IRANIAN AND MINORITY LANGUAGES AT HOME AND IN DIASPORA

Authors : Mehmet Akkuş
Pages : 76-92
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Publication Date : 2025-12-30
Article Type : Other Papers
Abstract :This review aims at reviewing Iranian and Minority Languages at Home and in Diaspora, edited by Anousha Sedighi, a timely and ambitious volume that challenges the widespread perception of Iran as a linguistically homogeneous nation dominated by Persian. In reality, Iran hosts a wide range of Iranian and non-Iranian languages—among them Azeri, Balochi, Gilaki, Mazandarani, Lori, Khalaj, Arabic, Georgian, Hawrami, and Armenian—many of which are spoken by millions but remain marginalized, under-documented, and increasingly endangered due to Persian’s hegemony in education, administration, and media. The book also extends this inquiry beyond Iran’s borders, exploring how these languages are maintained, transformed, or abandoned in diaspora communities across Europe, North America, and the Persian Gulf. The collection balances structural and sociolinguistic perspectives. Maryam and Habib Borjian (pp. 9–36) approach Caspian languages through sociolinguistic and cultural lenses, while Hassan Bashirnezhad (pp. 37–60) employs Fishman’s domain analysis to assess Mazandarani’s functions. Carina Jahani (pp. 61–81) surveys the literary development and vitality of Balochi across Iran and Pakistan. Additional chapters highlight endangered and understudied languages such as Tati (Majidifard, Hajmalek & Rezaei, pp. 83–109), Bakhtiari (Zolfaghari, pp. 111–174), Turkmen (Sheikhi & Akhlaghi, pp. 205–230), Mandaic (Soheila Ahmadi, pp. 231–247), and Armenian (Rezaei & Farnia, pp. 249–269). Diasporic studies address Kurdish in Sweden, Balochi in Oman, Wakhi in New York, Pashto in North America, and Persian in the United States, highlighting shifting patterns of maintenance and attrition. This review argues that the volume succeeds in bridging descriptive linguistics, sociolinguistics, and diaspora studies, underscoring that Iranian multilingualism must be understood through the intersections of identity, power, migration, and globalization.
Keywords : Iran, Dil çeşitliliği, Diaspora, İrani diller, İrani olmayan diller

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