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Ethnologue > Web version > Country index > Asia > Iran > Azerbaijani, South

Azerbaijani, South

A language of Iran

ISO 639-3: azb

Population  11,200,000 in Iran (Johnstone and Mandryk 2001), increasing. 290,000 Afshar, 5,000 Aynallu, 7,500 Baharlu, 1,000 Moqaddam, 3,500 Nafar 1,000 Pishagchi, 3,000 Qajar, 2,000 Qaragozlu, 130,000 Shahsavani (1993). Population total all countries: 12,612,660.
Region  East and West Azerbaijan, Ardebil, Zanjan, and part of Markazi provinces. districts of Tehran; Fars Province and scattered. Also in Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Jordan, Syria, Turkey (Asia), United States.
Alternate names   Torki
Dialects  Aynallu (Inallu, Inanlu), Karapapakh, Tabriz, Afshari (Afshar, Afsar), Shahsavani (Shahseven), Moqaddam, Baharlu (Kamesh), Nafar, Qaragozlu, Pishagchi, Bayat, Qajar. Bakhtiari [bqi] is on a dialect continuum between Northern Luri [lrc] and Southern Luri [luz]. Farsi dialects in Chaharmahâl va Bakhtiari Province mutually intelligible with Bakhtiari. Similar to Kumzari [zum]. Lexical similarity: 75% with Southern Luri (Mamasani), 86% with Southern Luri (Boyerahmadi), 73% with Northern Luri (rural), 78% with Northern Luri (Khorramabadi), 76% with Western Farsi [pes].
Classification  Altaic, Turkic, Southern, Azerbaijani
A member of macrolanguage Azerbaijani [aze] (Iran).
Language use  Language of wider communication. Vigorous. All ages. Also use Western Farsi [pes] or English.
Language development  Fully developed.
Writing system  Arabic script, used in Iraq. Cyrillic script, used in Afghanistan. Latin script.
Comments  Speakers have little contact with Southern Luri, some contact with Northern Luri. Agriculturalists; pastoralists. Muslim (Shi’a).

Also spoken in:

Afghanistan

Language name   Azerbaijani, South
Region  Afshari in small groups north of Kabul, Chandaul quarter of Kabul City, Herat City.
Alternate names  Azeri
Dialects  Afshari (Afshar, Afsar).
Language use  Mainly older adults. Part of the Qizilbash speak Dari [gbz]. All also use Eastern Farsi [prs] or Southern Pashto [pbt].
Comments  Muslim.
 

Iraq

Language name   Azerbaijani, South
Population  600,000 in Iraq (1982).
Region  Kirkuk City, Arbil, Rowanduz, other areas southeast from Kirkuk as far as Al Miqdadiyah, Khanaqin, and Mandali; some in Mosul region.
Language map  Iraq
Dialects  Kirkuk.
Language use  Home.
Language development  Many read Arabic or Kurdish. Low literacy rate in South Azerbaijani.
Comments  Called ‘Turkmen’, or ‘Turks’, in Iraq and Syria. There is little literature. Muslim.
 

Syria

Language name   Azerbaijani, South
Population  30,000 in Syria (1961 census).
Region  Homs and Hama.
Language use  Also use Arabic.
Comments  They are called ‘Turkmen’ or ‘Turkomen’ in Syria and Iraq. Not a written language in Syria. Muslim.
 

Turkey (Asia)

Language name   Azerbaijani, South
Population  530,000 in Turkey.
Region  Kars Province.
Alternate names  Azeri
Dialects  Kars.
Language use  Also use Turkish [tur] as literary language.
Comments  Muslim.
 

Entries from the SIL Bibliography about this language:

Academic Publications

LEE, S. Noah, author. 1996. A grammar of Iranian Azerbaijani.

LEE, S. Noah, author. 2008. A grammar of Iranian Azerbaijani.