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Research draft

Indo-Iranian

vr.tr.indo-iranian · INF.MED

Let an agent explain the Indo-Iranian branch and its subgroups, identify member languages, describe history and reconstruction with attributed scholarship, and keep language classification separate from ethnic or political claims.

Thing Registry Information and virtual systems

Research draft, second pass

A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.

written by Claude from model knowledge without web access - no source was read, every claim is a lead to verify

Researched by: Claude

Purpose and description

Let an agent explain the Indo-Iranian branch and its subgroups, identify member languages, describe history and reconstruction with attributed scholarship, and keep language classification separate from ethnic or political claims.

The largest branch of the Indo-European language family, comprising the Indo-Aryan languages such as Hindi, Urdu, Bengali and Punjabi, the Iranian languages such as Persian, Pashto and Kurdish, and the Nuristani languages, spoken by more than a billion people across South and West Asia and in diaspora; the branch descends from Proto-Indo-Iranian and is attested from the Vedic and Avestan texts.

What it is for: Historical linguistics and understanding South and West Asian languages.

It can be identify the subgroup of a language; explain Indo-Aryan, Iranian and Nuristani groups; describe historical attestation and reconstruction; support learning and comparison.

Distinguishing features

Branch of Indo-European

Three subgroups

Early attestation

Over a billion speakers

What it looks like

Not physical; languages in many scripts.

How it is recognised

Indo-Aryan, Iranian and Nuristani subgroups

Ancient texts in Sanskrit and Avestan

Dravidian languages are a separate family

Related models

is a kind of - family

Indo-European

is a kind of - category

Asian languages

is related to - other language grouping

Nilo-Saharan

is related to - other Indo-European language

Dutch

In practice

Families and kinds

Indo-Aryan languages

Iranian languages

Nuristani languages

ancient Indo-Iranian languages

diaspora and minority varieties

Standards and regulation

ISO 639 codes for languages

National language policies in South and West Asia

Failure modes and hazards

Misusing the term Aryan for ethnic or racial claims

Confusing language and ethnicity

Presenting contested classifications as settled

Also called

Judeo-IranianNuristaniIndo-Aryan superstrate in MitanniBadeshiIranianIndo-AryanKamviriZemiakiKamkata-viriAshkunWasi-wariTregamiWaigaliNew iranianKambojanWestern IranianOld IranianEastern IranianProto-IranianOld AzeriMiddle IranianChinali–LahulBhoyariNoakhaliCentral Indo-AryanMiddle-Modern Indo-AryanChinaliOld Indo-AryanInsular Indo-AryanEastern Indo-AryanBhalay-GowlanRajasthaniBihariJogiSeb SeliyerVeddaMaharashtriParkari KoliMaldivianChakma

+154

Where this came from

wikidata · CC0 1.0

Source repository Registry entry point

Drafted structure

Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions.

Classify Subgroups.

Three branches.

Subgroup

Which subgroup.

Subgroup

Subgroup.

  1. Is this language Indo-Aryan, Iranian or Nuristani, and what are its closest relatives? provenance
  2. Is its position debated? boundary

Features

Shared features.

Features

Shared features.

  1. Which sound changes and features define Indo-Iranian? definition
  2. How do the subgroups differ? definition
History Attestation and origins.

Sources and debates.

Texts

Ancient texts.

Texts

Ancient texts.

  1. What do the Vedic and Avestan texts show about early Indo-Iranian? provenance
  2. What is known of Indo-Aryan words in Mitanni records? provenance

Origins

Homeland debates.

Origins

Origins.

  1. What do linguists and archaeologists propose about Indo-Iranian origins and migrations, with attribution? provenance
  2. Which positions are contested, including in national debates? boundary
Terms Sensitive terminology.

Language, not race.

Aryan

The term Aryan.

Aryan

The term Aryan.

  1. How is Aryan used as a linguistic term, and how has it been misused? provenance
  2. Does the request use it for ethnic or racial claims? boundary

Names

Language names.

Names

Language names.

  1. Which names do speakers use for their languages, and are contested names attributed? provenance
  2. Is Hindi-Urdu handled with respect for both communities? boundary
Learn Using the knowledge.

Relationships aid learning.

Learning

Learning languages.

Learning

Learning.

  1. How can knowing one Indo-Iranian language help learn another? action
  2. Which scripts and resources are needed? provenance

Resources

Scholarship.

Resources

Resources.

  1. Which reference works cover Indo-Iranian linguistics? provenance
  2. Which are current? provenance

What the second pass must settle

  • Should each subgroup be a separate entry?
  • How should dictionaries and corpora be linked?
  • How should sensitive terminology be handled?
Draft as JSON