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7 Ebb and Flow of Azeri and Persian in Iran: A Longitudinal Study in the City of Zanjan

  • Hamed Zandi
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Iranian and Minority Languages at Home and in Diaspora
This chapter is in the book Iranian and Minority Languages at Home and in Diaspora

Abstract

Although there have been several studies on the shift from Azeri to Persian in Iran, systematic longitudinal studies are scarce. The present research overviews the shift from Persian to Azeri in the last millennium. Furthermore, it studies a recent reversal by exploring the trends from 2008 to 2020 among bilingual university students in Zanjan. It tries to determine the function and social status of Persian and Azeri in the domains of home, school, friendship, religion, neighborhood, and transactions. The results indicate a gradual increase in the use of Persian and the decline of Azeri. The paper discusses the increasing inclination towards the use of Persian, especially among female bilingual students, as the harbingers of this change. The paper has implications for language planning and policy in Iran.

Abstract

Although there have been several studies on the shift from Azeri to Persian in Iran, systematic longitudinal studies are scarce. The present research overviews the shift from Persian to Azeri in the last millennium. Furthermore, it studies a recent reversal by exploring the trends from 2008 to 2020 among bilingual university students in Zanjan. It tries to determine the function and social status of Persian and Azeri in the domains of home, school, friendship, religion, neighborhood, and transactions. The results indicate a gradual increase in the use of Persian and the decline of Azeri. The paper discusses the increasing inclination towards the use of Persian, especially among female bilingual students, as the harbingers of this change. The paper has implications for language planning and policy in Iran.

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter I
  2. Acknowledgements V
  3. Foreword VII
  4. Contents IX
  5. 1 Introduction 1
  6. Part I: Iranian Minority Languages
  7. 2 At the Crossroads: Caspian Languages through a Sociolinguistic Lens 9
  8. 3 Mazandarani: Current Status and Future Prospects 37
  9. 4 Balochi: Literary Development, Status and Vitality 61
  10. 5 Attitudes Towards Tati Language Among its Native Speakers in Western Iran 83
  11. 6 The Bakhtiari Language: Maintenance or Shift? A Diachronic Survey on the Status of Bakhtiari in the City of Masjed Soleiman between 1996–2020 111
  12. Part II: Non-Iranian Minority Languages
  13. 7 Ebb and Flow of Azeri and Persian in Iran: A Longitudinal Study in the City of Zanjan 177
  14. 8 Language Shift and Language Maintenance among Turkmen Speakers 205
  15. 9 Language Change and Maintenance among Mandaic Speakers of Iran: A Socio-linguistic Study 231
  16. 10 Armenian Language and Identity in Iran: The Case of Iranian Armenians of Isfahan 249
  17. Part III: Iranian Heritage Languages in Diaspora
  18. 11 Wakhi in New York: Multilingualism and Language Contact in a Pamiri Diaspora Community 273
  19. 12 Language Maintenance and Language Shift: A Perspective from the First- Generation and Second-Generation Pashto Speakers Living in the United States and Canada 305
  20. 13 Persian as a Diasporic Language in the United States: A Survey of Heritage Persian Learners at College Level 333
  21. Index 379
https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110694277-007

Chapters in this book

  1. Frontmatter I
  2. Acknowledgements V
  3. Foreword VII
  4. Contents IX
  5. 1 Introduction 1
  6. Part I: Iranian Minority Languages
  7. 2 At the Crossroads: Caspian Languages through a Sociolinguistic Lens 9
  8. 3 Mazandarani: Current Status and Future Prospects 37
  9. 4 Balochi: Literary Development, Status and Vitality 61
  10. 5 Attitudes Towards Tati Language Among its Native Speakers in Western Iran 83
  11. 6 The Bakhtiari Language: Maintenance or Shift? A Diachronic Survey on the Status of Bakhtiari in the City of Masjed Soleiman between 1996–2020 111
  12. Part II: Non-Iranian Minority Languages
  13. 7 Ebb and Flow of Azeri and Persian in Iran: A Longitudinal Study in the City of Zanjan 177
  14. 8 Language Shift and Language Maintenance among Turkmen Speakers 205
  15. 9 Language Change and Maintenance among Mandaic Speakers of Iran: A Socio-linguistic Study 231
  16. 10 Armenian Language and Identity in Iran: The Case of Iranian Armenians of Isfahan 249
  17. Part III: Iranian Heritage Languages in Diaspora
  18. 11 Wakhi in New York: Multilingualism and Language Contact in a Pamiri Diaspora Community 273
  19. 12 Language Maintenance and Language Shift: A Perspective from the First- Generation and Second-Generation Pashto Speakers Living in the United States and Canada 305
  20. 13 Persian as a Diasporic Language in the United States: A Survey of Heritage Persian Learners at College Level 333
  21. Index 379
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