View source for Tajik language

{{Short description|Variety of Persian spoken in Central Asia}}
{{Infobox language
| name             = Tajik
| nativename       = {{lang|tg|Тоҷикӣ}} ({{lang|tg-Latn|Tojikī}}, تاجيکى), {{lang|tg|форсии тоҷикӣ}} ({{lang|tg-Latn|Forsii Tojikī}}, فارسى تاجيکى)
| region           = [[Central Asia]]
| states           = [[Tajikistan]]<br/> [[Uzbekistan]]
| ethnicity        = [[Tajiks]]
| speakers         = {{sigfig|10.539520|3}} million
| date             = 2022–2023
| ref              = <ref>{{e28|tgk}}</ref>
| familycolor      = Indo-European
| fam2             = [[Indo-Iranian languages|Indo-Iranian]]
| fam3             = [[Iranian languages|Iranian]]
| fam4             = [[Western Iranian languages|Western Iranian]]
| fam5             = [[Southwestern Iranian languages|Southwestern Iranian]]
| fam6             = [[Persian language|Persian]]
| script           = {{unbulleted indent list 
|[[Cyrillic script|Cyrillic]] ([[Tajik alphabet]])
|Historically: 
|{{unbulleted indent list 
|[[Arabic script|Arabic]] ([[Persian alphabet]])
|[[Latin script|Latin]] ([[Yañalif]]-based)
}}
|[[Hebrew script|Hebrew]] (by [[Bukharan Jews]]) 
|[[Russian Braille#Additional alphabets|Tajik Braille]]
}}
| agency           = [[Rudaki Institute of Language and Literature]]
| nation           = {{Flagdeco|Tajikistan}}[[Tajikistan]]
| minority         = {{Flagdeco|Uzbekistan}} [[Uzbekistan]]<br/>{{Flagdeco|Russia}} [[Russia]]
| iso1             = tg
| iso2             = tgk
| iso3             = tgk
| lingua           = 58-AAC-ci
| image            = "Tajik", written in Cyrillic (Tоҷикӣ) and Nastaliq (تاجیکی).svg
| imagescale       = 0.7
| imagecaption     = "Tojikī" written in Cyrillic script and [[Perso-Arabic script]] ([[Nastaliq|Nastaʿlīq calligraphy]])
| notice           = IPA
| glotto           = taji1245
| glottorefname    = Tajik
| dia1             = [[Bukharian (Judeo-Tajik dialect)|Bukharian]]
| altname          = Tajiki Persian
| map              = Distribution of the Tajik language.png
| mapcaption       = Areas where Tajik speakers comprise a majority shown in dark purple, and areas where Tajik speakers comprise a sizeable minority shown in light purple
}}
{{Tajiks}}
'''Tajik''',<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=tgk|title=Tajik}}</ref>{{efn|[[Endonym and exonym|Endonym]]: {{lang|tg|(забони) тоҷикӣ}}, {{lang|tg-Latn|(zaboni) tojikī}}, {{IPA|tg|(zɐˈbɔnɪ) tʰɔdʒɪˈkʰi|pron}}}} '''Tajik Persian''', '''Tajiki Persian''',{{efn|Tajik: {{lang|tg|форсии тоҷикӣ}}, {{lang|tg-Latn|forsii tojikī}}, {{IPA|tg|fɔɾˈsijɪ tʰɔdʒɪˈkʰi|pron}}}} also called '''Tajiki''', is the variety of [[Persian language|Persian]] spoken in [[Tajikistan]] and [[Uzbekistan]] by ethnic [[Tajiks]]. It is closely related to neighbouring [[Dari]] of [[Afghanistan]] with which it forms a [[dialect continuum|continuum]] of [[mutually intelligible]] varieties of the [[Persian language]]. Several scholars consider Tajik as a dialectal variety of Persian rather than a language on its own.<ref>Lazard, G. 1989</ref><ref>Halimov 1974: 30–31</ref><ref>Oafforov 1979: 33</ref> The popularity of this conception of Tajik as a variety of Persian was such that, during the period in which [[Tajiks|Tajik]] intellectuals were trying to establish Tajik as a language separate from Persian, prominent intellectual [[Sadriddin Ayni]] counterargued that Tajik was not a "bastardised dialect" of Persian.<ref name=Ido>{{cite book |last1=Ido |first1=Shinji |last2=Mahmoodi-Bakhtiari |first2=Behrooz |editor-first1=Shinji |editor-first2=Behrooz |editor-last1=Ido |editor-last2=Mahmoodi-Bakhtiari |year=2023 |location=Berlin, Boston |title=Tajik Linguistics |publisher=De Gruyter Mouton |doi=10.1515/9783110622799 |isbn=978-3-11-062279-9 }}</ref> The issue of whether Tajik and Persian are to be considered two dialects of a single language or two discrete languages<ref>Studies pertaining to the association between Tajik and Persian include Amanova (1991), Kozlov (1949), Lazard (1970), Rozenfel'd (1961) and Wei-Mintz (1962). The following papers/presentations focus on specific aspects of Tajik and their historical modern Persian counterparts: Cejpek (1956), Jilraev (1962), Lorenz (1961, 1964), Murav'eva (1956), Murav'eva and Rubinl!ik (1959), Ostrovskij (1973) and Sadeghi (1991).</ref> has political aspects to it.<ref name=Ido />

By way of Early New Persian, Tajik, like [[Iranian Persian]] and [[Dari|Dari Persian]], is a continuation of [[Middle Persian]], the official administrative, religious and literary language of the [[Sasanian Empire]] (224–651 CE), itself a continuation of [[Old Persian]], the language of the [[Achaemenid Empire]] (550–330 BC).<ref>Lazard, Gilbert (1975), ''The Rise of the New Persian Language''.</ref><ref>in Frye, R.&nbsp;N., ''The Cambridge History of Iran'', Vol. 4, pp. 595–632, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.</ref><ref name="EI">[[Frye, R.&nbsp;N.]], "Darī", ''[[The Encyclopaedia of Islam]]'', Brill Publications, CD version</ref><ref>[[Richard Foltz]], ''A History of the Tajiks: Iranians of the East'', London: [[Bloomsbury]], 2nd ed., 2023, pp. 2–5.</ref>

Tajiki is one of the two official languages of Tajikistan, the other being [[Russian language|Russian]]<ref name="RIA-RU">{{cite web|url=https://ria.ru/culture/20091022/190107839.html|title=The status of the Russian language in Tajikistan remains unchanged – Rahmon|publisher=RIA – RIA.ru|date=22 October 2009|access-date=30 September 2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161002141721/https://ria.ru/culture/20091022/190107839.html|archive-date=2 October 2016}}</ref><ref name="lenta.ru/news/2011/06/09">{{cite web|url=http://lenta.ru/news/2011/06/09/russian|title=В Таджикистане русскому языку вернули прежний статус|publisher=Lenta.ru|access-date=13 September 2013|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130905014016/http://lenta.ru/news/2011/06/09/russian/|archive-date=5 September 2013}}</ref> as the official interethnic language. In [[Afghanistan]], this language is less influenced by [[Turkic languages]] and is regarded as a form of [[Dari]], which has co-official language status.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Library |first=International and Area Studies |title=LibGuides: Dari Language: Language History |url=https://guides.library.illinois.edu/c.php?g=347570&p=2349642 |access-date=2024-06-30 |website=guides.library.illinois.edu |language=en}}</ref> The Tajiki Persian of Tajikistan has diverged from Persian as spoken in Afghanistan and even more from that of [[Iran]] due to political borders, geographical isolation, the standardisation process and the influence of [[Russian language|Russian]] and neighbouring Turkic languages. The standard language is based on the northwestern dialects of Tajik (region of the old major city of [[Samarkand|Samarqand]]), which have been somewhat influenced by the neighbouring [[Uzbek language]] as a result of geographical proximity. Tajik also retains numerous archaic elements in its vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammar that have been lost elsewhere in the Persophone world, in part due to its relative isolation in the mountains of [[Central Asia]].

==Name==
Up to and including the nineteenth century, speakers in Afghanistan and Central Asia had no separate name for the language and simply regarded themselves as speaking ''Farsi'', which is the [[Exonym and endonym|endonym]] for the Persian language. The term ''Tajik'' derives from Persian, although it has been adopted by the speakers themselves.<ref>Ben Walter, ''Gendering Human Security in Afghanistan in a Time of Western Intervention'' (Routledge 2017), p. 51: for more details, see the article on [[Tajik people]].</ref> For most of the 20th century, its name was rendered in the Russian spelling of ''Tadzhik''.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nswoAAAAMAAJ&dq=%22Tadzhik+language%22&pg=PA267 | title=Foreign Social Science Bibliographies: Series P-92 | year=1965 }}</ref>

In 1989, with the growth in Tajik nationalism, a law was enacted declaring Tajik the [[national language|state (national) language]], with Russian being the [[official language]] (as throughout the [[Soviet Union|Union]]).<ref>In 1990 the Russian language was declared as the official language of [[USSR]] and the constituent republics had rights to declare additional state languages within their jurisdictions. See Article 4 of the [http://legal-ussr.narod.ru/data01/tex10935.htm Law on Languages of Nations of USSR.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160508201331/http://legal-ussr.narod.ru/data01/tex10935.htm |date=2016-05-08 }} {{in lang|ru}}</ref> In addition, the law officially equated Tajik with [[Persian language|Persian]], placing the word ''Farsi'' (the endonym for the Persian language) after Tajik. The law also called for a gradual reintroduction of the Perso-Arabic alphabet.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=sgW_HEcULMYC&dq=tajikistan+alphabet+struggle&pg=PA219 ed. Ehteshami 2002], p. 219.</ref><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=qkKOpAYG7zMC&dq=tajikistan+alphabet+struggle&pg=PA274 ed. Malik 1996], p. 274.</ref><ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=BrM_Ms9OVsEC&dq=central+asia+alphabet+struggle&pg=PA33 Banuazizi & Weiner 1994], p. 33.</ref>

In 1999, the word ''Farsi'' was removed from the state language law.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Siddikzoda|first=Sukhail|date=August 2002 |url=http://www.cimera.org/files/camel/en/27e/MICA27E-Siddikzoda.pdf |title=Tajik Language: Farsi or Not Farsi? |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060613195726/http://www.cimera.org/files/camel/en/27e/MICA27E-Siddikzoda.pdf |archive-date=June 13, 2006 |magazine=Media Insight Central Asia|number=27}}</ref>

==Geographical distribution==
Two major cities of [[Central Asia]], [[Samarkand]] and [[Bukhara]], are in present-day [[Uzbekistan]], but are defined by a prominent native usage of Tajik language.<ref name="diss">B. Rezvani: "Ethno-territorial conflict and coexistence in the Caucasus, Central Asia and
Fereydan. Appendix 4: Tajik population in Uzbekistan" ([http://dare.uva.nl/document/469926]). Dissertation. Faculty of Social and Behavioural Sciences, [[University of Amsterdam]]. 2013</ref>{{better source needed|date=December 2023}}<ref name="PB">[[Paul Bergne]]: ''The Birth of Tajikistan. National Identity and the Origins of the Republic''. International Library of Central Asia Studies. [[I.B. Tauris]]. 2007. Pg. 106</ref> Today, virtually all Tajik speakers in Bukhara are bilingual in Tajik and Uzbek.{{Citation needed|date=January 2016}} This Tajik–Uzbek [[bilingualism]] has had a strong influence on the phonology, morphology, and syntax of Bukharan Tajik.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Ido|first=Shinji|title=Bukharan Tajik|year=2014|journal=Journal of the International Phonetic Association|volume=44|issue=1|pages=87–102|doi=10.1017/S002510031300011X|doi-access=free}}</ref>

Tajiks are also found in large numbers in the [[Surxondaryo Region]] in the south and along Uzbekistan's eastern border with Tajikistan. Tajiki is still spoken by the majority of the population in Samarkand and Bukhara today although, as [[Richard Foltz]] has noted, their spoken dialects diverge considerably from the  standard literary language and most cannot read it.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Foltz|first1=Richard|author-link=Richard Foltz|title=A History of the Tajiks: Iranians of the East, 2nd edition |date=2023|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing|isbn=978-0-7556-4964-8|page=190}}</ref>

Official statistics in Uzbekistan state that the Tajik community comprises 5% of the nation's total population.<ref>Uzbekistan. ''The World Factbook''. Central Intelligence Agency (December 13, 2007). Retrieved on 2007-12-26.</ref> However, these numbers do not include ethnic Tajiks who, for a variety of reasons, choose to identify themselves as Uzbeks in population census forms.<ref>See for example the Country report on Uzbekistan, released by the [[United States]] Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor [https://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/1999/369.htm here].</ref>

During the Soviet "[[Uzbekisation]]" supervised by [[Sharof Rashidov]], the head of the Uzbek Communist Party, Tajiks had to choose either to stay in Uzbekistan and get registered as Uzbek in their passports or leave the republic for the less-developed agricultural and mountainous Tajikistan.<ref>Rahim Masov, ''The History of the Clumsy Delimitation'', Irfon Publ. House, Dushanbe, 1991 {{in lang|ru}}. English translation: [https://www.angelfire.com/rnb/bashiri/Masov/frame.html ''The History of a National Catastrophe''], transl. [[Iraj Bashiri]], 1996.</ref> The "Uzbekisation" movement ended in 1924.<ref>Rahim Masov. (1996)[https://www.angelfire.com/rnb/bashiri/Masov/MasovHistoryNationalCatastrophe.pdf The History of a National Catastrophe] Bashiri Working Papers on Central Asia and Iran</ref>

In Tajikistan Tajiks constitute 80% of the population and the language dominates in most parts of the country. Some Tajiks in [[Gorno-Badakhshan]] in southeastern Tajikistan, where the [[Pamir languages]] are the native languages of most residents, are bilingual. Tajiks are the dominant ethnic group in Northern Afghanistan as well and are also the majority group in scattered pockets elsewhere in the country, particularly urban areas such as [[Kabul]], [[Mazar-i-Sharif]], [[Kunduz]], [[Ghazni]], and [[Herat]]. Tajiks constitute between 25% and 35% of the total population of the country. In Afghanistan, the dialects spoken by ethnic Tajiks are written using the [[Persian alphabet]] and referred to as [[Dari]], along with the dialects of other groups in Afghanistan such as the [[Hazaragi dialect|Hazaragi]] and [[Aimaq dialect]]s. Approximately 48%-58% of Afghan citizens are native speakers of Dari.<ref name="AFGHANISTAN v. Languages">{{cite web|url=http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/afghanistan-v-languages |title=Afghanistan v. Languages|quote=Persian (2) is the language most spoken in Afghanistan. The native tongue of twenty-five percent of the population ... |publisher=[[Encyclopædia Iranica]], online ed.|work=Ch. M. Kieffer|access-date=10 December 2010}}</ref> A large Tajik-speaking [[diaspora]] exists due to the instability that has plagued Central Asia in recent years, with significant numbers of Tajiks found in [[Russia]], [[Kazakhstan]], and beyond. This Tajik diaspora is also the result of the poor state of the economy of Tajikistan and each year approximately one million men leave Tajikistan to gain employment in Russia.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.aljazeera.com/programmes/101east/2013/07/201372393525174524.html | title=Tajikistan's missing men &#124; Tajikistan &#124; al Jazeera}}</ref>

===Dialects===
Tajik dialects can be approximately split into the following groups:

# Northern dialects ([[Sughd Region|Northern Tajikistan]], [[Bukhara]], [[Samarkand]], [[Kyrgyzstan]], and the [[Varzob]] valley region of [[Dushanbe]]).<ref name="Windfuhr, Gernot 2009">Windfuhr, Gernot. "Persian and Tajik." The Iranian Languages. New York, NY: Routledge, 2009. 421</ref>
# Central dialects (dialects of the upper [[Zarafshon (river)|Zarafshan]] Valley)<ref name="Windfuhr, Gernot 2009"/>
# Southern dialects (South and East of [[Dushanbe]], [[Kulob]], and the [[Rasht District|Rasht]] region of Tajikistan)<ref name="Windfuhr, Gernot 2009"/>
# Southeastern dialects (dialects of the [[Darvaz (region)|Darvoz]] region and the [[Amu Darya]] near [[Rushon]])<ref name="Windfuhr, Gernot 2009"/>
The dialect used by the [[Bukharan Jews]] of Central Asia is known as the [[Bukhori dialect]] and belongs to the northern dialect grouping. It is chiefly distinguished by the inclusion of [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]] terms, principally religious vocabulary, and historical use of the [[Hebrew alphabet]]. Despite these differences, Bukhori is [[Mutual intelligibility|readily intelligible]] to other Tajik speakers, particularly speakers of northern dialects.

A very important moment in the development of the contemporary Tajik, especially of the spoken language, is the tendency in changing its dialectal orientation. The dialects of Northern Tajikistan were the foundation of the prevalent standard Tajik, while the Southern dialects did not enjoy either popularity or prestige. Now all politicians and public officials make their speeches in the Kulob dialect, which is also used in broadcasting.<ref>E.K. Sobirov (Institute of Linguistics, Russian Academy of Sciences). [http://www.iling-ran.ru/library/sborniki/for_lang/2014_06/4.pdf On learning the vocabulary of the Tajik language in modern times], p. 115.</ref>

==Phonology==

===Vowels===
The table below lists the six vowel phonemes in standard, literary Tajik. Letters from the Tajik Cyrillic alphabet are given first, followed by IPA transcription. Local dialects frequently have more than the six seen below.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|+ Tajik vowels<ref name="Khojayori, Nasrullo 2009">Khojayori, Nasrullo, and Mikael Thompson. Tajiki Reference Grammar for Beginners. Washington, DC: Georgetown UP, 2009.</ref>
!
! [[Front vowel|Front]]
! [[Central vowel|Central]]
! [[Back vowel|Back]]
|-
! [[Close vowel|Close]]
| {{lang|tg-Cyrl|и}} {{lang|tg-Cyrl|ӣ}} {{IPAslink|i}}
|
| {{lang|tg-Cyrl|у}} {{IPAslink|u}}
|-
! [[Mid vowel|Mid]]
| {{lang|tg-Cyrl|е}} {{IPAslink|e̞}}
| colspan="2" | {{lang|tg-Cyrl|ӯ}} {{IPAslink|ɵ̞}} ({{IPAslink|o̞}})
|-
! [[Open vowel|Open]]
| colspan="2" | {{lang|tg-Cyrl|а}} {{IPAslink|a}}
| {{lang|tg-Cyrl|о}} {{IPAslink|ɔ}}
|}

In northern and Uzbek dialects, classical {{IPAslink|o̞}} has [[chain shift]]ed forward in the mouth to {{IPAslink|ɵ̞}}. In central and southern dialects, classical {{IPAslink|o̞}} has chain shifted upward and merged into {{IPAslink|u}}.<ref>''[https://books.google.com/books?id=3sNV38u-zBwC A Beginners' Guide to Tajiki]'' by Azim Baizoyev and John Hayward, Routledge, London and New York, 2003, p. 3</ref> In the [[Zarafshon (river)|Zarafshon]] dialect, earlier {{IPA|/u/}} has shifted to {{IPAslink|y}} or {{IPAslink|ʊ}}, however {{IPA|/u/}} from earlier {{IPA|/ɵ/}} remained (possibly due to influence from [[Yaghnobi language|Yaghnobi]]).<ref>{{cite book|last=Novák|first=Ľubomír|title=Problem of Archaism and Innovation in the Eastern Iranian Languages (PhD dissertation)|url=https://www.academia.edu/4896441|location=Prague|publisher=Univerzita Karlova v Praze, filozofická fakulta|year=2013}}</ref>

The open back vowel has varyingly been described as mid-back {{IPA|[o̞]}},<ref>Lazard, G. 1956</ref><ref>Perry, J. R. (2005)</ref> {{IPA|[ɒ]}},<ref>Nakanishi, Akira, ''Writing Systems of the World''</ref> {{IPA|[ɔ]}}<ref name=Ido /> and {{IPA|[ɔː]}}.<ref>Korotkow, M. (2004)</ref> It is analogous to standard Persian ''â'' (long ''a''). However, it is  standardly not a back vowel.<ref>''Standard Tajik phonology'' by Shinji Ido, Mouton de Gruyter, Berlin, 2023</ref>

The vowel ⟨Ӣ ӣ⟩ usually represents a stressed /i/ at the end of a word. However, not all instances of ⟨Ӣ ӣ⟩ are stressed, as can be seen with the second person singular suffix -ӣ remaining unstressed.

The vowels /i/, /u/ and /a/ may be reduced to [ə] in unstressed syllables.

===Consonants===
The Tajik language contains 24 consonants, 16 of which form contrastive pairs by voicing: [б/п] [в/ф] [д/т] [з/с] [ж/ш] [ҷ/ч] [г/к] [ғ/х].<ref name="Khojayori, Nasrullo 2009"/> The table below lists the consonant phonemes in standard, literary Tajik. Letters from the Tajik Cyrillic alphabet are given first, followed by IPA transcription.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
! colspan="2" |
![[Labial consonant|Labial]]
![[dental consonant|Dental]]/<br />[[Alveolar consonant|Alveolar]]
! [[Postalveolar consonant|Post-alv.]]/<br />[[palatal consonant|Palatal]]
![[velar consonant|Velar]]
![[uvular consonant|Uvular]]
![[glottal consonant|Glottal]]
|-
! colspan="2" |[[Nasal stop|Nasal]]
|м {{IPAslink|m}}
|н {{IPAslink|n}}
|
|
|
|
|-
! rowspan="2" |[[Stop consonant|Stop]]/<br>[[Affricate]]
!<small>[[Voicelessness|voiceless]]</small>
|п {{IPAslink|p}} 
|т {{IPAslink|t}} 
|ч {{IPAslink|tʃ}} 
|к {{IPAslink|k}} 
|қ {{IPAslink|q}}
|ъ {{IPAslink|ʔ}}
|-
!<small>[[Voice (phonetics)|voiced]]</small>
|б {{IPAslink|b}}
|д {{IPAslink|d}}
|ҷ {{IPAslink|dʒ}}
|г {{IPAslink|ɡ}}
|
|
|-
! rowspan="2" |[[Fricative consonant|Fricative]]
!<small>[[Voicelessness|voiceless]]</small>
|ф {{IPAslink|f}} 
|с {{IPAslink|s}} 
|ш {{IPAslink|ʃ}} 
|
|х {{IPAslink|χ}} 
|ҳ {{IPAslink|h}}
|-
!<small>[[Voice (phonetics)|voiced]]</small>
|в {{IPAslink|v}}
|з {{IPAslink|z}}
|ж {{IPAslink|ʒ}}
|
|ғ {{IPAslink|ʁ}}
|
|-
! colspan="2" |[[Approximant consonant|Approximant]]
|
|л {{IPAslink|l}}
|й {{IPAslink|j}}
|
|
|
|-
! colspan="2" |[[Trill consonant|Trill]]
|
|р {{IPAslink|r}}
|
|
|
|
|}

At least in the dialect of [[Bukhara]], ⟨Ч ч⟩ and ⟨Ҷ ҷ⟩ are pronounced {{IPAslink|tɕ}} and {{IPAslink|dʑ}} respectively, with ⟨Ш ш⟩ and ⟨Ж ж⟩ also being {{IPAslink|ɕ}} and {{IPAslink|ʑ}}.<ref>Ido, Shinji. 2014. Illustrations of the IPA: Bukharan Tajik. Journal of the International Phonetic Association 44. 87–102. Cambridge University Press.</ref>

===Word stress===
[[Word stress]] generally falls on the first syllable in finite verb forms and on the last syllable in nouns and noun-like words.<ref name="Khojayori, Nasrullo 2009"/> Examples of where stress does not fall on the last syllable are adverbs like: бале (''bale'', meaning "yes") and зеро (''zero'', meaning "because"). Stress also does not fall on [[enclitic]]s, nor on the marker of the direct object.

==Grammar==
{{Main|Tajik grammar}}
The word order of Tajiki Persian is [[subject–object–verb]]. Tajik Persian grammar is similar to the classical Persian grammar (and the grammar of modern varieties such as Iranian Persian).<ref>Perry, J. R. 2005</ref> The most notable difference between classical Persian grammar and Tajik Persian grammar is the construction of the present progressive tense in each language. In Tajik, the present progressive form consists of a present progressive participle, from the verb истодан, ''istodan'', 'to stand' and a cliticised form of the verb -acт, ''-ast'', 'to be'.<ref name=Ido />

{{fs interlinear|indent=3
|Ман мактуб навишта истода-ам
|man maktub navišta istoda-am
|I letter write be
|'I am writing a letter.'}}

In Iranian Persian, the present progressive form consists of the verb دار, ''dār'', 'to have' followed by a conjugated verb in either the simple present tense, the habitual past tense or the habitual past perfect tense.<ref>Windfuhr, Gernot. Persian Grammar: History and State of Its Study. De Gruyter, 1979. Trends in Linguistics. State-Of-The-Art Reports.</ref>

{{fs interlinear|indent=4
|من دارم کار می‌کنم
|man dār-am kār mi:-kon-am
|I have work do
|'I am working.'}}

===Nouns===
Nouns are not marked for [[grammatical gender]], although they are marked for number.

Two forms of [[grammatical number]] exist in Tajik, singular and plural. The plural is marked by either the suffix {{lang|tg|-ҳо}} {{Transliteration|tg|-ho}} or {{lang|tg|-он}} {{Transliteration|tg|-on}} (with contextual variants {{lang|tg|-ён}} {{Transliteration|tg|-yon}} and {{lang|tg|-гон}} {{Transliteration|tg|-gon}}), although Arabic loan words may use Arabic forms. There is no definite article, but the indefinite article exists in the form of the number "one" {{lang|tg|як}} {{Transliteration|tg|yak}} and {{lang|tg|-е}} {{Transliteration|tg|-e}}, the first positioned before the noun and the second joining the noun as a suffix. When a noun is used as a [[direct object]], it is marked by the suffix {{lang|tg|-ро}} {{Transliteration|tg|-ro}}, e.g., {{lang|tg|Рустамро задам}} {{Transliteration|tg|Rustam-ro zadam}} {{gloss|I hit Rustam}}. This direct object suffix is added to the word after any plural suffixes. The form {{lang|tg|-ро}} can be literary or formal. In older forms of the Persian language, {{lang|tg|-ро}} could indicate both direct and indirect objects and some phrases used in modern [[Persian language|Persian]] and Tajik have maintained this suffix on indirect objects, as seen in the following example: {{lang|tg|Худоро шукр}} {{Transliteration|tg|Xudo-ro šukr}} {{gloss|Thank God}}). Modern [[Persian language|Persian]] does not use the direct object marker as a suffix on the noun, but rather, as a stand-alone [[morpheme]].<ref name="Khojayori, Nasrullo 2009"/>

===Prepositions===
{| class="wikitable"
|+Simple prepositions
|-
! Tajik !! English
|-
| {{lang|tg|аз}} ({{Transliteration|tg|az}}) || from, through, across
|-
| {{lang|tg|ба}} ({{Transliteration|tg|ba}}) || to
|-
| {{lang|tg|бар}} ({{Transliteration|tg|bar}}) || on, upon, onto
|-
| {{lang|tg|бе}} ({{Transliteration|tg|be}}) || without
|-
| {{lang|tg|бо}} ({{Transliteration|tg|bo}}) || with
|-
| {{lang|tg|дар}} ({{Transliteration|tg|dar}}) || at, in
|-
| {{lang|tg|то}} ({{Transliteration|tg|to}}) || up to, as far as, until
|-
| {{lang|tg|чун}} ({{Transliteration|tg|čun}}) || like, as
|}

==Vocabulary==
Tajik is conservative in its vocabulary, retaining numerous terms that have long since fallen into disuse in Iran and Afghanistan, such as {{lang|tg|арзиз}} {{Transliteration|tg|arziz}} {{gloss|tin}} and {{lang|tg|фарбеҳ}} {{Transliteration|tg|farbeh}} {{gloss|fat}}. Most modern [[loanword|loan words]] in Tajik come from [[Russian language|Russian]] as a result of the position of Tajikistan within the [[Soviet Union]]. The vast majority of these Russian loanwords which have entered the Tajik language through the fields of socioeconomics, technology and government, where most of the concepts and vocabulary of these fields have been borrowed from the Russian language. The introduction of Russian loanwords into the Tajik language was largely justified under the [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] policy of modernisation and the necessary subordination of all languages to Russian for the achievement of a [[Communism|Communist]] state.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Marashi |first1=Mehdi |first2=Mohammad Ali |last2=Jazayery |title=Persian Studies in North America: Studies in Honor of Mohammad Ali Jazayery |location=Bethesda, MD |publisher=Iranbooks |year=1994 |isbn=9780936347356}}{{page needed|date=May 2024}}</ref> Vocabulary also comes from the geographically close [[Uzbek language]] and, as is usual in [[Islam]]ic countries, from [[Arabic]]. Since the late 1980s, an effort has been made to replace loanwords with native equivalents, using either old terms that had fallen out of use or coined terminology (including from Iranian Persian). Many of the coined terms for modern items such as {{lang|tg|гармкунак}} {{Transliteration|tg|garmkunak}} {{gloss|heater}} and {{lang|tg|чангкашак}} {{Transliteration|tg|čangkašak}} {{gloss|vacuum cleaner}} differ from their Afghan and Iranian equivalents, adding to the difficulty in intelligibility between Tajik and other forms of [[Persian language|Persian]].

In the table below, [[Persian language|Persian]] refers to the standard language of Iran, which differs somewhat from the [[Dari|Dari Persian]] of Afghanistan. Two other Iranian languages, [[Pashto]] and [[Kurmanji|Kurdish (Kurmanji)]], have also been included for comparative purposes.

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
!Tajik !! {{lang|tg|моҳ}}<br /><small>{{Transliteration|tg|moh}}</small> !! {{lang|tg|нав}}<br /><small>{{Transliteration|tg|nav}}</small> !! {{lang|tg|модар}}<br /><small>{{Transliteration|tg|modar}}</small> !! {{lang|tg|хоҳар}}<br /><small>{{Transliteration|tg|xohar}}</small> !! {{lang|tg|шаб}}<br /><small>{{Transliteration|tg|šab}}</small> !! {{lang|tg|бинӣ}}<br /><small>{{Transliteration|tg|binī}}</small> !! {{lang|tg|се}}<br /><small>{{Transliteration|tg|se}}</small> !! {{lang|tg|сиёҳ}}<br /><small>{{Transliteration|tg|siyoh}}</small> !! {{lang|tg|сурх}}<br /><small>{{Transliteration|tg|surx}}</small> !! {{lang|tg|зард}}<br /><small>{{Transliteration|tg|zard}}</small> !! {{lang|tg|сабз}}<br /><small>{{Transliteration|tg|sabz}}</small> !! {{lang|tg|гург}}<br /><small>{{Transliteration|tg|gurg}}</small>
|-
! colspan="13" | Other [[Iranian languages]]
|-
! [[Persian Language|Persian]] 
| {{lang|fa|ماه|rtl=yes}}<br /> <small>{{transliteration|fa|māh}}</small> || {{lang|fa|نَو|rtl=yes}}<br /> <small>{{transliteration|fa|naw}}<br>{{transliteration|fa|now}}</small> || {{lang|fa|مادَر|rtl=yes}}<br /> <small>{{transliteration|fa|mādar}}</small> || {{lang|fa|خْواهَر|rtl=yes}}<br /> <small>{{transliteration|fa|xāhar}}</small> || {{lang|fa|شَب|rtl=yes}}<br /> <small>{{transliteration|fa|šab}}</small> || {{lang|fa|بِینِی|rtl=yes}}<br /> <small>{{transliteration|fa|bīnī}}</small> || {{lang|fa|سِه|rtl=yes}}<br /> <small>{{transliteration|fa|sē}}<br>{{transliteration|fa|se}}</small> || {{lang|fa|سِياه|rtl=yes}}<br /> <small>{{transliteration|fa|siyāh}}</small> || {{lang|fa|سُرْخ|rtl=yes}}<br /> <small>{{transliteration|fa|surx}}<br>{{transliteration|fa|sorx}}</small>|| {{lang|fa|زَرْد|rtl=yes}}<br /> <small>{{transliteration|fa|zard}}</small> || {{lang|fa|سَبْز|rtl=yes}}<br /> <small>{{transliteration|fa|sabz}}</small> || {{lang|fa|گُرْگ|rtl=yes}}<br /> <small>{{transliteration|fa|gurg}}<br>{{transliteration|fa|gorg}}</small>
|-
! [[Pashto]]
| {{lang|ps|مْیاشْت|rtl=yes}}<br /><small>{{Transliteration|ps|myâsht}}</small> || {{lang|ps|نٙوَی<br>نٙوَے|rtl=yes}}<br /><small>{{Transliteration|ps|nəway}}</small> || {{lang|ps|مور|rtl=yes}}<br /><small>{{Transliteration|ps|mor}}</small> || {{lang|ps|خور|rtl=yes}}<br /><small>{{Transliteration|ps|xor}}</small> || {{lang|ps|ښْپَه|rtl=yes}}<br /><small>{{Transliteration|ps|shpa}}</small> || {{lang|ps|پوزَه|rtl=yes}}<br /><small>{{Transliteration|ps|poza}}</small> || {{lang|ps|دْرې|rtl=yes}}<br /><small>{{Transliteration|ps|dre}}</small> || {{lang|ps|تور|rtl=yes}}<br /><small>{{Transliteration|ps|tor}}</small> || {{lang|ps|سُور|rtl=yes}}<br /><small>{{Transliteration|ps|sur}}</small> || {{lang|ps|زْیَړ|rtl=yes}}<br /><small>{{Transliteration|ps|zyaṛ}}</small> || {{lang|ps|شِين، زٙرْغُون|rtl=yes}}<br /><small>{{Transliteration|ps|shin, zərghun}}</small> || {{lang|ps|لېوٙه<br>لېوۀ|rtl=yes}}<br /><small>{{Transliteration|ps|lewə}}</small>
|-
! [[Kurmanji|Kurdish (Kurmanji)]]
| {{lang|kmr|meh}} || {{lang|kmr|nû}} || {{lang|kmr|dê}} || {{lang|kmr|xwîşk}} || {{lang|kmr|şev}} || {{lang|kmr|poz}} || {{lang|kmr|sisê, sê}} || {{lang|kmr|reş}} || {{lang|kmr|sor}} || {{lang|kmr|zer}} || {{lang|kmr|kesk}} || {{lang|kmr|gur}}
|-
! [[Sorani|Kurdish (Sorani)]]
| {{lang|ckb-Latn|mang}} || {{lang|ckb-Latn|nwê}} || {{lang|ckb-Latn|dayik}} || {{lang|ckb-Latn|xoşk}} || {{lang|ckb-Latn|şew}} || {{lang|ckb-Latn|lût}} || {{lang|ckb-Latn|sê}} || {{lang|ckb-Latn|reş}} || {{lang|ckb-Latn|sûr}} || {{lang|ckb-Latn|zerd}} || {{lang|ckb-Latn|sewz}} || {{lang|ckb-Latn|gurg}}
|-
!colspan="13" |Other [[Indo-European languages]]
|-
! [[English language|English]]
| month || new || mother || sister || night || nose || three || black || red || yellow || green || wolf
|-
! [[Armenian language|Armenian]] 
| {{lang|hy|ամիս}}<br /><small>{{Transliteration|hy|amis}}</small> || {{lang|hy|նոր}}<br /><small>{{Transliteration|hy|nor}}</small> || {{lang|hy|մայր}}<br /><small>{{Transliteration|hy|mayr}}</small> || {{lang|hy|քույր}}<br /><small>{{Transliteration|hy|k'uyr}}</small> || {{lang|hy|գիշեր}}<br /><small>{{Transliteration|hy|gišer}}</small> || {{lang|hy|քիթ}}<br /><small>{{Transliteration|hy|k'it'}}</small> || {{lang|hy|երեք}}<br /><small>{{Transliteration|hy|yerek'}}</small> || {{lang|hy|սև}}<br /><small>{{Transliteration|hy|sev}}</small> || {{lang|hy|կարմիր}}<br /><small>{{Transliteration|hy|karmir}}</small> || {{lang|hy|դեղին}}<br /><small>{{Transliteration|hy|deġin}}</small> || {{lang|hy|կանաչ}}<br /><small>{{Transliteration|hy|kanač}}</small> || {{lang|hy|գայլ}}<br /><small>{{Transliteration|hy|gayl}}</small>
|-
! [[Sanskrit]]
| {{lang|sa|मास}}<br /><small>{{Transliteration|sa|māsa}}</small> || {{lang|sa|नव}}<br /><small>{{Transliteration|sa|nava}}</small> || {{lang|sa|मातृ}}<br /><small>{{Transliteration|sa|mātr̥}}</small> || {{lang|sa|स्वसृ}}<br /><small>{{Transliteration|sa|svasr̥}}</small> || {{lang|sa|नक्त}}<br /><small>{{Transliteration|sa|nakta}}</small> || {{lang|sa|नास}}<br /><small>{{Transliteration|sa|nāsa}}</small> || {{lang|sa|त्रि}}<br /><small>{{Transliteration|sa|tri}}</small> || {{lang|sa|श्याम}}<br /><small>{{Transliteration|sa|śyāma}}</small> || {{lang|sa|रुधिर}}<br /><small>{{Transliteration|sa|rudhira}}</small> || {{lang|sa|पीत}}<br /><small>{{Transliteration|sa|pīta}}</small> || {{lang|sa|हरित}}<br /><small>{{Transliteration|sa|harita}}</small> || {{lang|sa|वृक}}<br /><small>{{Transliteration|sa|vr̥ka}}</small>
|-
! [[Russian language|Russian]]
| {{lang|ru|месяц}}<br /><small>{{Transliteration|ru|ISO|mesjac}}</small> || {{lang|ru|новый}}<br /><small>{{Transliteration|ru|ISO|novyj}}</small> || {{lang|ru|мать}}<br /><small>{{Transliteration|ru|ISO|matʹ}}</small> || {{lang|ru|сестра}}<br /><small>{{Transliteration|ru|ISO|sestra}}</small> || {{lang|ru|ночь}}<br /><small>{{Transliteration|ru|ISO|nočʹ}}</small> || {{lang|ru|нос}}<br /><small>{{Transliteration|ru|ISO|nos}}</small> || {{lang|ru|три}}<br /><small>{{Transliteration|ru|ISO|tri}}</small> || {{lang|ru|чёрный}}<br /><small>{{Transliteration|ru|ISO|čërnyj}}</small>|| {{lang|ru|красный, рыжий}}<br /><small>{{Transliteration|ru|ISO|krasnyj, ryžij}}</small> || {{lang|ru|жёлтый}}<br /><small>{{Transliteration|ru|ISO|žëltyj}}</small>|| {{lang|ru|зелёный}}<br /> <small>{{Transliteration|ru|ISO|zelënyj}}</small> || {{lang|ru|волк}}<br /><small>{{Transliteration|ru|ISO|volk}}</small>
|-
|}

==Writing system==
{{Main|Tajik alphabet}}
[[File:Coat of Arms of Tajik ASSR.gif|thumb|right|[[Tajik ASSR]] 1929 coat of arms with Tajik language in Perso-Arabic script: {{lang|fa|جمهوريت اجتماعی شوروى مختار تاجيكستان}}, Current script: Ҷумҳурият Иҷтимоӣ Шӯравӣ Мухтор Тоҷикистон]]

In Tajikistan and other countries of the former [[Soviet Union]], Tajik Persian is currently written in the [[Cyrillic script]], although it was written in the [[Latin script]] beginning in 1928 and the [[Arabic alphabet]] prior to 1928. In the [[Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic]], the use of the Latin script was later replaced in 1939 by the Cyrillic script.<ref>Windfuhr, Gernot. "Persian and Tajik." The Iranian Languages. New York, NY: Routledge, 2009. 420.</ref> The Tajik alphabet added six additional letters to the Cyrillic script inventory and these additional letters are distinguished in the Tajik orthography by the use of diacritics.<ref>Windfuhr, Gernot. "Persian and Tajik." The Iranian Languages. New York, NY: Routledge, 2009. 423.</ref>

==History==
According to many scholars, the New Persian language (which subsequently evolved into the Persian forms spoken in Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan) developed in [[Transoxiana]] and [[Greater Khorasan|Khorasan]], in what are today parts of Afghanistan, Iran, [[Uzbekistan]] and Tajikistan. While the New Persian language was descended primarily from [[Middle Persian]], it also incorporated substantial elements of other [[Middle Iranian languages|Iranian languages]] of ancient Central Asia, such as [[Sogdian language|Sogdian]].

Following the [[Arabs|Islamic]] conquest of Iran and most of Central Asia in the 8th century AD, [[Arabic]] for a time became the court language and [[Persian language|Persian]] and other Iranian languages were relegated to the private sphere. In the 9th century AD, following the rise of the [[Samanid]]s, whose state was centered around the cities of [[Bukhoro]] ([[Buxoro]]), [[Samarqand]] and [[Herat]] and covered much of Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan and northeastern Iran, New Persian emerged as the court language and swiftly displaced Arabic.

New Persian became the lingua franca of Central Asia for centuries, although it eventually lost ground to the [[Chaghatai language]] in much of its former domains as a growing number of [[Turkic peoples|Turkic]] tribes moved into the region from the east. Since the 16th century AD, Tajik has come under increasing pressure from neighbouring [[Turkic languages]]. Once spoken in areas of [[Turkmenistan]], such as [[Merv]], Tajik is today virtually non-existent in that country. [[Uzbek language|Uzbek]] has also largely replaced Tajik in most areas of modern Uzbekistan – the [[Russian Empire]] in particular implemented [[Turkification]] among Tajiks in Ferghana and Samarqand, replacing the dominant language in those areas with Uzbek.<ref name="NourzhanovBleuer2013">{{cite book|author1=Kirill Nourzhanov|author2=Christian Bleuer|title=Tajikistan: A Political and Social History|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nR6oAQAAQBAJ&pg=PA22|date=8 October 2013|publisher=ANU E Press|isbn=978-1-925021-16-5|pages=22–}}</ref> Nevertheless, Tajik persisted in pockets, notably in Samarqand, Bukhoro and [[Surxondaryo Region]], as well as in much of what is today Tajikistan.

The creation of the [[Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic]] within the [[Soviet Union]] in 1929 helped to safeguard the future of Tajik, as it became an official language of the republic alongside [[Russian language|Russian]]. Still, substantial numbers of Tajik speakers remained outside the borders of the republic, mostly in the neighbouring [[Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic]], which created a source of tension between [[Tajiks]] and [[Uzbeks]]. Neither Samarqand nor Bukhoro was included in the nascent Tajik SSR, despite their immense historical importance in Tajik history. After the creation of the Tajik SSR, a large number of ethnic Tajiks from the Uzbek SSR migrated there, particularly to the region of the capital, [[Dushanbe]], exercising a substantial influence in the republic's political, cultural and economic life. The influence of this influx of ethnic Tajik immigrants from the Uzbek SSR is most prominently manifested in the fact that literary Tajik is based on their northwestern dialects of the language, rather than the central dialects that are spoken by the natives in the Dushanbe region and adjacent areas.

After the fall of the Soviet Union and Tajikistan's independence in 1991, the government of Tajikistan has made substantial efforts to promote the use of Tajik in all spheres of public and private life. Tajik is gaining ground among the once-[[Russification|Russified]] upper classes and continues its role as the vernacular of the majority of the country's population. There has been a rise in the number of Tajik publications. Increasing contact with media from Iran and Afghanistan, after decades of isolation under the Soviets, as well as governmental orientation toward a "Persianisation" of the language have brought closer Tajik and the other Persian dialects.

==See also==
{{Portal|Tajikistan|Language}}
* [[Academy of Persian Language and Literature]]
* [[Bukhori dialect|Bukhori Judeo-Tajik dialect]]
* [[Iranian peoples]]
* [[Iranian studies]]
* [[List of Persian poets and authors]]
* [[List of Tajik musicians]]
* [[Tajik alphabet]]
* [[Surudi Milli]]
* [[Help:IPA/Persian]]

==References==
;Notes
{{notelist}}

;Citations
{{reflist|30em}}

;Sources
{{refbegin|30em}}
* {{cite book |last1=Baizoyev |first1=Azim |last2=Hayward |first2=John |url=https://archive.org/details/BeginnerTajik |title=A beginner's guide to Tajiki |location=London |publisher=RoutledgeCurzon |year=2004 |isbn=0-415-31597-2}} (includes a Tajiki-English Dictionary)
* {{cite book |last1=Foltz |first1=Richard |author-link=Richard Foltz |title=A History of the Tajiks: Iranians of the East, 2nd edition |date=2023 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing |isbn=978-0-7556-4964-8}}
* {{cite book |last=Ido |first=Shinji |year=2005 |title=Tajik |isbn=3-89586-316-5 |publisher=Lincom Europa |location=München}}
* {{cite book |last=Korotow |first=Michael |year=2004 |title=Tadschikisch Wort für Wort |publisher=Reise Know-How Verlag Peter Rump |location=Bielefeld |isbn=3-89416-347-X}}
* {{cite book |last1=Khojayori |first1=Nasrullo |last2=Thompson |first2=Mikael |title=Tajiki Reference Grammar for Beginners |location=Washington, DC |publisher=Georgetown University Press |year=2009 |isbn=978-1-58901-269-1}}
* {{cite journal |last=Lazard |first=G. |year=1956 |title=Caractères distinctifs de la langue tadjik |journal=Bulletin de la Société Linguistique de Paris |volume=52 |pages=117–186}}
* {{cite book |last=Lazard |first=G. |chapter=Le Persan |title=Compendium Linguarum Iranicarum |publisher=Wiesbaden |year=1989 |editor-first=Rüdiger |editor-last=Schmitt}}
* {{cite book |last=Perry |first=J. R. |year=2005 |title=A Tajik Persian Reference Grammar |location=Boston |publisher=Brill |isbn=90-04-14323-8}}
* {{cite book |title=Persian studies in North America: Studies in honor of Mohammad Ali Jazayery |date=January 1994 |editor-first=Mehdi |editor-last=Marashi |publisher=Iranbooks |location=Bethesda, MD |isbn=978-0-936347-35-6}}
* {{cite book |last1=Nazarzoda |first1=Saĭfiddin |last2=Sanginov |first2=Ahmadjon |last3=Karimov |first3=Said |last4=Sulton |first4=Mirzo Hasani |year=2008 |script-title=tg:Фарҳанги тафсирии забони тоҷикӣ |title=Farhangi tafsiri zaboni tojikī |language=tg |location=Dushanbe}}
** {{cite book |last1=Nazarzoda |first1=Saĭfiddin |last2=Sanginov |first2=Ahmadjon |last3=Karimov |first3=Said |last4=Sulton |first4=Mirzo Hasani |year=2008 |script-title=tg:Фарҳанги тафсирии забони тоҷикӣ |title=Farhangi tafsiri zaboni tojikī |language=tg |location=Dushanbe |volume=1 |url=https://archive.org/details/farhangitafsirii01naza/ |isbn=978-99947-715-7-8}}
** {{cite book |last1=Nazarzoda |first1=Saĭfiddin |last2=Sanginov |first2=Ahmadjon |last3=Karimov |first3=Said |last4=Sulton |first4=Mirzo Hasani |year=2008 |script-title=tg:Фарҳанги тафсирии забони тоҷикӣ |title=Farhangi tafsiri zaboni tojikī |language=tg |location=Dushanbe |volume=2 
|url=https://archive.org/details/farhangitafsirii02naza/ |isbn=978-99947-715-5-4}}
* {{cite book |last=Rastorgueva |first=V |year=1963 |title=A Short Sketch of Tajik Grammar |publisher=Mouton |isbn=0-933070-28-4}}
* {{cite book |last=Windfuhr |first=Gernot |title=Persian Grammar: History and State of Its Study |publisher=De Gruyter |year=1979 |isbn=978-9027977748}}
* {{cite book |last=Windfuhr |first=Gernot |year=1987 |editor-last=Comrie |editor-first=B. |chapter=Persian |title=The World's Major Languages |pages=523–546}}
* {{cite book |last=Windfuhr |first=Gernot |chapter=Persian and Tajik |title=The Iranian Languages |location=New York |publisher=Routledge |year=2009 |isbn=978-0-7007-1131-4}}
{{refend}}

==Further reading==
{{Refbegin}}
* {{cite book|last1=Foltz|first1=Richard|author-link=Richard Foltz|title=A History of the Tajiks: Iranians of the East, 2nd edition |date=2023|publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing|isbn=978-0-7556-4964-8}}
* {{cite journal
|last=Ido
|first=Shinji
|title=Bukharan Tajik
|year=2014
|journal=Journal of the International Phonetic Association
|volume=44
|issue=1
|pages=87–102
|doi=10.1017/S002510031300011X
|doi-access=free
}}
* John Perry. [http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/tajik-ii-tajiki-persian TAJIK ii. TAJIK PERSIAN] ([[Encyclopædia Iranica]])
* Bahriddin Aliev and Aya Okawa. [http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/tajik-iii-colloquial TAJIK iii. COLLOQUIAL TAJIKI IN COMPARISON WITH PERSIAN OF IRAN] ([[Encyclopædia Iranica]])
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{InterWiki|code=tg}}
{{Wikibooks|Tajik}}
{{Wikivoyage|Tajik phrasebook|Tajik|a phrasebook}}
{{Wiktionary category 2}}
{{commons category}}
* [http://persian-tajik.ir/ Tajiki Cyrillic to Persian alphabet converter]
* [http://tajikam.com/forum A Worldwide Community for Tajiks]
* [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Appendix:Tajik_Swadesh_list Tajik Swadesh list of basic vocabulary words] (from Wiktionary's [http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Appendix:Swadesh_lists Swadesh-list appendix])
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/persian/tajikistan/ BBC news in Tajik]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20131208023214/http://www.mynet.tj/lugat/?lg=entj English-Tajik-Russian Dictionary]
* [http://www.lugat.tj/ Free Online Tajik Dictionary]
* [http://www.navrasta.com/ Welcome to Tajikistan]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20150702021130/http://www.stat.tj/ru/img/65a709121baf8a64bf15d33f398aafde_1435736807.pdf  Численность населения Республики Таджикистан на 1 января 2015 года. Сообщение Агентства по статистике при Президенте Республики Таджикистан]
* [https://www.ozodi.org/a/29550914.html намоишгоҳи "Китоби Душанбе"]. A news clip about a Dushanbe book exhibition, with examples of various members of the public speaking Tajiki.

{{Persian language}}
{{Languages of Tajikistan}}
{{Languages of Uzbekistan}}
{{Iranian languages}}

{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Tajik language| ]]
[[Category:Languages of Afghanistan]]
[[Category:Languages of Kazakhstan]]
[[Category:Languages of Kyrgyzstan]]
[[Category:Languages of Russia]]
[[Category:Languages of China]]
[[Category:Languages of Tajikistan]]
[[Category:Languages of Turkmenistan]]
[[Category:Languages of Uzbekistan]]
[[Category:Persian dialects and varieties]]
[[Category:Subject–object–verb languages]]