Persian language

High school (ages 12+)
People & Society

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/persian-language

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the language family?Indo-Iranian, Western Iranian branch
2. What is the script?Modified Perso-Arabic script, written right-to-left, with a strong tradition of calligraphy
3. Where did the Persian language start?It started in the Achaemenid Empire around 550–330 BCE, where it was written on big stone walls like the Behistun Inscription.
4. How did Persian change over time?It changed from Old Persian to Middle Persian, and after the Arab conquest it mixed in many Arabic words, becoming the Modern Persian we use today.

Lingua Franca: A common language used by speakers of different native languages to communicate.
Persianate World: A historical and cultural region where Persian language and culture were dominant.
Pahlavi: The Middle Persian language, the official language of the Sasanian Empire.