Pārthawānīg
Parthian
Indo-European (Iranian, Middle, Northwestern) · historical / hidden variety
Parthian was the language of the Parthian Empire (Arsacid dynasty, 247 BCE-224 CE) and a major Middle Iranian language alongside Middle Persian (Pahlavi). It used the Parthian script (a development of Imperial Aramaic) and later the Manichaean script in Manichaean Parthian texts from Central Asia. After the Sasanian dynasty took power in 224 CE, Parthian was gradually replaced by Pahlavi in administration but survived in Manichaean liturgy in Sogdiana and Turfan into the 9th c. Modern Kurdish, Balochi and Caspian languages descend from Northwestern Middle Iranian relatives.
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Parthian
Water
āb
/aːb/
Fire
ādar
/aːdar/
Sun
xwar
/xwar/
Moon
māh
/maːh/
Star
astārag
/asˈtaːraɡ/
Mother
mād
/maːd/
Father
pid
/pid/
I
az
/az/
You
tu
/tuː/
Name
nām
/naːm/
Eye
čašm
/tʃaʃm/
Hand
dast
/dast/
Heart
zyrd
/zird/
Love
friyādan
/frijaːdan/
Tree
dār
/daːr/
House
xānag
/xaːnaɡ/
Dog
spag
/spaɡ/
Cat
—
/—/
Eat
xward-
/xward/
Drink
pī-
/piː/
One
ēw
/eːw/
Two
dō
/doː/
Hello
drōd
/droːd/
Thank you
spās
/spaːs/
Good
nēw
/neːw/
Sources
- Durkin-Meisterernst (2004) Dictionary of Manichaean Middle Persian and Parthian
- Sundermann — Parthian language and literature
- Glottolog: part1239
- Ethnologue: xpr
Words compared
Compared with related Indo-European (Iranian, Middle, Northwestern) languages
| Meaning | Parthian | Middle Persian (Pahlavi) | Persian (Classical) | Sogdian | Avestan | Old Persian | Scythian |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | āb /aːb/ | 𐭠𐭯 /aːb/ | آب /aːb/ | ʾāp /aːp/ | 𐬁𐬞 /aːp/ | 𐎠𐎱 /aːpi/ | ap /ap/ |
| Fire | ādar /aːdar/ | 𐭠𐭲𐭱 /aːtaʃ/ | آتش /aːtaʃ/ | ʾātar /aːtar/ | 𐬁𐬙𐬀𐬭 /aːtar/ | 𐎠𐎫𐎼 /aːtar/ | ātar /aːtar/ |
| Sun | xwar /xwar/ | 𐭧𐭥𐭫𐭱𐭩𐭲 /xwarʃeːd/ | خورشید /xʷarʃeːd/ | xwr /xwar/ | 𐬵𐬎𐬎𐬀𐬭𐬆 /huwarə/ | 𐏃𐎢𐎺𐎼 /huwar/ | hvar /xʷar/ |
| Moon | māh /maːh/ | 𐭬𐭠𐭧 /maːh/ | ماه /maːh/ | mʾx /maːx/ | 𐬨𐬁𐬵 /maːh/ | 𐎶𐎠𐏃 /maːha/ | māh /maːh/ |
| Star | astārag /asˈtaːraɡ/ | 𐭮𐭲𐭠𐭫𐭪 /staːrag/ | ستاره /sitaːra/ | stāre /staːre/ | 𐬯𐬙𐬀𐬭 /star/ | 𐎿𐎫𐎠𐎼 /staːra/ | star /staːr/ |
| Mother | mād /maːd/ | 𐭬𐭠𐭲𐭫 /maːdar/ | مادر /maːdar/ | mʾtr /maːtar/ | 𐬨𐬁𐬙𐬀𐬭 /maːtar/ | 𐎶𐎠𐎫𐎼 /maːtar/ | mātar /maːtar/ |
| Father | pid /pid/ | 𐭯𐭩𐭲𐭫 /pidar/ | پدر /pidar/ | ptr /pitar/ | 𐬞𐬌𐬙𐬀𐬭 /pitar/ | 𐎱𐎡𐎫𐎠 /pitaː/ | pitar /pitar/ |
| I | az /az/ | 𐭠𐭭 /an/ | من /man/ | azu /azu/ | 𐬀𐬰𐬆𐬨 /azəm/ | 𐎠𐎭𐎶 /adam/ | azu /azu/ |
| You | tu /tuː/ | 𐭲𐭥 /toː/ | تو /toː/ | tγu /tɣu/ | 𐬙𐬏𐬨 /tuːm/ | 𐎬𐎢𐎺𐎶 /tuvam/ | tu /tuː/ |
| Name | nām /naːm/ | 𐭭𐭠𐭬 /naːm/ | نام /naːm/ | nām /naːm/ | 𐬥𐬁𐬨𐬀𐬥 /naːman/ | 𐎴𐎠𐎶 /naːma/ | nama /naːma/ |
| Eye | čašm /tʃaʃm/ | 𐭰𐭱𐭬 /tʃaʃm/ | چشم /tʃaʃm/ | cšm /tʃaʃm/ | 𐬗𐬀𐬱𐬨𐬀𐬥 /tʃaʃman/ | 𐏂𐏁𐎶𐎴 /tʃaʃman/ | čašm /tʃaʃm/ |
| Hand | dast /dast/ | 𐭣𐭮𐭲 /dast/ | دست /dast/ | dst /dast/ | 𐬰𐬀𐬯𐬙𐬀 /zasta/ | 𐎭𐎿𐎫 /dasta/ | zasta /zasta/ |
| Heart | zyrd /zird/ | 𐭣𐭩𐭫 /dil/ | دل /dil/ | δrzy /ðərʒeː/ | 𐬰𐬆𐬭𐬆𐬛 /zərəd/ | 𐏀𐎼𐎭 /zard/ | zard- /zard/ |
| Love | friyādan /frijaːdan/ | 𐭲𐭥𐭱𐭩 /doːʃiː/ | عشق /ʔiʃq/ | frytk /friːtak/ | 𐬟𐬭𐬌𐬌𐬀 /frija/ | 𐎳𐎼𐎡𐎹 /frija/ | — /—/ |
| Tree | dār /daːr/ | 𐭣𐭫𐭧𐭲 /draxt/ | درخت /diraxt/ | drxt /draxt/ | 𐬬𐬀𐬉𐬯𐬀 /waesa/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| House | xānag /xaːnaɡ/ | 𐭧𐭠𐭭𐭪 /xaːnaɡ/ | خانه /xaːna/ | kṯʾk /kaθaːk/ | 𐬥𐬨𐬁𐬥𐬀 /nmaːna/ | 𐎶𐎠𐎴𐎡𐎹 /maːnija/ | — /—/ |
| Dog | spag /spaɡ/ | 𐭮𐭢 /saɡ/ | سگ /saɡ/ | ʾkw /aːkuː/ | 𐬯𐬞𐬁 /spaː/ | 𐎿𐎱𐎣 /spaka/ | spaka /spaka/ |
| Cat | — /—/ | 𐭢𐭥𐭫𐭡𐭢 /ɡurbaɡ/ | گربه /ɡurba/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Eat | xward- /xward/ | 𐭧𐭥𐭫𐭲𐭭 /xwardan/ | خوردن /xʷurdan/ | xwartan /xwartan/ | 𐬑𐬬𐬀𐬭 /xwar/ | 𐎧𐎼 /xar/ | xwartan /xʷartan/ |
| Drink | pī- /piː/ | 𐭭𐭥𐭱𐭩𐭲𐭭 /noːʃiːdan/ | آشامیدن /aːʃaːmiːdan/ | pi- /pi/ | 𐬞𐬁 /paː/ | 𐎱𐎠 /paː/ | — /—/ |
| One | ēw /eːw/ | 𐭠𐭩𐭪 /eːk/ | یک /jak/ | yw /jɛw/ | 𐬀𐬉𐬬𐬀 /aewa/ | 𐎠𐎡𐎺 /aiwa/ | aiwa /aiwa/ |
| Two | dō /doː/ | 𐭣𐭥 /doː/ | دو /doː/ | aδwa /aðwa/ | 𐬛𐬬𐬀 /dva/ | 𐎯𐎢𐎺 /duva/ | duva /duva/ |
| Hello | drōd /droːd/ | 𐭣𐭫𐭥𐭲 /droːd/ | درود /duruːd/ | drwd /druːd/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Thank you | spās /spaːs/ | 𐭮𐭯𐭠𐭮 /spaːs/ | سپاس /sipaːs/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Good | nēw /neːw/ | 𐭥𐭩𐭧 /weh/ | نیک /neːk/ | nyk /neːk/ | 𐬬𐬊𐬵𐬎 /vohu/ | 𐎴𐎡𐎲 /naiba/ | vohu /wohu/ |
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