Dari (Zoroastrian) - Definition and Overview

Dari is the language of the Zoroastrians of Iran. It is also called Gabri, though this appelation has derogatory connotations (lit. 'language of the Infidels'). This language is a Northwestern Iranian language and is distinct from the variety of Persian spoken in Afghanistan.

The language is not spoken by all Iranian Zoroastrians, who number no more than 8,000–15,000. The language was spoken originally in and around the cities of Yazd and Kerman, Iran, though today because of immigration it is also spoken in the capital, Tehran, and abroad.

Note this language is distinct from the Dari spoken in Afghanistan, which is a variety of Persian.

External links

• The Dari Language Project (http://www.darilanguageproject.org)
• Ethnologue: GBZ (http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=GBZ)

Select bibliography

• Bailey, H. W. (1936) Yazdi. Bulletin of the School of Oriental Studies 8(2/3): 335-361.
• Berésine, E. (1853) Recherches sur les dialectes persans. Casan, vol. 1 100-118 (grammar), vol. 2 19-25 (dialogues), vol. 3 2-147 (vocabulary).
• Browne, E. G. (1897) A Specimen of the Gabri Dialect of Persia. Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 103-110.
• Farudi, A. and M. D. Toosarvandani. (2004) The Loss of Ergativity in Dari Modal Verbs. Ms. University of Oxford and University of California, Berkeley.
• Firuzbaxsh, Farānak. (1997 [1376]) An Examination of the Grammatical Construction of the Behdinān Dialect of the City of Yazd. [Baresi-ye sāxtiman-e dasturi-ye guyesh-e behdinān-e shahr-e yazd.] Tehran: Sāzman-e Inteshārāt-e Faravahr.
• Houtum-Schindler, A. (1882) Die Parsen in Persien, ihre Sprache und einige ihrer Gebräuche. Zeitschrift der deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft 36: 54-88.
• Huart, M. Clément. (1888) Le prétendu dérî des Parsis de Yezd. Journal Asiatique 8 ser. 11(2): 298-302.
• Ivanow, W. (1934, 1938, 1939) The Gabri Dialect Spoken by the Zoroastrians of Persia. Rivista degli studi orientalni 16: 31-97 (introduction, grammar), 17: 1-39 (texts), 18: 1-59 (vocabulary).
• Justi, Ferdinand. (1881) Über die Mundart von Jezd. Zeitschrift der deutschen Morgenländischen Gesellschaft 35: 327-414.
• Lorimer, D. L. R. (1916) Notes on the Gabri Dialect of Modern Persia. Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 423-489.
• Lorimer, D. L. R. (1928) Is there a Gabri Dialect of Modern Persia? Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Northern Ireland 287-319.
• Mazdāpūr, Katāyun. (1995) A Dictionary of Zoroastrian Dialect in the City of Yazd. Tehran: Institute for Humanities and Cultural Studies.
• Puladi-Darvish, Mitra. (2000) The Description of Verb Construction in Zoroastrian Dialect of the Center of Yazd. M.A. Thesis, Islamic Azad University, Tehran.
• Rehatsek, E. (1873) Deri Phrases and Dialogues. Indian Antiquary 2: 331-335.
• Surush Surushiān, J. (1978) Dictionary of the Zoroastrian language [Farhang-e Behdinān]. Tehran: Enteshārāt-e Dānishgāh-e Tehrān.