Atlas of the Languages of Iran

Atlas of the Languages of Iran
Type of site
Online atlas
Available inEnglish
Persian
Area servedLinguistics
Geolinguistics
Linguistic map
Linguistic typology
Language documentation
Iranian languages
Created byGeomatics and Cartographic Research Centre (GCRC) at Carleton University
Shahrekord University
Founder(s)Erik John Anonby
EditorErik Anonby, Mortaza Taheri-Ardali
URLiranatlas.net
Launched2015
Current statusActive

The online Atlas of the Languages of Iran (ALI) is a collection of interactive language distribution maps and linguistic maps of the languages spoken across Iran.[1] The atlas is developed and maintained at the Geomatics and Cartographic Research Center (GCRC)[2] at Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada. The maps on the atlas are searchable and illustrate patterns in the phonology, morphosyntax, and lexicon of languages spoken in Iran.[1][3][4] As the atlas is interactive, users are free to access the data and information represented on the maps, and they are encouraged to contribute and comment on the language data for each location.[1][5]

Language maps

Language distribution map, country-level

The primary goal of this atlas is to provide an overview of the language situation in Iran.[6][7] The atlas provides both interactive language distribution maps and static linguistic maps.The language distribution maps show language varieties spoken across the Provinces of Iran alongside an estimation of the number of speakers for each variety.[1]

Language classification

The Atlas of the Languages of Iran (ALI) presents a working classification of the languages of Iran using the traditional classification tree, based on the works of linguists and other scholars.[8]

The language classification tree is also represented as a three-dimensional force graph web visualizing language varieties and different types of links between them: genealogical inheritance, areal similarity, and ethnic identification.[9]

Resources

Resources used for language data collection and documentation throughout the process of building ALI have been provided on the atlas's page.[1] The bibliography contains a list of references that are used and/or cited in the atlas.[10]

Questionnaire

The ALI linguistic data questionnaire, available in English and Persian, has been developed specifically for the languages of Iran and is used to collect language data across the country.[11] The questionnaire consists of three main parts: Lexicon, Morphosyntax, and Numbers using which linguists collect lexical and morphosyntactic data in fieldwork sessions.[6] The collected lexical data is considered as an important resource for future electronic Etymological dictionaries for the languages of Iran.[12] In addition to the language data, the questionnaire contains Sociolinguistic context questions that provide detailed information about the interview respondents' linguistic background and language use as these factors directly affect the elicited language data.[6][13]

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Geomatics and Cartographic Research Centre, Carleton University. "Atlas of the Languages of Iran". iranatlas.net/index.html.
  2. ^ Geomatics and Cartographic Research Centre, Carleton University. "Geomatics and Cartographic Research Centre". gcrc.carleton.ca.
  3. ^ El Zarka, Dina; Ziagos, Sandra (2020). "The beginnings of word order change in the Arabic dialects of southern Iran in contact with Persian: A preliminary study of data from four villages in Bushehr and Hormozgan" (PDF). Iranian Studies. 53 (3–4): 465–488. doi:10.1080/00210862.2019.1690433. S2CID 213038306. Retrieved 5 January 2023.
  4. ^ Murasugi, Kumiko (2019). "Linguistic Cybercartography: Expanding the boundaries of language maps". Modern Cartography Series. 7: 389–412. doi:10.1016/B978-0-444-64193-9.00022-1. ISBN 9780444641939. S2CID 203171021. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
  5. ^ Anonby, Erik; Sabethemmatabadi, Parisa (2019). "Representing complementary user perspectives in a language atlas". Modern Cartography Series. 7: 413–440. doi:10.1016/B978-0-444-64193-9.00023-3. ISBN 9780444641939. S2CID 203487296. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
  6. ^ a b c Anonby, Erik; Taheri-Ardali, Mortaza; Hayes, Amos (2019). "The Atlas of the Languages of Iran (ALI): A research overview" (PDF). Iranian Studies. 52 (1–2): 199–230. doi:10.1080/00210862.2019.1573135. S2CID 166829122. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
  7. ^ Taheri-Ardali, Mortaza; Anonby, Erik (2021). "The Online Atlas of the Languages of Iran: Design, Methodology and Initial Results" [اطلس برخط زبان‌های ایران: طراحی، روش‌شناسی، و نتایج اولیه] (PDF). Language Related Research (in Persian). 12 (2): 231–291. doi:10.29252/LRR.12.2.8 (inactive 1 November 2024). Retrieved 29 December 2022.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of November 2024 (link)
  8. ^ Geomatics and Cartographic Research Centre, Carleton University. "Atlas of the Languages of Iran". iranatlas.net.
  9. ^ Geomatics and Cartographic Research Centre, Carleton University. "Atlas of the Languages of Iran". iranatlas.net.
  10. ^ Geomatics and Cartographic Research Centre, Carleton University. "Atlas of the Languages of Iran". iranatlas.net.
  11. ^ "Questionnaires - Materials for the Atlas of the Languages of Iran (ALI)". carleton.ca.
  12. ^ Chundra A., Cathcart (2020). "Dialectal Layers in West Iranian: A Hierarchical Dirichlet Process Approach to Linguistic Relationships". Transactions of the Philological Society. 120 (1): 1–31. arXiv:2001.05297. doi:10.1111/1467-968X.12225. S2CID 210702962. Retrieved 6 January 2023.
  13. ^ Elling, Rasmus; Harris, Kevin (2021). "Difference in difference: language, geography, and ethno-racial identity in contemporary Iran". Ethnic and Racial Studies. 44 (12): 2255–2281. doi:10.1080/01419870.2021.1895275. S2CID 233617252. Retrieved 5 January 2023.

Further reading