Semnani languages

The Semnani languages or Komisenian languages are a group of Northwestern Iranian languages,^[2] spoken in Semnan province of Iran that share many linguistic features and structures with most other Iranian languages, and are part of the Caspian languages.

Geographic
distributionIran

Linguistic classificationIndo-European

Indo-Iranian
- Iranian
  - Western Iranian
    - Northwestern Iranian^[1]
      - Semnani

Subdivisions

Glottologsemn1249 (Semnani–Biyabuneki)
komi1276 (Komisenian)

Quick facts Geographic distribution, Linguistic classification ...

Semnani
Geographic distribution	Iran
Linguistic classification	Indo-European Indo-Iranian Iranian Western Iranian Northwestern Iranian^[1] Semnani
Subdivisions	Aftari Biyabunaki Lasgerdi Sangsari Semnani Sorkhei
Language codes
Glottolog	`semn1249` (Semnani–Biyabuneki) `komi1276` (Komisenian)

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There are six Semnani languages named in the literature. Some may be dialects, but there is little published work on their relationships.^[3]

Semnani (incl. one of several dialects termed 'Biyabunaki')
Sangsari
Sorkhei
Aftari
Lasgerdi

Numbers

Numbers in Semnani languages and other closely related languages Zaza and Tati and their relationship with Avestan and Parthian are as follows:^[4]^[5]^[6]

More information one, two ...

	one	two	three	four	five	six	seven	eight	nine	ten	twenty
Avestan^[7]	aēva/aēvā (m./f.)	dva	hrī	čahwar	panca	hšvaš	hapta	ašta	nava	dasa	vīsati
Parthian^[8]	ēw	dō	hrē	čafār	panǰ	šwah	haft	hašt	nah	das	wist
Zaza	žew/žû (m./f.)	di	hīrē	čahār	panǰ	šaš	hawt	hašt	naw	das	vist
Semnani	i/iya (m./f.)	do	heyra	čār	panǰ	šaš	haft	hašt	na	das	vist
Sorkhei	i	do	heré	čār	panǰ	šaš	haft	hašt	na	das	vist
Lasgerdi	i	do	heyré	čār	panǰ	šaš	haft	hašt	na	das	vist
Biyabunaki	i	dū	häirä	čāhār	pahānǰ	šāš	hāft	hāšt	nā	dās	vist
Tati^[9]^[10]^[11]	i/iya (m./f.)	de	here	čö	pinǰ	šoš	hoft	hašt	növ	doh	vist
Harzandi^[9]	i	de	heri	čö	pinǰ	šaš	hoft	hašt	nov	da	vist
Kilit^[12]	ivi	dèv	he	čoy	pinǰ	šaš	haft	hašt	nav	dah	vist

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Cognate sets

Source:^[13]

More information English, Sorkhei ...

English	Sorkhei	Lasgerdi	Sangsari	Aftari	Biyabunaki
horse	esbā	esbe	esbe	espa	esba
girl	dukkey	dot	döt	dut	dut
blood	xün				xün
large	masīn	masīn	mas/yale	masīn
nose	ven	vinī	xunī	vinī	vēnī
snow	vār	var	varf		var
serpent			mohur		mahar
moon			mūng		māye
woman	žiki	žaki	žekeyn	džek	džinakā

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notes

References

[1]
Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin (eds.). "Semnani-Biyabuneki". Glottolog . Jena, Germany: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History.
[2]
Ethnologue listing for Semnani languages
[3]
C.F. & F.M. Voegelin, Classification and Index of the World's Languages (1977) lists them as dialects of Persian (pg. 185).
Lecoq, pg. 297 lists them as "dialects" as well.
Ethnologue lists Semnani, Sorkhei, Lasgerdi, and Sangsari as languages with Biyabunaki as a possible dialect of Semnani and Aftari as a dialect of Sorkhei.
Linguasphere lists them together in an outer language called Semnani+Sangisari [58-AAC-f] with Semnani and Sangisari listed as inner languages.
Merritt Ruhlen, A Guide to the World's Languages, Volume 1: Classification (1991) lists Semnani and Sangisari as languages in the Semnani subgroup.
[4]
Т. Н, Пахалина (1999). "Языки мира: Иранские языки. II. Северо-западные иранские языки" (PDF). Министерство науки и высшего образования Ро. РОССИЙСКАЯ АКАДЕМИЯ НАУК. 76, 155, 159, 162.
[5]
Lecoq, Pierre (1989). "Les Dialectes Caspiens Et Les Dialectes Du Nord-ouest De L'iran". In Schmitt, Rüdiger (ed.). Compendium Linguarum Iranicarum (in French). Wiesbaden: Dr. Ludwig Reichert Verlag. 308 ISBN 3-88226-413-6.
[6]
Paul, Ludwig (2009). "Zazaki". In Windfuhr, Gernot (ed.). The Iranian Languages. New York: Routledge. p. 554. ISBN 978-0-7007-1131-4.
[7]
Jackson, Abraham Valentine Williams (1892). An Avesta Grammar in Comparison With Sanskrit. Stuttgart: W. Kohlhammer. pp. 106–108.
[8]
Skjaervo, Prods Oktor (2009). "Middle West Iranian". In Windfuhr, Gernot (ed.). The Iranian Languages. New York: Routledge. p. 211. ISBN 978-0-7007-1131-4.
[9]
کارنگ, عبدالعلی (1952). تاتی و هرزنی دو لهجه از زبان باستان آذربایجان [Tati, Harzani, two dialects from the ancient language of Azerbaijan] (in Persian). تبریز: چاپخانه‌ی شفق. p. 84.
[10]
سبزعلیپور, جهاندوست (2013). "تمایز جنس مونث و مذکر در گویش تاتی خلخال" [Distiniction of the Feminine and Masculine Gender in the Tāti Dialect of Khalkhāl]. نامه فرهنگستان (in Persian). 13 (1): 66–89.
[11]
Windfuhr, Gernot L. (1998). "EŠTEHĀRDĪ". Encyclopaedia Iranica. Retrieved 9 November 2025.
[12]
Гасанов, Агамали (1966). О "тайном" Языке Жителей Села Килит Нахичеванской Асср [About The "Secret" Language Of The Residents Of The Village Of Kilit, Nakhchivan Assr] (in Russian). Baku: ИЗДАТЕЛЬСТВО АКАДЕМИИ НАУК АЗЕРБАЙДЖАНСКОЙ ССР. p. 91.
[13]
Lecoq, pg. 310.

Semnani languages

Numbers

Cognate sets

notes

References

Bibliography

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