Tati language (Iran)

The Tati language is a Northwestern Iranian language spoken by the Tat people of Iran which is closely related to other languages such as Talysh, Zaza, Mazandarani and Gilaki.

Old Azeri

Some sources use the term Old Azeri to refer to the Tati language as it was spoken in the region before the spread of Turkic languages, and is now only spoken by different rural communities in Iranian Azerbaijan, and also in Zanjan and Qazvin provinces. Alongside with Tati dialects, Old Azeri is known to have strong affinities with Talysh and Zaza language. Tati, Zaza and Talysh are considered to be descendants of old Azeri. Harzandi dialect that thought to be descendant of the Old Azeri language was positioned between the Talysh and Zaza.

Tati language structure

In any language, roots and verb affixes constitute the most basic and important components of a language. The root is an element included in all the words of a lexical family and carries the basic meaning of those lexical items. A verb affix is an element added to the root to form a new meaning.
In many new Iranian languages, verb affixes have been left almost unnoticed, and it will be possible, by the act of deriving roots, to clear up most of their structural and semantic ambiguities. Unlike the root, verb affixes can be easily identified and described. In many languages, verb affixes act as the base of verb formation and are often derived from a limited number of roots. Tati, Talysh, Mazandarani and Gilaki languages belong to North-western Iranian languages currently spoken along the coast of Caspian Sea. These languages which enjoy many old linguistic elements have not been duly studied from a linguistic perspective.
In the field of phonetics Tati is similar to the rest of the north-western Iranian languages: it is distinguished by the persistence of Iranian *z, *s, *y-, * v- against the south-western d, h, j-, b-; development < * j, against the south-west z, and the preservation of intervocalic and postvocalic *r and even, for a number of dialects, development rhotacism.

Gender in Tati language

In the field of morphology, Tati is less analytical in structure than the south-western Iranian languages. Having lost the ancient foundations of classes and verb, tati preserved case. It has a grammatical gender feature in many dialects and exhibits two genders just like the Zaza.
As a rare linguistic feature among all Northwestern Iranian languages, Tati dialects, along with Zaza, Semnani and Sangsari languages gender agreement occur on verbs. Third-person pronoun take different inflections for masculine and feminine subjects in Zaza, Semnani and Sangsari. As a quite unique linguistic feature among Northwestern Iranian languages, in some Tati dialects and Zaza, the second-person pronoun takes different inflections for masculine and feminine subjects.

Ergative in Tati language

Tati is, like Zaza of the same linguistic branch, an ergative language, i.e. "with transitive verbs the subject/agent of the verb is expressed by the direct case in the present tenses, but by the oblique in the past tenses, whereas the direct object/patient in the present tenses is expressed by the oblique, but by the direct in the past".
Khalkhali is one of the Tati dialects spoken in Shahrood and Xorsh-rostam districts of Khalkhal. Khalkhali Tati is distinguished from other dialects producing ergative structures, because of the adherence of verb to semantic object, in number, person and specially in gender. Meanwhile, according to some evidence in this dialect, apart from past transitive verbs, some intransitive verbs are influenced by the ergative structure.

Phonology

Consonants

The phonology is based on the Southern Tati dialects:
The following sounds // may allophonically range to the sounds.

Vowels

The vowel sound for /e/ is recognized as two sounds, and allophonically as.
In the Chali dialect, the /o/ phoneme is only realized as a diphthong, whereas in Takestani, it is only recognized as ranging from.

Dialects

Tati has four main dialects:

South of Qazvin province
Ardabil province
Alborz mountains range. This dialect was, probably, used to be spoken around the northern part of Tehran City.
North Khorasan province
Comparison of various Tati dialects

Source:

English	Persian	Tākestāni Tāti	Sagzābādi Tāti	Ebrāhimābādi Tāti	Ardabilaki Tāti	Ziārāni Tāti	Tikhuri Tāti	Tat	Kurmanji Kurdish	Sorani Kurdish
Child	بچه Baĉĉe	zārin/bālā بالا/زارين	zāru زارو	zāru زارو	vaĉa وچه	eyāl عيال	vaĉa وچه	Ayal	Zārok Mendal baĉa	منداڵ Mendāl / baĉka بەچکە
Rooftop	پشت بام Poŝtebām/Bālābun	bon بُن	bun بون	bön بون	bom بوم	bum بوم	bum بوم	Sarbun	Bān	بان Bān
Hand	دست Dast	Bāl بال	bāl بال	Bāl بال	Bāl بال	Bāl بال	bāl بال	Dast	Dest / lep	دەست Dast
Sharp	تيز Tiz	Tij تيج	tij تيج	tij تيج	tij تيج	tij تيج	tij تيج	Tij	Tûž	تیژ Tiž
Sister	خواهر Xāhar	Xāke خاکه	Xawaĉe خواچه	xawāke خوآکه	xāxor خاخور	xoār خُوآر	xoār خُوآر	Xuvār	Xûşk / xweng	خوشک Xûşk
Ablution/Wozu	وضو Wozu/Dastnamāz	dasnemāz دسنماز	dasta māz دست ماز	dasnemāz دسنماز	dasnemāz دسنماز	dastnemāz دست نِماز	dastnemāz دست نِماز	Dastimāz	Destnimêj	دەستنوێژ Destniwêj
Housewife	کدبانو Kadbānu	keyvuniye/kalontare zeyniye کلُونتَره زينيه/کيوونيه	ĉeybānu چي بنوه	Keywānu کيوانو	Keywānu کيوانو	Kalentar کلنتر	xojirezan خوجيره زِن		Kebanî	کابان Kaban
Lentil	عدس Adas	marjomake مرجومکه	marjewa مرجوه	marjewa مرجوه	marju مرجو	marju مرجو	marju مرجو	Marjimak	nîsk	نیسک Nîsk
Calm	آرام Ārām/Denj	dinj دينج	dinj دينج	dinj دينج	dinj دينج	dinj دينج	dinj دينج	Dinj	aram	ئارام / بێدەنگ Aram / Bêdeng
Shout	فرياد Faryād	Harāy هرای	Harāy/qia قيه/هرای	harāy/qeya قيه/هرای	harāy/qiyu قيو/هرای	Qālmeqāl/harāy هرای/قال مِقال	Mara هَرَه	Jirā/Faryād	Hewar/qîr	هاوار Hawar

English	Persian	Pahlavi	Avestan	Tākestāni Tāti	Sagzābādi Tāti	Ebrāhimābādi Tāti	Ardabilaki Tāti	Ziārāni Tāti	Tikhuri Tāti	Kurmanji Kurdish	Sorani Kurdish
Dog	سگ Sag	sege	span	asbe/māĉĉiye ماچيه/اَسبه	Asba اَسبه	asba اَسبه	Sag سگ	Sage/māĉĉe ماچه/سَيگ	Sag/Māĉĉe ماچه/سَيگ	Kûçik / Seg	سەگ Seg
Bone	استخوان Ostexān	ast/xastak	ast	esqonj اسقُنج	Xaste خسته	Xaste خسته	Esdeqān اسدقان	Hasta هَستَه	hasta هَستَه	estî / hestî	ئێسک / هێسک Êsk / Hêsk
Lie	دروغ Doruq	drog/droo	droj	duru دورو	deru درو	doru دُرو	duru دورو	duru دورو	duru دورو	Derew / vir	درۆ Diro
Needle	سوزن Suzan	darzik/darzi	dereza	darzone درزُنه	darzena درزنه	darzena درزنه	darzan درزَن	darzen درزِن	darzen درزِن	Derzî, Şûjin	دەرزی Derzî
Face	چهره Ĉehre	ĉihr/ĉihrak		dim دیم	dim دیم	dim دیم	dim دیم	dim دیم	dim دیم	Dêm	دەم و چاو/ ڕوو Dem û çaw / Rû
Groom	داماد Dāmād	zāmāt	zāmātar	zomā زُما	Zummā زوما	zeymā زیما	zāmā زاما	zāmā زاما	zāmā زاما	Zava	زاوا Zawa
House	خانه Xāne	Mābān	ke	kiye کیه	čia چیه	kia کیه	Xāne خانه	Xāneh خانه	Xāneh خانه	Xanî	خانوو / خانی Xanû / Xanî
Man	مرد Mard	mart	mereta	mardak مردک	miarda میرده	miarda میرده	Mardi مِردی	Mardak مَردِک	Mardak مَردِک	Mêr	پیاو / مەرد Piyaw / Merd
Lamb	بره Barre	varrak		Ware وَره	Wara وره	Wara وره	vara وره	vara وره	vara وره	Berx	بەرخ Berx
Bride	عروس Arus	vazyok	vaze	Weye ویه	Weya ویه	veya ویه		ayris/eris عریس/عَی ریس	ayris/eris عریس/عَی ریس	Bûk	بووک Bûk
Nose	بینی Bini	Pini	Pini	vinniye وینیه	venia ونیه	venia ونیه	vini وینی	vini وینی	vini وینی	Poz /Bîhn	لووت / کەپوو / بۆن Lût / Kepû / Bon
Wolf	گرگ Gorg	Gourg	vehraka	varg ورگ	varg ورگ	varg ورگ	verg وِرگ	gurg گورگ	gurg گورگ	Gur	گورگ Gurg

Other Tati dialects are Vafsi, Harzandi, Kho'ini, and Kiliti Eshtehardi.