The Caspian Dialect of Kujūr in the Central Alborz

Abstract

Spoken in the district of Kujūr in the Māzandarān province, Kujūri is the westernmost dialect of Māzandarāni, also known as Ṭabari, a language of some four million speakers. Kujūri exhibits transitional characteristics between Māzandarāni proper, spoken in the plains of eastern Māzandarān, and the Central Caspian language group, neither of which has received proper scholarly attention. This study offers a sketch grammar of Kujūri, with an emphasis on its typological traits, followed by a toponymic survey of the district, an account of the Dailami calendar and festivals as practised in Kujūr, a depiction of Kujūri literature and a short glossary.

Keywords:

• Ṭabari
• Māzandarāni
• Caspian language continuum
• north-west Iranian languages
• Dailami calendar
• Caspian literature