Editing Languages of Iran

{{Short description|none}} <!-- "none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive; see [[WP:SDNONE]] -->
{{About||the linguistic branch of the Indo-European languages family|Iranian languages}}
{{Update|date=August 2017}}
{{Languages of
| country = Iran
|image=Tarbiyat library.jpg
|caption=Persian sign at the [[Tarbiyat]] library in [[Tabriz]]
| official = [[Persian language|Persian]]
|main       =  Persian 53%, [[Azerbaijani language|Azerbaijani]] and other [[Turkic languages|Turkic dialects]] 18% (e.g [[Afshar dialect]], [[Chaharmahali Turkic]], [[Khalaj language|Khalaj]], [[Khorasani Turkic]], [[Qashqai language|Qashqai]], [[Sonqori dialect]], [[Turkmen language|Turkmen]]), [[Kurdish language|Kurdish]] 10%,  [[Gilaki language|Gilaki]] and [[Mazandarani language|Mazandarani]] 7%, [[Lurish language|Luri]] 6%, [[Arabic language|Arabic]] 2%, [[Balochi language|Balochi]] 2%, and other languages ([[Tati language (Iran)|Tati]], [[Talysh language|Talysh]], [[Armenian language|Armenian]], [[Georgian language|Georgian]], [[Assyrian Neo-Aramaic|Assyrian]], [[Circassian language|Circassian]], [[Achomi]] 1%<ref name="CIA World Factbook"/>
|minority    = [[Armenian language|Armenian]], [[Georgian language|Georgian]], [[Circassian language|Circassian]], [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]], and [[Assyrian Neo-Aramaic|Assyrian]]
|foreign    = [[English language|English]], [[Russian language|Russian]], [[French language|French]]
|sign       = [[Persian Sign Language]]

|keyboard   = [[ISIRI 9147]]
|keyboard image = [[File:Persian keyboard layout, unshifted.gif|200px]]
}}

{{Culture of Iran}}

Iran's ethnic diversity means that the '''languages of Iran''' come from a number of linguistic origins, although the primary language spoken and used is [[Persian language|Persian]]. The Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran asserts that the Persian language alone must be used for schooling and for all official government communications. The constitution also recognizes Arabic as the language of Islam, and assigns it formal status as the language of religion. Although multilingualism is not encouraged, the use of minority languages is permitted in the course of teaching minority-language literature. Different publications have reported different statistics for the languages of Iran; however, the top three languages spoken are consistently reported as Persian, [[Azerbaijani language|Azeri]] and [[Kurdish language|Kurdish]].

== Language policy and planning of Iran ==
The current language policy of Iran is addressed in Chapter Two of the [[Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran]] (Articles 15 & 16).<ref name=":3">{{cite web |title=Constitution |url=https://en.parliran.ir/eng/en/Constitution |website=Islamic Parliament of Iran |publisher=Parliran.ir |access-date=1 September 2020 |archive-date=27 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161027004409/https://en.parliran.ir/eng/en/Constitution |url-status=dead }}</ref> It asserts that the Persian language is the [[lingua franca]] of the Iranian nation and as such, required for the school system and for all official government communications. In addition, the constitution recognizes the [[Arabic]] language as the [[Arabic in Islam|language of Islam]], giving it formal status as the language of religion and regulating its spread within the Iranian national curriculum.<ref name=":3" />

Due to the nation's social and ethnic diversity,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://iranatlas.net/|title=Atlas of the languages of Iran|publisher=Geomatics and Cartographic Research Centre (GCRC) at [[Carleton University]], Ottawa, Canada, and [[Shahrekord University]], Iran. |editor=Erik Anonby |editor2=Mortaza Taheri-Ardali|display-editors=etal|date=2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://ossetic-studies.org/icil7/data/uploads/abstracts/27%20Anonby%2C%20Taheri-Ardali.pdf|title=Linguistic diversity and language contact in Chahar Mahal va Bakhtiari Province, Iran|work=Erik Anonby (Carleton & Bamberg) & Mortaza Taheri-Ardali (Shahrekord)}}</ref> the constitution also acknowledges and permits the use of minority languages in the mass media as well as within the schools, in order to teach minority-language literature. The minority languages of Iran do not receive formal status and are not officially regulated by the authorities.<ref name=":0">Riazi, Abdolmehdi. '''[https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Angel_Lin/publication/234705882_Decolonisation_Globalisation_Language-in-Education_Policy_and_Practice_New_Perspectives_on_Language_and_Education/links/0046353b491da6f274000000.pdf#page=117 The Four Language Stages in the History of Iran.]''' In: Martin, Peter W; Lin, Angel (Eds.). ''Decolonisation, Globalisation: Language-in-education Policy and Practice''. (Buffalo: Multilingual Matters, Ltd. 2005). pp. 98-114.</ref>

The first legislation which granted the Persian language its status was initiated by [[Qajar dynasty]] in 1906, as part of an electoral law that positioned it as the official language of the state of Iran, its government, its political institutions and its legal system. Over time, this enactment was followed by others, which eventually led to a monolingual policy by the Iranian regime.

Perceiving multilingualism as a threat to the nation's unity and territorial integrity, and seeing the need to restrict minority languages’ use and to advance the Persian language's hegemony, Iran's language policy consists of a non-translation outline as well: all government, administration and educational settings are obliged to use only Persian for any written communication. This applies to political institutions (i.e. the Iranian Parliament), official bureaucratic communication (forms, signage etc.) and schooling (all children from the age of six are exposed only to Persian as the language of teaching and learning and of textbooks within the public school system). In other words, the Iranian authorities hold that minorities need to learn the Iranian vernacular to an extent that will allow them to communicate with state institutions.<ref>Haddadian-Moghaddam, Esmaeil; Meylaerts, Reine. '''[https://www.academia.edu/8451057 What about Translation? Beyond "Persianization" as the Language Policy in Iran.]''' ''Iranian Studies'', Vol. 78, No. 6 (2015). pp. 851-870.</ref>

Among the institutions accountable for advancing Iranian Language Planning (e.g. Ministry of Education and Ministry of Science, Research and Technology) is the [[Academy of Persian Language and Literature]], which was established on 1935, under [[Reza Shah Pahlavi]]. Constantly seeking to revise and elaborate the nation's official language, this institute focuses on the linguistics of the Persian language and on the internal aspects of Language Planning, rather than on the use of minority languages within Iranian society. Other Language Planning aspects (e.g. sociolinguistic or functional literacy) have not been assigned to a formal institute and are currently handled free of any official master plan by the educational ministries.<ref name=":0" />

== Languages of Iran ==
Different publications have reported different statistics for the '''languages of [[Iran]]'''. There have been some limited censuses taken in Iran in 2001, 1991, 1986 and 1949–1954.<ref>Iran. rtish. Sitād-i Artish. Dāyirah-i Jughrāfiyāʾī. Title: Farhang-i jughrāfiyāʾī-i Irān : ābādīhā. Imprint: [Tihrān] : Dāyirah-i Jughrafiyāʾī-i Sitād-i Artish, 1328–1332 [1949–54] Description: 10 v. : illus., maps (part fold. col.) Notes: Vols. 1–9 compiled under the general editorship of Hossein ʻAlī Razmārā. See for summary: (Ehsan Hooshmand, “Faslnaameyeh Goftegoo”, “A closer look at religious and ethnic statistics in modern Iran”, 2005, Tehran)</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.magiran.com/magtoc.asp?mgID=1929&Number=43&Appendix=0 |title=فصلنامه گفتگو، شماره 43 |website=Magiran.com |access-date=2017-01-17}}</ref>
The following are the languages with the greatest number of speakers (data from the [[CIA World Factbook]]):<ref name="CIA World Factbook">{{cite web|url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/iran/ |title=The World Factbook — Central Intelligence Agency |website=Cia.gov |access-date=2017-01-17 }}</ref>

Classification categories of the spoken languages:
* [[Indo-European language family|Indo-European]] ([[Iranian languages|Iranic]] mainly, smaller amounts of other branches represented mainly by [[Armenian language|Armenian]], amongst others)
* [[Turkic languages|Turkic]] (mainly [[Azerbaijani language|Azerbaijani]], with smaller amounts of [[Turkmen language|Turkmen]], [[Qashqai language|Qashqai]])
* [[Semitic languages|Semitic]] (mainly [[Arabic language|Arabic]], but also [[Neo-Aramaic]], [[Hebrew]], and [[Mandean language|Mandean]])
* [[Kartvelian languages|Kartvelian]] (such as [[Georgian language|Georgian]])
*[[North Caucasian languages|North Caucasian]] ([[Circassian language|Circassian]])

== Census in the 1990s ==
A census was taken in the Iranian month of Mordad (July 21 – August 21) in 1991. In this census, all 49,588 mothers who gave birth in the country were issued birth certificates and asked about their mother-tongue.<ref>
"در مرداد 1370، هنگام صدور شناسنامه براي نوزادان، درباره زبان ٤٩ هزار و ٥٥٨ مادر در سطح كشور سوال مطرح شد كه نتيجه حاكي از سهم حضور ٥٣٬٨ درصدي زبان هاى غيرفارسي در ايران بود. بر اساس نمونه گيري مذكور، توزيع سهم هر يك از زبان ها (به درصد) به اين شرح بود: ٤٦٬٢ فارسي؛ ٢٠٬٦ تركي آذربايجاني؛ ١٠ كردي؛ ٨٬٩ لري؛ ٧٬٢ درصد گيلكي و شمالي؛ ٣٬٥ عربي ؛ ٢٬٧ بلوچي؛ ٠٬٦ تركمني؛ ٠٬١ ارمني؛ و ٠٬٢ ساير زبان ها ". 
Source:
زنجاني‌، حبيب‌ الله‌، محمد ميرزايي‌، كامل‌ شاپور و امير هوشنگ‌ مهريار، جمعيت‌،توسعه‌، بهداشت‌ باروري‌، چاپ‌ دوم‌، تهران‌، نشر و تبليغ‌ بشري‌، 1379.
Zanjani, H., Mirzai,M., Shapur, K., Mehriyar, A.H.; “Population, Growth, Mortality Rate”, Second Edition, Tehran, Tabligh-e-Bashari Publishers, 2000</ref> They reported: 50.2% [[Persian people|Persian]], 20.6% [[Azerbaijani people|Azerbaijani]], 10% Kurdish, 8.9% Luri, 7.2% Gilaki and Mazandarani, 3.5% Arabic, 2.7% Baluchi, 0.6% Turkmen, 0.1% Armenian, and 0.2% Others (e.g. [[Circassian language|Circassian]], [[Georgian language|Georgian]], etc.). The local [[varieties of Arabic|dialect of Arabic]] spoken in Iran is [[Khuzestani Arabic]], but the varieties of Arabic taught across Iran to students in secondary schools, regardless of their ethnic or linguistic background, are [[Modern Standard Arabic]] and [[Classical Arabic]], the latter a [[liturgical language]] of Islam.

== Foreign languages taught in schools ==
{{Main|Iran Language Institute}}

=== English ===

English is taught in secondary schools (first and second high school) and some non-governmental and public schools as an extra-curricular subject. 

As of 2023, according to an official of the Iranian Ministry of Education, students were no longer required to learn English, downgrading the language to the optional level.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-07-16 |title=English Downgraded To 'Optional' At Iran’s Schools |url=https://www.iranintl.com/en/202307162410 |access-date=2024-10-08 |website=Iran International |language=en}}</ref>

The language was banned in 2018, before the larger ban in 2023, from being taught in primary schools, with the subject being called a "cultural invasion".<ref>{{Cite news |date=2018-01-08 |title=Iran bans English from being taught in primary schools |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-42610755 |access-date=2024-10-08 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref> The decision was made in order to strengthen the Persian language.

=== French ===

Iran's school curriculum has included French since 2022, to provide an alternative to English.

French was also the second official language of Iran until the 1950s, with elite French co-ed schools being common amongst the upper class of Iran.

A great number of words of French origin have entered the Persian language since the early modern period. 

=== Arabic ===

Arabic, being recognised as the language of Islam in the [[Constitution of Iran]], was taught alongside English, for religious purposes throughout kindergarten and primary school, until 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Iran |url=http://hrlibrary.umn.edu/research/iran-constitution.html#:~:text=Article%2016%20%5BArabic%20Language%5D,in%20all%20areas%20of%20study |access-date=2024-10-08 |website=University of Minnesota Human Rights Library}}</ref>

Following the 2023 ban on languages besides Persian being taught in all kindergarten and primary schools, Arabic has been taught only throughout secondary school (grades 7-12).<ref name=":1" />

As of October 2023, Iran has banned the teaching of foreign languages, including Arabic, in all primary and kindergarten schools. The ban is intended to help preserve Iranian identity in children at a young age.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last= |first= |title=Iran Bans Teaching Foreign Languages To Kids |url=https://www.barrons.com/news/iran-bans-teaching-foreign-languages-to-kids-c38b801c |access-date=2024-10-08 |website=barrons.com |language=en-US}}</ref>

The Arabic taught in schools is Modern Standard Arabic and Classical Arabic, which is used in Islamic liturgy.

=== Additional Languages ===

A number of foreign languages are taught in Iran, optionally. The languages vary on the choice of the school and students.

French, German, Italian, Russian, Spanish and, more recently, Chinese are allowed as additional languages based on choices made by schools and students.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |date=2023-07-09 |title=Iran Adds Chinese To List Of Language Allowed To Be Taught At Schools |url=https://www.iranintl.com/en/202307099692 |access-date=2024-10-08 |website=Iran International |language=en}}</ref>

In recent years, some government officials have also suggested that instead of English, the teaching of Russian, Chinese and German languages should be supported in Iran.<ref name=":2" />

The addition of Mandarin Chinese as an optional subject took place in July 2023, the law, adding Chinese to the list of foreign languages that can be taught in Iranian middle and high schools, was endorsed by the then President of Iran, [[Ebrahim Raisi]].<ref name=":2" />

==Other estimations==
In 1986, a nationwide census was undertaken to determine the percentage of Iranians that know Persian, those who do not know, and those who know it fluently.<ref name="Sohrab Behdad 2006">Farhad Nu’mani, Sohrab Behdad, ''Class and Labor in Iran: Did the Revolution Matter?'' Syracuse University Press, 2006.</ref>

==Languages by number of speakers==
The following is a list of languages spoken in Iran by number of speakers according to the latest Ethnologue edition in 2025.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web|url=https://www.ethnologue.com/country/IR/|title=Iran|website=Ethnologue|language=en|access-date=May 19, 2025}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+
!Rank<ref name=":4" />{{efn|For Iranian Persian it includes both first and second language speakers}}
!Language
!Speakers in Iran
|-
|1
| [[Iranian Persian]]
|78,700,000
|-
|2
| [[Azerbaijani language|Azeri]]
|10,100,000
|-
|3
| [[Kurdish language|Kurdish]]
| 5,110,000
|-
|4
| [[Luri language|Luri]]
|3,860,000
|-
|5
| [[Gilaki language|Gilaki]]
|1,610,000
|-
|6
| [[Balochi language|Balochi]]
|1,450,000
|-
|7
| [[Mazanderani language|Mazandarani]]
|1,350,000
|-
|8
| [[Bakhtiari language|Bakhtiari]]
|1,270,000
|-
|9
|[[Southern Pashto language|Southern Pashto]]
|1,270,000
|-
|10
|[[Dari]]
|1,200,000
|-
|11
|[[Qashqai language|Qashqai]]
|1,020,000
|-
|12
|[[Khorasani Turkish]]
|960,000
|-
|13
|[[Laki language|Laki]]
|680,000
|-
|14
|[[Mesopotamian Arabic]]
|571,000
|-
|15
|[[Turkmen language|Turkmen]]
|359,000
|-
|16
|[[Armenian language|Armenian]]
|340,000
|-
|17
|[[Hazaragi]]
|337,000
|-
|18
|[[Hawrami language|Hawrami]]
|180,000
|-
|19
|[[Suret language|Assyrian Neo-Aramaic]]
|117,000
|-
|20
|[[Southwestern Fars language|Southwestern Fars]]
|113,000
|-
|21
|[[Gulf Arabic]]
|110,000
|-
|22
|Other languages
| 2,048,000
|}

== See also ==
* [[Demographics of Iran]]
* [[Ethnicities in Iran]]
* [[Iranian languages]]

== Footnotes ==
{{notelist}}

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
* Poshtvan, Hamideh. "[https://cla-acl.ca/pdfs/resumes-2022-abstracts/Poshtvan.pdf A first detailed language map of Gilan Province, Iran]."

== External links ==
* [http://www.ethnologue.org/show_country.asp?name=IR Ethnologue report for languages of Iran]
* [https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/iran/ CIA FactBook]
* [http://iranatlas.net/index.html Languages of Iran. Atlas]

{{Languages of Iran}}
{{Asia topic|Languages of}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Languages of Iran| ]]