Homework (15 min.) - At the beginning of the class, the instructor will discuss the homework article and assignments with the students. This will include also asking and answering questions from yesterday’s lesson.
Part One (1 hour) - Talyshi (Tālišī) is a North-West Iranian language closely related to the Gilaki, Mazandarani, Tati (Azari), Zaza, and Gurani languages and dialects. Its speakers are mostly concentrated in the southwestern part of the Caspian coastal area. The area inhabited by them is divided between Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan.
Tati or Azari dialects are the languages of the native population of the Atropatena/Azerbaijan before the arrival of the Turkic tribes and the establishment of dominance by the Turkic languages in that area.
Break (15 min.)
Part Two (40 min.) - In the second part of the class, we are going to learn about the political and social aspects of these languages and dialects. These languages are an interesting subject as case studies of minority languages.
Discussion (20 min.) - At the end of the class, the students and instructor will discuss different issues and questions related to the topic. The participants will ask questions about the day's topic.
Literature:
Yarshater, E., A Grammar of Southern Tati Dialects. Median Dialect Studies I, Hague-Paris, 1969;
Yarshater, E., The Tati dialect of Tarom, in Henning Memorial Volume, pp. 451-467.
Lazard, G., ‘Textes en tāleši de Māsule’, in Studia Iranica 8/1, 1979, pp. 36-66.
Asatrian, G., & Borjian, H. (2005), ‘Talish and the Talishes (The State of Research)’, in Iran and the Caucasus, vol. 9/1, pp. 43-72.