Old Persian
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Fact corner
- Language: Old Persian
- Alternate names: Pazend, Avesta
- SIL-code: -
- Language family: Indo-European, Indo-Iranian, Iranian, Western, Southwestern
- Number of speakers: Extinct
- Script: Old Persian Cuneiform
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Introduction
Behistun inscription
The Old Persian language is one of the two attested Old Iranian languages (besides Avestan).
Old Persian appears primarily in the inscriptions, clay tablets, seals of the Achaemenid era (c. 600 BCE to 300 BCE). Examples of Old Persian have been found in present-day Iran, Iraq, Turkey and Egypt the most important attestation by far being the contents of the Behistun inscription (dated to 525 BCE).
Old Persian Verb
There are
- 3 voices: active, middle, and passive
- 3 numbers: singular, dual, and plural
Verbs are divided in athematic and thematic verbs according to the conjugation.
Sample verbs
| PRESENT | IMPERFECT | |||
| Athematic
'to be' | Thematic
'to bring' | Athematic
'to do, make' | Thematic
'to be, become' | |
| Sg.1 | aʰmiy | barāmiy | akunavam | abavam |
| Sg.2 | ? | |||
| Sg.3 | astiy | baratiy | akunauš | abava |
| Du.1-3 | ? | |||
| Pl.1 | aʰmahiy | barāmahiy | akumā | abavāmā |
| Pl.2 | ? | |||
| Pl.3 | hatiy | baratiy | akunava | abava |