You will need your subscription password to sign in again on this browser.
Verify your email
We've already sent a confirmation link to your inbox. If you don't see it, you can resend it.
Unit 2 · A short script history · Read
A short script history
Separate the writing system from the languages that use it.
7th c.Arabic script reaches Iran
9th–10th c.Persian poetry and prose in it
TodayIran and Afghanistan
History and use
Persian adapted the Arabic script after the seventh century. By the ninth and tenth centuries, Persian poetry and prose were written in it.
پچژگ
p, ch, zh, g: the letters Persian added
Four new letters
Persian added پ چ ژ گ for sounds that Arabic does not write. Listen to foot, tea, jacket and flower: each begins with one of them.
پا
foot
چای
tea
ژاکِت
jacket
گُل
flower
فارسی
fārsī: Persian, in its own script
Where Persian is written
Persian is written in this script in Iran; Dari uses a related Persian orthography in Afghanistan. Tajik normally uses Cyrillic. The script is shared with Arabic, but Persian words, sounds and spelling rules are its own.
نستعلیق
nastaʿlīq: a flowing style for titles, signs and poetry
Naskh and Nastaliq
Naskh and Nastaliq are styles of writing, not different languages. This course prints in a Naskh-style font; Nastaliq appears later on signs and book covers.
LernLaterne