 | It has been suggested that this article should be split into a new article titled Pontic Scythian language. (discuss) (November 2024) |
| Scythian | |
|---|---|
| Ethnicity | Scythians, Sarmatians, and Alans |
| Geographic distribution | Central Asia, West Asia, Eastern Europe |
| Linguistic classification | Indo-European
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| Subdivisions |
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| Language codes | |
| Glottolog | sogd1247 (Sogdic-Ossetic)saka1303 (Saka-Wakhi) |
.png) The approximate distribution of Eastern Iranic languages and peoples in 100 BC appears in green. | |
| Notes | |
| Part of a series on |
| Indo-European topics |
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The Scythian languages (/ˈsɪθiən/ or /ˈsɪðiən/ or /ˈskɪθiən/) are a group of Eastern Iranic languages of the classical and late antique period (the Middle Iranic period), spoken in a vast region of Eurasia by the populations belonging to the Scythian cultures and their descendants. The dominant ethnic groups among the Scythian-speakers were nomadic pastoralists of Central Asia and the Pontic–Caspian steppe. Fragments of their speech known from inscriptions and words quoted in ancient authors as well as analysis of their names indicate that it was an Indo-European language, more specifically from the Iranic group of Indo-Iranic languages.
Most of the Scythian languages eventually became extinct, except for modern Ossetian (which descends from the Alanian dialect of Scytho-Sarmatian), Wakhi (which descends from the Khotanese and Tumshuqese forms of Scytho-Khotanese), and Yaghnobi (which descends from Sogdian). Alexander Lubotsky summarizes the known linguistic landscape as follows:[1]
Unfortunately, we know next to nothing about the Scythian of that period [Old Iranian] – we have only a couple of personal and tribal names in Greek and Persian sources at our disposal – and cannot even determine with any degree of certainty whether it was a single language.
- ^ Lubotsky 2002, p. 190.