Semnani language
| Semnani | |
|---|---|
| سمنی زفون Semani zefön | |
| Region | Iran |
| Ethnicity | Semnani |
| Dialects |
|
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | smy |
| Glottolog | semn1249 |
| ELP | Semnani |
Semnani is classified as Definitely Endangered by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger | |
Semnani (سمنانی زفون, Semani zefön) is the main language of the Semnan province of Iran and has several branches. The language belongs to the Northwestern branch of the Western Iranian languages. Spoken in south of the Caspian Sea, Semnani is linguistically closely related to Zaza language, another northwestern Iranian language spoken in Anatolia. It is suggested that Semnani and Zaza are descended from a common ancestor. Like other Caspian languages, it bears some resemblance to the Old Iranian Median language and was influenced by Parthian in a later process.
Similiar to Zaza, the noun, adjective systems and verb conjugation exhibit two genders (masculine and feminine) and two numbers in Semnani.