Indo-Iranian
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.
Bundle → Layer → Finding → Questions Filled
4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions
Classify Subgroups.
Subgroup
Which subgroup.
Subgroup
Subgroup.
- Is this language Indo-Aryan, Iranian or Nuristani, and what are its closest relatives? provenance
- Is its position debated? boundary
Features
Shared features.
Features
Shared features.
- Which sound changes and features define Indo-Iranian? definition
- How do the subgroups differ? definition
History Attestation and origins.
Texts
Ancient texts.
Texts
Ancient texts.
- What do the Vedic and Avestan texts show about early Indo-Iranian? provenance
- What is known of Indo-Aryan words in Mitanni records? provenance
Origins
Homeland debates.
Origins
Origins.
- What do linguists and archaeologists propose about Indo-Iranian origins and migrations, with attribution? provenance
- Which positions are contested, including in national debates? boundary
Terms Sensitive terminology.
Aryan
The term Aryan.
Aryan
The term Aryan.
- How is Aryan used as a linguistic term, and how has it been misused? provenance
- Does the request use it for ethnic or racial claims? boundary
Names
Language names.
Names
Language names.
- Which names do speakers use for their languages, and are contested names attributed? provenance
- Is Hindi-Urdu handled with respect for both communities? boundary
Learn Using the knowledge.
Learning
Learning languages.
Learning
Learning.
- How can knowing one Indo-Iranian language help learn another? action
- Which scripts and resources are needed? provenance
Resources
Scholarship.
Resources
Resources.
- Which reference works cover Indo-Iranian linguistics? provenance
- Which are current? provenance
Classifiers Filled
- Family
- Thing Registry
- Category
- Information and virtual systems
- Entry kind
- thing
- Plane
- INF
- Domain
- INF.MED
- Other names and narrower kinds
- Judeo-Iranian, Nuristani, Indo-Aryan superstrate in Mitanni, Badeshi, Iranian, Indo-Aryan, Kamviri, Zemiaki, Kamkata-viri, Ashkun, Wasi-wari, Tregami
What it is Filled
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.
Why it exists Filled
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.
Distinguishing features Filled
- Branch of Indo-European
- Three subgroups
- Early attestation
- Over a billion speakers
What robots and AI may and may not do Filled
Must not
- Use the branch's history to support claims of racial or ethnic superiority.
- Present one modern nation's language as the sole heir to the branch.
- Misattribute a language to the wrong group in ways that erase a community's identity.
Only with a human decision
- Publishing recordings or texts from speakers and communities.
May
- Explain the Indo-Iranian branch, its subgroups and history, citing linguistic sources.
- Point users to resources for learning or researching its languages.
Moral aspects Filled
- The term Aryan was abused by racist ideology; accuracy guards against that misuse.
- Language identity is tied to national and religious conflicts in the region.
Who is affected
- Speakers and their communities
- Minority language communities
- Researchers
Owners Filled
Steward
Nobody owns a language family; speaker communities hold their languages in common.
Master systems
- Language catalogues and ISO 639-3 code tables
Links to other meta-models Filled
parent
- Q19860 - registry parent class
- Q98791755 - registry parent class
related
- Indo-European - family
- Asian languages - category
- Nilo-Saharan - other language grouping
- Dutch - other Indo-European language
What else AI and robots need to interact with it Filled
Identity and identifiers required Filled
- Vercy registry: vr.tr.indo-iranian
- Wikidata: Q33514 (https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q33514)
Direct properties not applicable Not applicable
Not applicable
Plane INF: no invented physical properties.
Recognition optional Filled
- Indo-Aryan, Iranian and Nuristani subgroups
- Ancient texts in Sanskrit and Avestan
- Dravidian languages are a separate family
- Not physical; languages in many scripts.
Capabilities and actions required Filled
- identify the subgroup of a language
- explain Indo-Aryan, Iranian and Nuristani groups
- describe historical attestation and reconstruction
- support learning and comparison
Hazards and failure modes required Filled
- Misusing the term Aryan for ethnic or racial claims
- Confusing language and ethnicity
- Presenting contested classifications as settled
Standards and interfaces required Filled
- ISO 639 codes for languages
- National language policies in South and West Asia
Context of use required Filled
- Historical linguistics and understanding South and West Asian languages.
- Indo-Aryan languages
- Iranian languages
- Nuristani languages
- ancient Indo-Iranian languages
- diaspora and minority varieties
Sources Filled
- Wikidata item Q33514: Indo-Iranian - identity and sense of the item
- Wikipedia: Indo-Iranian languages - general description of the item
Open questions
- Should each subgroup be a separate entry?
- How should dictionaries and corpora be linked?
- How should sensitive terminology be handled?
Machine files
Provenance
thing registry research (pass 2) · unreviewed
Built from: models/things/publications/thing-q33514/spec.json