard, G. 1956</ref> <ref>Perry, J. R. (2005)</ref>, {{IPA|[ɒ]}} <ref>Writing Systems of the World</ref> and {{IPA|[ɔː]}} <ref>Korotkow, M. (2004)</ref> ===Consonants=== {| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;" ! ![[Labial consonant|Bilabial/Labio-dental]] ![[dental consonant|Dental]]/<br>[[Alveolar consonant|Alveolar]] ![[postalveolar consonant|Post-<br>alveolar]] ![[palatal consonant|Palatal]] ![[velar consonant|Velar]] ![[uvular consonant|Uvular]] ![[glottal consonant|Glottal]] |- |[[Nasal consonant|nasal]] |м<br> {{IPA|/m/}} |н<br> {{IPA|/n/}} | | | | | |- |[[Plosive consonant|plosive]] |п б<br>{{IPA|/p/}} {{IPA|/b/}} |т д<br>{{IPA|/t/}} {{IPA|/d/}} | | |к г<br> {{IPA|/k/ /g/}} |қ<br> {{IPA|/q/}} |ъ<br> {{IPA|/ʔ/}} |- |[[Fricative consonant|fricative]] |ф в<br> {{IPA|/f/}} {{IPA|/v/}} |с з<br> {{IPA|/s/}} {{IPA|/z/}} |ш ж<br> {{IPA|/ʃ/}} {{IPA|/ʒ/}} | | |х ғ<br> {{IPA|/χ/}} {{IPA|/ʁ/}} |ҳ<br> {{IPA|/h/}} |- |[[Affricate consonant|Affricate]] | | |ч {{Unicode|ҷ}}<br> {{IPA|/tʃ/}} {{IPA|/dʒ/}} | | | | |- |[[Trill consonant|trill]] | |р<br>{{IPA|/r/}} | | | | | |- |[[Approximant consonant|Approximant]] | |л<br> {{IPA|/l/}} | |й<br> {{IPA|/j/}} | | | |- |} ===Word stress=== Word stress generally falls on the ultimate syllable. Examples of where stress does not fall on the last syllable are: бале (meaning "yes") and зеро (meaning "because"). Stress also does not fall on [[enclitic]]s, nor on the marker of the direct object. ==Grammar== {{main|Tajik grammar}} The word order of Tajiki Persian is Subject-Object-Verb. ===Nouns=== Nouns are not marked for [[grammatical gender]], although they are marked for number. Gender is usually distinguished by a change of word, as in [[English language|English]], e.g. мурғ (murgh) 'fowl' and хурус (khurus) 'rooster'. Alternatively the modifiers 'нар' (nar) for male or 'мода' (moda) for female can be pre or post-posed to the noun, e.g. хари нар (xari nar) 'male donkey' and хари мода (xari moda) 'female donkey'. Two forms of number exist in Tajik, singular and plural. The plural is marked by either the suffix -ҳо or -он, although Arabic loan words may use Arabic forms. There is no definite article, but the indefinite article exists in the form of number one 'як' (yak) and '-е' (-e), the first positioned before the noun and the second joining the noun as a suffix, although the [[direct object]] is marked by the suffix '-ро' (-ro), e.g. Рустамро задам (Rustamro zadam), 'I hit Rustam.' ===Prepositions=== {| class="wikitable" |+Simple prepositions |- ! Tajik !! English |- | аз || from, through, across |- | бо || with |- | бар || on, upon, onto |- | ба || to |- | бе || without |- | дар || at, in |- | чун || like, as |- | то || up to, as far as, until |} ==Vocabulary== Tajiki is conservative in its vocabulary, retaining numerous terms that have long since fallen into disuse in Iran and Afghanistan, such as арзиз (arziz), meaning 'tin,' and фарбеҳ (farbeh), meaning 'fat.' Most modern [[loan word]]s in Tajik come from [[Russian language|Russian]] as a result of the position of [[Tajikistan]] within the [[Soviet Union]]. Vocabulary also comes from the geographically close [[Uzbek language]] and, as is usual in [[Islam]]ic countries, from [[Arabic language|Arabic]]. Since the late 1980's, an effort has been made to replace loanwords with native equivalents, using either old terms that had fallen out of use, or coined terminology. Many of the coined terms for modern items such as гармкунак (garmkunak), meaning 'heater' and чангкашак (changkashak), meaning 'vacuum cleaner' differ from their Afghan and Iranian equivalents, adding to the difficulty in intelligibility between Tajiki and other forms of [[Persian language|Persian]]. In the table below, [[Persian language|Persian]] refers to the standard language of [[Iran]], which differs somewhat from the [[Dari]] Persian of Afghanistan. Another [[Iranian language]], [[Pashto]], has also been included for comparative purposes. {|border="1" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="4" class="wikitable" !Tajik !! моҳ<br/><small>(moh)</small> !! нав<br/><small>(nav)</small> !! модар<br/><small>(modar)</small> !! хоҳар<br/><small>(<u>kh</u>ohar)</small> !! шаб<br/><small>(shab)</small> !! бинӣ<br/><small>(binī)</small> !! се<br/><small>(se)</small> !! сиёҳ<br/><small>(siyoh)</small> !! сурх<br/><small>(sur<u>kh</u>)</small> !! зард<br/><small>(zard)</small> !! сабз<br/><small>(sabz)</small> !! гург<br/><small>(gurg)</small> |- ! colspan="13" style="text-align:center; background:#dedede"| Other [[Indo-European language]]s |- | '''[[Persian language|Persian]]''' || māh || no || mādar || <u>kh</u>āhar || shab ||binī || se || siyāh || sor<u>kh</u> || zard || sabz || gorg |- | '''[[Pashto language|Pashto]]''' || myāsht || nəvay || mōr || <u>kh</u>ōr || shpa || pōza || dre || tōr || sur || zhaṛ || shin || lewa |- | '''[[Hindi language|Hindi]]''' || mās || nayā || mātā || bahin || rāt || nāk || tīn || kālā / shyam || lāl || pīlā || harā || bik |- | '''[[English language|English]]''' || month || new || mother || sister || night || nose || three || black || red || yellow || green || wolf |- | '''[[German language|German]]''' || Monat || neu || Mutter || Schwester || Nacht || Nase || drei || schwarz || rot || gelb || grün || Wolf |- | '''[[Irish language|Irish]]''' ||mhí || nua || máthair || deirfiúr || oiche || srón || trí || dubh || dearg || buí || glas || mac tíre, faolchú |- | '''[[Welsh language|Welsh]]''' || mis || newydd || mam || chwaer || nos || trwyn || tri || du (/di/) || coch, rhudd || melyn || gwyrdd, glas || blaidd |- | '''[[Latin language|Latin]]''' || mēnsis || novus || māter || soror || nox || nasus || trēs || āter, niger || ruber || flāvus, gilvus || viridis || lupus |- | '''[[Italian language|Italian]]''' || mese || nuovo || madre || sorella || notte || naso || tre || nero || rosso || giallo || verde || lupo |- | '''[[Portuguese language|Portuguese]]''' || mês || novo || mãe || irmã || noite || nariz || três || negro || vermelho || amarelo || verde || lobo |- | '''[[Spanish language|Spanish]]''' || mes || nuevo || madre || hermana || noche || nariz || tres || negro || rojo || amarillo || verde || lobo |- | '''[[Romanian language|Romanian]]''' || luna || nou/noi || mamă || soră || noapte || nas || trei || negru || roşu || galben || verde || lup |- | '''[[Latvian language|Latvian]]''' || mēnesis || jauns || māte || māsa || nakts || deguns || trīs || melns || sarkans || dzeltens || zaļš || vilks |- | '''[[Lithuanian language|Lithuanian]]''' || mėnuo || naujas || motina || sesuo || naktis || nosis || trys || juoda || raudona || geltona || žalias || vilkas |- | '''[[Polish language|Polish]]''' || miesiąc || nowy || matka || siostra || noc || nos || trzy || czarny || czerwony || żółty || zielony || wilk |- | '''[[Ukrainian language|Ukrainian]]''' || місяць<br> <small>misjats</small> || новий<br> <small>novyj</small> || мати<br> <small>maty</small> || сестра<br> <small>sestra</small> || ніч<br> <small>nich</small> || ніс<br> <small>nis</small> || три<br> <small>try</small> || чорний<br> <small>chornyj</small> || червоний<br> <small>chervonyj</small> || жовтий<br> <small>zhovtyj</small> || зелений<br> <small>zelenyj</small> || вовк<br> <small>vovk</small> |- | '''[[Czech language|Czech]]''' || měsíc || nové || matka || sestra || noc || nos || tři || černé || červené || žluté || zelené || vlk |- | '''[[Bulgarian language|Bulgarian]]''' || месец<br> <small>mesets</small> || нов<br> <small>nov</small> || майка<br> <small>maika</small> || сестра<br> <small>sestra</small> || нощ<br> <small>nosht</small> || нос<br> <small>nos</small> || три<br> <small>tri</small> || черен<br> <small>cheren</small> || червен<br> <small>cherven</small> || жълт<br> <small>zhălt</small> || зелен<br> <small>zelen</small> || вълк<br> <small>vălk</small> |- | '''[[Russian language|Russian]]''' || месяц<br> <small>mesyats</small> || новый<br> <small>novyi</small> || мать<br> <small>mat'</small> || сестра<br> <small>sestra</small> || ночь<br> <small>noch'</small> || нос<br> <small>nos</small> || три<br> <small>tri</small> || чёрный<br> <small>chyornyi</small> || красный<br> <small>krasnyi</small> || жёлтый<br> <small>zhyoltyi</small> || зелёный<br> <small>zelyonyi</small> || волк<br> <small>volk</small> |} ==Writing system== {{main|Tajik alphabet}} Tajiki is currently written in the [[Cyrillic alphabet]] in the former [[Soviet Union]], although it has been written in both the [[Latin alphabet]] and the [[Persian alphabet]] in certain parts of its history. In the [[Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic]], the use of the [[Latin script]] began in [[1928]], and was later replaced in the [[1930]]s by the [[Cyrillic]] script. In [[Afghanistan]], Tajiks continued to use the [[Persian script]], which remains in use among Afghan Tajiks today. In more recent developments, Tajikistan has announced that once certain conditions are met, it will switch its alphabet from [[Soviet]] influenced [[Cyrillic]] script to [[Persian_language|Persian]] script<ref>[http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=53991&sectionid=351020406 Tajikistan to use Persian script]</ref> thereby forging closer cultural ties with the [[Persian_language|Persian]] speaking nations of [[Iran]] and [[Afghanistan]]. ==History== According to many scholars, the New Persian language (which subsequently evolved into the Persian forms spoken in [[Iran]], [[Afghanistan]] and [[Tajikistan]]) developed in [[Transoxiana]] and [[Greater Khorasan|Khorasan]], in what are today parts of [[Afghanistan]], [[Uzbekistan]] and [[Tajikistan]]. While the New Persian language was descended primarily from [[Middle Persian]], it also incorporated substantial elements of other [[Iranian language]]s of ancient Central Asia, such as [[Sogdian]]. Following the [[Arab]] conquest of Iran and most of Central Asia in the 8th century AD, [[Arabic]] for a time became the court language, and [[Persian language|Persian]] and other [[Iranian language]]s were relegated to the private sphere. In the 9th century AD, following the rise of the [[Samanid]]s, whose state covered much of [[Uzbekistan]], [[Tajikistan]], [[Afghanistan]] and northeastern [[Iran]] and was centered around the cities of [[Bukhoro]] ([[Bukhara]]), [[Samarqand]] and [[Herat]], New Persian emerged as the court language and swiftly displaced Arabic. Arabic influence continued to show itself in the form of the [[Perso-Arabic]] script used to write the language (replaced in Tajik by Latin and then Cyrillic in the 20th century) and a large number of Arabic loanwords. New Persian became the lingua franca of Central Asia for centuries, although it eventually lost ground to the [[Chaghatai language]] in much of its former domains as a growing number of [[Turkic]] tribes moved into the region from the east. Since the 16th century AD, Tajiki has come under increasing pressure from neighboring [[Turkic]] languages, particularly [[Uzbek]], which has largely replaced it in most areas of what is now [[Uzbekistan]]. Once spoken in areas of [[Turkmenistan]], such as [[Merv]], Tajik is today virtually non-existent in that country. Nevertheless, Tajik persisted in pockets of what is now [[Uzbekistan]], notably in [[Samarqand]], [[Bukhoro]] and [[Surxondaryo Province]], as well as in much of what is today [[Tajikistan]]. The creation of the [[Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic]] within the [[Soviet Union]] in 1929 helped to safeguard the future of Tajik, as it became an official language of the republic alongside [[Russian language|Russian]]. Still, substantial numbers of Tajik-speakers remained outside the borders of the republic, mostly in the neighboring [[Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic]], which created a source of tension between [[Tajik]]s and [[Uzbek]]s. Neither [[Samarqand]] nor [[Bukhoro]] was included in the nascent Tajik S.S.R., despite their immense historical importance in Tajik history. After the creation of the Tajik S.S.R., a large number of ethnic Tajiks from the Uzbek S.S.R. migrated there, particularly to the region of the capital, [[Dushanbe]], exercising a substantial influence in the republic's political, cultural and economic life. The influence of this influx of ethnic Tajik immigrants from the Uzbek S.S.R. is most prominently manifested in the fact that literary Tajik is based on their northwestern dialects of the language, rather than the central dialects that are spoken by the natives in the Dushanbe region and adjacent areas. After the fall of the Soviet Union and Tajikistan's independence in 1991, the government of Tajikistan has made substantial efforts to promote the use of Tajik in all spheres of public and private life. Tajik is gaining ground among the once-[[Russified]] upper classes, and continues its role as the vernacular of the majority of the country's population. There has been a rise in the number of Tajik publications. Increasing contact with media from [[Iran]] and [[Afghanistan]], after decades of isolation under the [[Soviet]]s, is also having an effect on the development of the language. ==See also== {{InterWiki|code=tg}} {{Wikibookspar||Tajik}} *[[Tajik alphabet]] *[[Iranology]] *[[Academy of Persian Language and Literature]] *[[Persian language]] *[[Dari (Afghanistan)]] *[[Bukhori]] *[[Iranian people]] *[[Tajiks]] *[[Tajik singers]] ==Notes== {{reflist}} ==References== *Korotow, M. (2004) ''Tadschikisch Wort für Wort. Kauderwelsch'' ISBN 389416347X * Lazard, G. (1956) "Caractères distinctifs de la langue tadjik". ''Bulletin de la Société Linguistique de Paris''. 52. pp. 117--186 * Lazard, G. "Le Persan". ''Compendium Linguarum Iranicarum''. Wiesbaden. 1989. * Windfuhr, G. (1987) in Comrie, B. (ed.) "Persian". ''The World's Major Languages''. pp. 523--546 * Perry, J. R. (2005) A Tajik Persian Reference Grammar (Boston : Brill) ISBN 90-04-14323-8 * Rastorgueva, V. (1963) A Short Sketch of Tajik Grammar (Netherlands : Mouton) ISBN 0-933070-28-4 ==External links== *[http://tajikam.com/forum A Worldwide Community for Tajiks] *[http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=tgk Ethnologue report for Tajik] *[http://www.bbc.co.uk/persian/tajikistan/ BBC news in Tajik] {{Iranian Languages Group}} [[Category:Southwestern Iranian languages]] [[Category:Languages of Kazakhstan]] [[Category:Languages of Kyrgyzstan]] [[Category:Languages of Tajikistan]] [[Category:Languages of Turkmenistan]] [[Category:Languages of Uzbekistan]] [[Category:Tajik language]] [[bs:Tadžički jezik]] [[br:Tadjikeg]] [[bg:Таджикски език]] [[ca:Tadjik]] [[cv:Таджик чĕлхи]] [[cs:Tádžičtina]] [[de:Tadschikische Sprache]] [[et:Tadžiki keel]] [[es:Idioma tayiko]] [[eo:Taĝika lingvo]] [[fa:فارسی تاجیکی]] [[fr:Tadjik]] [[ga:Táidsícis]] [[gl:Lingua taxica]] [[ko:타지크어]] [[id:Bahasa Tajik]] [[it:Lingua tagica]] [[ka:ტაჯიკური ენა]] [[sw:Kitajiki]] [[lv:Tadžiku valoda]] [[lt:Tadžikų kalba]] [[hu:Tádzsik nyelv]] [[nl:Tadzjieks]] [[ja:タジク語]] [[no:Tadsjikisk]] [[nn:Tadsjikisk språk]] [[nds:Tadschiksche Spraak]] [[pt:Língua tadjique]] [[ru:Таджикский язык]] [[fi:Tadžikin kieli]] [[sv:Tadzjikiska]] [[ta:தாஜிக் மொழி]] [[th:ภาษาทาจิก]] [[tg:Забони тоҷикӣ]] [[tr:Tacikçe]] [[uk:Таджицька мова]] [[diq:Taciki]] [[zh:塔吉克语]]