Avestan?

[Karachi]

Avestan is not spoken any more, but I think these are some kind of prayers from Avestan, can any body tell me what modern language avestan sounds like?

Havan Gah Prayer - Khorde Avesta - YouTube

Yasna 28, Avestan - YouTube

[Karachi]

^ yeah the pronunciation also sounded farsi to me, but if avestan was spoken in afghanistan, does that mean farsi was also invented in afghanistan? is dari like the older version of farsi?

[NokiaWnW]

^ yeah the pronunciation also sounded farsi to me, but if avestan was spoken in afghanistan, does that mean farsi was also invented in afghanistan? is dari like the older version of farsi?

Avestan was spoken before Persian was spoken. Avestan was spoken in a region that streched from (Sari-Pul Afghanistan) region to the current borders between Kyrgyzia and Tajikistan, south-western China and Uzbekistan. This region was ancient Bactria as people call it still even today. Also we are related with that word. In Pashayee we call it Bakhtzmna

[Wahe Guru]

Farsi

its a Farsi speaker reading and reciting the Avestan words as if speaking in Farsi..so it sounds like Farsi. If it was a Chinese speaker reciting same words..then his Avestan would sound like Mandarin.

[Wahe Guru]

Avestan was spoken before Persian was spoken. Avestan was spoken in a region that streched from (Sari-Pul Afghanistan) region to the current borders between Kyrgyzia and Tajikistan, south-western China and Uzbekistan. This region was ancient Bactria as people call it still even today. Also we are related with that word. In Pashayee we call it Bakhtzmna

Do you know / speak Pashayee language?

[Karachi]

^ it may be a farsi accent, but the words defiantly sound similar to farsi, maybe old persian

but it's probably similar to all the old iranic languages

[Tjanaparh]

Avestan should be more similar to Pamirian languages I think, at least linguistically they are grouped far more similar! Avestan has a quit different sounds from Farsi and also Avestan wasn't old Persian, they were 2 different neghbouring languages - Zarathushtra is supposed to have been living somwhere in central asia (Balkh or Khwarezm are known as the two most probable places).
Avestan already in the time of ancient Persia was a dead language, it was never the language of the Persian empire.
I suppose it had its quiet distinct sound, as it has a lot of propper sounds not common in farsi at all.

[Tjanaparh]

Here you can learn more about grammar and sound system of Avestic language:

http://www.avesta.org/language/Combined_Avesta_Grammar.pdf

[Wahe Guru]

^ it may be a farsi accent, but the words defiantly sound similar to farsi, maybe old persian

but it's probably similar to all the old iranic languages

I suppose it would depend on how much the current living languages have changed over time, but my guess (only) is that Avestan would not sound too much like a current living language. Avestan would be much closer to Sanskrit than any living language and if Sanskrit does not sound like Farsi (or Punjabi) then Avestan could not sound like Farsi either?

Listen to this reciting of prayers in Avestan and it sounds much more like Gurbaani Punjabi (Sikh) prayers than your link which, yes, it sounded more like Farsi as the speaker must have been a Farsi speaker.

Havan Gah Prayer - Khorde Avesta - YouTube

[Wahe Guru]

Avestan should be more similar to Pamirian languages I think, at least linguistically they are grouped far more similar! Avestan has a quit different sounds from Farsi and also Avestan wasn't old Persian, they were 2 different neghbouring languages - Zarathushtra is supposed to have been living somwhere in central asia (Balkh or Khwarezm are known as the two most probable places).
Avestan already in the time of ancient Persia was a dead language, it was never the language of the Persian empire.
I suppose it had its quiet distinct sound, as it has a lot of propper sounds not common in farsi at all.

Is it correct that there are no languages directly descended from Avestan?

[Wahe Guru]

^ it may be a farsi accent, but the words defiantly sound similar to farsi, maybe old persian

but it's probably similar to all the old iranic languages

sorry I forgot...you had the other link too...and yes that sounds more like prayers recited in Gurbani (old Punjabi Sikh scriptures) than like Farsi.

[Karachi]

sorry I forgot...you had the other link too...and yes that sounds more like prayers recited in Gurbani (old Punjabi Sikh scriptures) than like Farsi.

it doesn't sound any thing like punjabi

[Wahe Guru]

it doesn't sound any thing like punjabi

I didnt say Avestan sounded like Punjabi. I said, in that other link I referred to, the reciting sounded like prayers being recited in Gurbani. Someone else has commented that too within the link and it does - you would not know would you? But everything sounds like Farsi to you.

It is very unlikely that Avestan would have sounded like any living language due to time span. But on the other hand it would probably have sounded similar to Sanskrit and any other related languages of that time - which today have been lost.

"Avestan, which is associated with northeastern Iran and Old Persian, which belongs to the southwest, plus Gathic or the Old Avestan (language of the Gathas, the Hymns of Zarathushtra – 2nd millennium BC) are the only languages (of what must have been a great variety) to have left written traces

"The language of the Avesta is most closely allied to the Sanskrit, though individually quite distinct from the latter. Together they may be classed as making up an Indo-Iranian group. Almost any Sanskrit word may be changed at once into its Avestan equivalent, or vice versa, merely by applying certain phonetic laws. As example may be taken the metrical stanza Yt. 10.6 in the Avesta:

tem amavantem yazatem
surem damohu seviytem
mithrem yazai zaothrabyo

'Mithra that strong mighty angel, most beneficent to all creatures, I will worship with libations'- becomes when rendered word for word in Sanskrit:

tam amavantam yajatam
yuram dhamasu yavistham
mitram yajai hotrabhyah"

[RevolutionThroughReason]

I suppose it would depend on how much the current living languages have changed over time, but my guess (only) is that Avestan would not sound too much like a current living language. Avestan would be much closer to Sanskrit than any living language and if Sanskrit does not sound like Farsi (or Punjabi) then Avestan could not sound like Farsi either?

Listen to this reciting of prayers in Avestan and it sounds much more like Gurbaani Punjabi (Sikh) prayers than your link which, yes, it sounded more like Farsi as the speaker must have been a Farsi speaker.

Havan Gah Prayer - Khorde Avesta - YouTube

The link is absolutely beautiful; Muslims should learn to appreciate and respect the Ancient Adyan(religions) more , they still possess much truth to them.

And by the way this sounds like Pushto

[Karachi]

I didnt say Avestan sounded like Punjabi. I said, in that other link I referred to, the reciting sounded like prayers being recited in Gurbani. Someone else has commented that too within the link and it does - you would not know would you? But everything sounds like Farsi to you.

It is very unlikely that Avestan would have sounded like any living language due to time span. But on the other hand it would probably have sounded similar to Sanskrit and any other related languages of that time - which today have been lost.

"Avestan, which is associated with northeastern Iran and Old Persian, which belongs to the southwest, plus Gathic or the Old Avestan (language of the Gathas, the Hymns of Zarathushtra – 2nd millennium BC) are the only languages (of what must have been a great variety) to have left written traces

"The language of the Avesta is most closely allied to the Sanskrit, though individually quite distinct from the latter. Together they may be classed as making up an Indo-Iranian group. Almost any Sanskrit word may be changed at once into its Avestan equivalent, or vice versa, merely by applying certain phonetic laws. As example may be taken the metrical stanza Yt. 10.6 in the Avesta:

tem amavantem yazatem
surem damohu seviytem
mithrem yazai zaothrabyo

'Mithra that strong mighty angel, most beneficent to all creatures, I will worship with libations'- becomes when rendered word for word in Sanskrit:

tam amavantam yajatam
yuram dhamasu yavistham
mitram yajai hotrabhyah"

post link to the Gurbani Singh punjabi, so I can judge if it sounds similar or not