Wikijunior:Languages/Persian
This is the [edit] What writing system(s) does this language use?
Persian uses a modified form of the Arabic alphabet. Several letters used in Persian are not used in Arabic, while several letters used in Arabic are not used in Persian. Persian uses 32 letters and is written from right to left.
[edit] How many people speak this language?
There are about 71 million native speakers of Persian, making it the 14th most spoken language in the world.
[edit] Where is this language spoken?
Persian is mainly spoken in Iran, Afghanistan, Tajikstan, and Uzbekistan. There are large communities of Persian speakers in the Persian Gulf as well as the United States.
Persian has several local names. In Iran Persian is called Farsi or Parsi. In Afghanistan the language is called Dari. In Tajikstan and Uzbekitstan Persian is called Tajik and is written with the Cyrillic alphabet.
[edit] What is the history of this language?
There were several languages in the areas when Persian is spoken today that developed into modern Persian. The oldest was Avestan, which declined during the 8th century BC. The next oldest was Old Persian, which declined during the 3rd century CE. After that was Middle Persian, which declined during the 9th century CE. Finally, from the 9th century CE to today there is Modern Persian. Persian was also brought into India particularly from the 12th century CE and beyond and significantly influenced the development of Wikijunior:Languages/Urdu and Wikijunior:Languages/Hindi.
[edit] Who are some famous authors or poets in this language?
- Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi (1207 - 1273) - Poet; commonly known as Rumi
- Muslih-ud-Din Mushrif-ibn-Abdullah (1184-1283) - Poet; commonly known as Saadi
- Khwajeh Shams al-Din Muhammad Hafez-e Shirazi (1310-1337) - Poet; commonly know as Hafez
[edit] What are some basic words in this language that I can learn?
| persian writing system | persian in latin letters | english |
|---|---|---|
| پدر | pedar | father |
| مادر | madar | mother |
| پسر | pesar | son, boy |
| دختر | dokhtar | daughter, girl |
| برادر | baradar | brother |
| بوس | boos | kiss |
| لب | Lab | lip |
| نام | Nam | name |
| موش | mush | mouse |
| گرفتن | gereftan | grab |
| گرم | garm | warm |
| در | dar | door |
| دجنگل | Jangal | Jungle |
| پا | Pa | foot |
| بند | band | Band, Schnur |
| نَسک،کتاب | nask,ketab | Book |
| زبان | zaban | Language |
[edit] What is a simple song/poem/story that I can learn in this language?
[edit] References
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Wikijunior: Languages | edit | |
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Introduction • Glossary • Authors and Contributing • Print Version |
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