Morphological, Semantic, and Etymological Analysis of Ten Lexical Items in the Kashani Dialect
Document Type : پژوهشی اصیل
Authors
1
Associate Professor, Department of Persian Language and Literature, Faculty of Literature and Foreign Languages, University of Kashan, Kashan, Iran.
2
Assistant Professor of Persian language and literature, Department of Persian Language and Literature, Faculty of Literature and Foreign Languages, University of Kashan, Kashan, Iran.
10.48311/cfl.2026.86456.0
Abstract
Beyond their communicative function, the Iranian dialects preserve a substantial portion of Iran's historical memory and cultural identity, retaining numerous archaic layers of the Persian language. The Kashani dialect is one such variety that remained in active use alongside Standard Persian until a few centuries ago. However, with the expansion of the standard language, formal education, and profound socio-cultural transformations, a considerable part of its lexical heritage has gradually fallen into disuse. Although several dialect dictionaries and descriptive studies have documented aspects of the Kashani vernacular, the historical origins and internal linguistic structure of many colloquial lexical items remain unexplored and have rarely been examined from the perspectives of historical linguistics and etymology. The present study investigates the morphological structure, etymology, phonological development, and semantic evolution of ten surviving lexical items from the spoken Persian of Kashan. It argues that, contrary to common assumptions, these words are not arbitrary colloquialisms but rather relics of earlier stages of Persian and of the historical dialect of Kashan.
Keywords
Subjects
Abu Mansour Isfahani, A. (1985). The Persian translation of Awarif al-Maaref by Suhrawardi. Elmi va Farhangi.
Aflaki, Sh. A. (1983). The virtues of the mystics. Donya-ye Ketab.
Anonymous. (1970). Commentary on the glorious Quran. Manuscript preserved in the Cambridge Library. Iran Culture Foundation.
Aqa Rabie, A. (2004). The Raji dialect of Henjan. Academy of Persian Language and Literature.
Asir Shahrestani, M. J. (1935). Collected works. Lithographic edition. Nul Kishur Press.
Babaei, B., Kashani, L. (2021a). The Book of the Anusim. Ketab.
Babaei, B., Kashani, L. (2021b). The Book of the Anusim: The lives of Iranian Jews in the Safavid era in the poems of Babaei ben Lotf and Babaei ben Farhad, with additions by Mashiah ben Rafael. Rewritten. Ketab Iran Nameh.
Bagher Khorde Kashani. (2025). The Ghazals of Bagher Khorde. Mirath-e Maktub.
Bidel Dehlavi. (2021). Collected poems (edited and researched by S. M. Tabatabaei). Shahrestan-e Adab.
Boroumand Saeed, J. (1991). The Bardasir dialect. Kermanology Center.
Boroumand Saeed, J. (2003). Phonological changes in Persian vocabulary (Vol. 3). Shahid Bahonar University of Kerman.
Emad al-Din Isfahani. (1999). The pearl of the palace and the Gazetteer of the age (introduction and research by D. A. M. Al-Toumeh). Mirath-e Maktub.
Ferdowsi, A. Q. (2009). The Book of Kings (edited by J. Khaleghi-Motlagh). Center for the Great Islamic Encyclopedia.
Firouzbaksh, P. (2023). Fahlaviyat. Dr. Mahmoud Afshar Foundation.
Gebai, N. (2015). The Thousand-Year-Old language of the Jews of Kashan. Los Angeles. Retrieved from babanouri.com
Ghaem-Maghami, S. A. (2022). Forty essays on the culture, history, and literature of Iran. Goya.
Ghasemi, M. (2009). A supplement to the supplement of Persian dictionaries. Nashr-e Danesh, 23(3), 43–57.
Hasandoust, M. (2014). An etymological dictionary of the Persian language. Academy of Persian Language and Literature.
Ibn Manzur, M. (1988). The Arabic language (edited, annotated, and indexed by Ali Shiri). Dar Ihya al-Turath al-Arabi.
Jahani, Z. (2006). Barzak, the Jewel of the mountains. Maranjab.
Laleh Tik Chandbahar. (2019). The spring of Ajam (edited by K. Dezfulian). Talayeh.
Meydani, A. B. M. (2000). Persian translation of Al-Ibanah: commentary on Al-Sami fi al-Asma (edited by A. A. Sadeghi. Supplement to Issue 10 of Nameh-ye Farhangestan).Academy of Persian Language and Literature.
Mohaddes Armawi, S. J. (1987). See Montajab al-Din Ali ibn Babouyeh al-Razi.
Montajab al-Din Ali ibn Babouyeh al-Razi. (1987). The bibliographical index (researched and introduced by S. J. Mohaddes Armawi. Edited by M. Samami Haeri). Under the supervision of M. Marashi. Qom: Ayatollah al-Uzma Marashi Najafi Public Library.
Mottaheb Esfahani, M. M. A. (1942). The Yakhchalieh biographical anthology (edited and annotated by A. Golchin-Maani). Heidari Joint Stock Company.
Najib Kashani, N. M. (2003). Collected works (introduction, critical edition, and annotations by A. Dadbeh and M. Sadri). Mirath-e Maktub.
Najib Kashani, N. M. (2015). The history of the imperial kitchen (edited and researched by A. Dadbeh and M. Sadri). Mirath-e Maktub.
Ravandi, S. A. (1955). Collected poems (edited and published by Jalal al-Din al-Urmavi, known as Mohaddeth). Majles Press.
Sadeghi, A. A. (2001). The Persian language of Qom. Bavardaran.
Sadeghi, A. A. (2002). Recovered pieces from Hamza Isfahani's Kitab al-Mowazeneh. Nameh-ye Iran-e Bastan, 2(1), 3–62.
Sadeghi, A. A. (2010). On Borhan-e Qate. In M. Gholamrezaei (Ed.), Festschrift for Mohammad Moin. Tehran: Mirath-e Maktub.
Saeb Tabrizi, M. A. (2004). Collected poems (edited by M. Ghahreman). Elmi va Farhangi.
Sarrafi, M. (1996). Dictionary of the Kermani dialect. Soroush.
Sirjazi, M. (2001). The Book of Sirjan. Academy of Persian Language and Literature.
Sotoudeh, M. (1986). The Naein dictionary. Institute for Cultural Studies and Research.
Taghi al-Din Kashani. (2005). The essence of poems and the quintessence of thoughts: The Kashan section (edited by A. Adib Boroumand and M. H. Nasiri). Mirath-e Maktub.
Vaez Qazvini, M. R. (1980). Collected poems (edited by S. H. Sadat Naseri). Ali-Akbar Elmi Press.
Varasteh Sialkouti. (1985). Terminology of poets. Institute for Cultural Research.
Yahaghi, M. J. (1993). Quranic dictionary. Astan Quds Razavi Publications.
Zakeri, M. (2002). Etymology or pseudo-etymology: A critique of the article “The etymology of several Persian words.” Nameh-ye Iran-e Bastan, 3, 92–99.
Zarrabi, A. (1957). The history of Kashan (edited by I. Afshar). Amirkabir.
Website
Doha Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language. (n.d.). Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language.
