Old Azerbaijani language

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The Old Azerbaijani language (technical term: Āzarbāydschāni ; also called Āzari for short ) was a central Iranian language that was spoken in the Azerbaijan region in northwestern Iran and in neighboring areas until the 16th century . Alongside the Persian language , which served as the administrative and cultural language, it was the main language of the region. She was a member of the northwest branch of the Iranian languages .

With the conquest of Āzarbāydschān by the Seljuks and a little later by the Ilkhan , the ancient Azerbaijani language lost more and more of its importance, so that it was hardly spoken during the rule of the Turkmen Aq Qoyunlu .

There is hardly any literary evidence of this language. The Dobayt collection (“double verses”) of the mystic Sheikh Safi al-Din Abdul Fath Is'haq Ardabili , founder of the Safawiyya Sufi order ( tariqa ) and ancestor of the ruling dynasty of the same name .

The Tati language , which is still spoken today in the southern and southeastern part of Iranian Azerbaijan and in some isolated language islands in the interior, is generally considered to be the successor language. The neighboring languages Talish and Gilak , which are also north-west Iranian, are also close, but probably go back to related dialects. The Tatic language spoken in the Caucasus , on the other hand, is a language of the southwest Iranian branch and is closer to Persian. In addition, the ancient Azerbaijani language had a strong influence on Azerbaijani Turkish , which subsequently took its place in the region. The Iranian influence is still evident today.

See also

literature

supporting documents

  1. ↑ a b R. Tapper / E. Yarshater, "AZERBAIJAN - The Iranian language of Azerbaijan", in Encyclopaedia Iranica , online ed. - LINK
  2. ↑ R. Tapper / E. Yarshater, "AZERBAIJAN - The Iranian language of Azerbaijan: Āḏarī in written sources", in Encyclopaedia Iranica , online ed. - LINK : "... Eleven double dobaytīs by Shaikh Ṣafī-al-dīn, and therefore apparently in the language of Ardabīl , in the Selselat al-nasab-e Ṣafawīya of Shaikh Ḥosayn, a descendant of Shaikh Zāhed Gīlānī, the mentor (morād) of Shaikh Ṣafī-al-dīn (Berlin, 1343 / 1924-25, pp. 29-33) [. ..] Of the written remains of Āḏarī, the dobaytīs of Shaikh Ṣafī-al-dīn are the most important: They are relatively old, their linguistic area and their author are known, and they are accompanied by a paraphrase in Persian which helps their understanding. ... "
  3. ↑ For distribution cf. this language map of Iran from Columbia State University , marked in yellow as (Southern) Tati or Azari.
  4. ↑ V. Minorsky: Azarbaijan, in Encyclopaedia of Islam . Ed .: P. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, CE Bosworth , E. van Donzel and WP Heinrichs. Brill. Digit. ed .: "... In the beginning of the 5th / 11th century the Ghuzz hordes, first in smaller parties, and then in considerable numbers, under the Seljuqids occupied Azarbaijan. In consequence, the Iranian population of Azarbaijan and the adjacent parts of Transcaucasia became Turkophone while the characteristic features of Ādharbāyjānī Turkish, such as Persian intonations and disregard of the vocalic harmony, reflect the non-Turkish origin of the Turkicised population. ... "
  5. ↑ R. Tapper / E. Yarshater, "AZERBAIJAN - Iranian Elements in Azeri Turkish", in Encyclopaedia Iranica , online ed. - LINK : "... Azeri is, perhaps after Uzbek, the Turkic language upon which Iranian has exerted the strongest impact — mainly in phonology, syntax and vocabulary, less in morphology. Much of the Iranian interference is also present, albeit less strongly in other Turkic languages, eg, Ottoman Turkish, but many features are specific to Azeri. The strong Iranian influence upon Oghuz Turkic began already in Central Asia. ... "